Le Plus Grand Français de tous les temps ("The Greatest Frenchman of all Time") was a
France 2 show of early 2005, based on an original series of Great Britons on the
BBC. The show asked the French viewers whom they thought was the Greatest Frenchman or Frenchwoman. It was presented by
Michel Drucker and
Thierry Ardisson, and the final episode was broadcast at the
French Senate.
The winner was the former president and leader of the
Free French movement, Charles de Gaulle.[1]
The show was criticized by some historians in that it focused only on personalities of recent French history. Key figures of French history who contributed to the founding of the French nation, such as the national heroine
Joan of Arc, the kings
Philip Augustus,
Saint Louis, and
Louis XIV or French Emperor
Napoleon Bonaparte were largely ignored.
General and president. Leader of the French resistance movement during
World War II. President of France between 1944 and 1946 and between 1958 and 1969. Admired for giving post-war France international prestige and independence in their foreign policy.
Comedian, actor and humanitarian activist. Founder of the
Restaurants du Coeur, a non-profit charity movement who distribute food to the needy and help people out with finding housing.
Novelist, poet and playwright. Author of internationally famous and beloved works, such as The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and Les Misérables. Also campaigned for freedom of the press and against the death penalty and social injustice.
Playwright. Creator of internationally renowned comedy plays such as Tartuffe, The Miser and The Misanthrope. Praised for his satirical wit, socially critical themes and vivid characters. Considered the most important and influential French-language author of all time.
Explorer, inventor, documentary maker and oceanographer. Co-inventor of the
Aqua-lung, which introduced modern underwater diving. Explored the oceans and made numerous documentaries about them. Championed for
marine conservation.