Madness and audacity are an intrinsic part of Bruno Blanchet's universe. They have been present since his childhood, the small screen having provided him with programs to enjoy them. Before traveling the world, this globetrotter traveled thanks to television.

Bruno, what youth programs have marked you?

La Fricassee, Sol et Gobelet, The 100 Towers of Centour and Les Oraliens. All for madness, audacity, inventiveness and inspiration. Today, I realize that the series of my childhood inspired me a lot!

What are your fondest TV memories from when you were a child?

An event called the 24 Hours of the 10, where once a year you could watch horror movies all night long! Each time, we promised each other a big party, we made each other bowls of chips and "liquor", and mom would settle my sister and me in a pile of pillows and blankets in front of the TV. But at midnight, we were already sleeping soundly... (laughs)

Did you watch a lot of TV when you were young?

Not a lot, because in reality, there was very little youth TV. During the week, we watched the midday shows during lunch at home (from memory, often Les Flintstones). Coming home from school, there were usually youth programs between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. (La Ribouldingue, Grujot et Délicat, Pop Citrouille, Major Plum Pudding), then programs translated from English from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. like Mission: Impossible, Island of the Giants, Lost in Space... Saturday morning was our big morning of TV and cartoons; we would wake up before our parents and settle in for three hours of cartoons! Then there was Bagatelle on Saturdays at 5 p.m. and Walt Disney on Sundays at 6 p.m.

Is there a character who influenced you?

I wanted to be Tintin... and I became Tintin! Life is good sometimes, huh?

Is there a character you would have liked to play for children?

Doormat in La Ribouldingue [played by the deceased Jean-Louis Millette, Ed], because he ate chocolate potatoes!

What universe would you like the children to discover?

The world of travel! Children's games from all over the world, Christmas celebrations and birthday parties from all continents.

What do you think of today's youth TV?

It is extremely varied and it is sometimes of very high quality, but with the web and the hundreds of specialized channels, it is increasingly difficult to define and identify... In my time, youth television was easy to identify : there were specific time slots that corresponded to young people's free time, and it was impossible, for example, to watch children's TV after 8 p.m. And that's if we consider shows like Symphorien or Quelle famille to be "youth TV"...

♦ Bruno Blanchet stars in the comedy La mélancolite alongside Guy Jodoin and Anne-Marie Losique, on Tou.tv. He also travels the world for the program Les vacances de Monsieur Bruno on TV5 (tv5unis.ca).