Famous in France

Whilst the latest cult Youtube video circulating your newsfeeds might have been KONY 2012 (or HDYGSD?), here in France I myself have become a bit of a internet sensation. Okay so not a sensation in terms of Antoine Dodson or ‘Charlie bit me’, but what else would you call someone who’s laughing mug had been seen by 22 million French on evening primetime TV and millions more through Youtube creeping.

It all started as part of my objective to see all French presidential candidates before I eventually have to leave this land of plentiful patisseries and aggravating accordion players. Having ‘met’ Francois Hollande, the Socialist Party’s candidate – or in real terms, having shouted ‘bonsoir’ at him whilst he circulated a room of elderly supporters – imagine my delight when I found that I could get a 2 for 1 in the form of tickets to the filming of a TV show featuring the candidates from the far Left and far Right parties.

Naturally when filming a far Right candidate whose main discourse has been focused on the supposed plague of immigrants damaging the integrity of La France, you would want to make sure the filming was in the cosy locale of the French ghetto. And so tickets in hand, I trotted through the rather rough suburb of Seine Saint Denis (Badlands watch out, you might have competition..) along to the TV studios on a muggy Thursday evening. Makeup less and dressed in my library best I was delighted (read internally distraught at my appearance whilst overjoyed at my opportunity to become a star) to find out that they wanted me to switch seats with an offended looking model on the front row.

Cheeks pinched to a rosy glow and hair tweaked into an almost acceptable barnet I prepared my interested and intellectual enlightened face, steering clear of looking ‘communist cooperative’ or ‘fascinated by fascist righties’. Now here’s where things start to fall apart. Those of you who know me personally will agree that I laugh. A lot. Especially when uncomfortable. So taking this tendency and remembering that I am seated in front of a line of cameras for roughly two and a half hours and you’ll probably come to the conclusion that I laughed. Putting this in context, it’s a bit like laughing in a particularly bitter Question Time when the sedate politicians are discussing how to resolve the great pension debate or how to tackle dramatic ecological crises in the Yorkshire moors. I was the only one laughing to say the least.

And so there it is, the truth. I am now known in France, and I mean known – people have approached me in the street, in restaurants, in museums, asking if it’s really me, the laughing girl from the TV. Not quite the calm, collected TV career I was anticipating but who knows, Sarkozy remains to be seen and there’s still some giggles in me yet.