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BBC2 Excuse my French


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Excuse My French

BBC2

Tue 18 Jul, 9:00 pm - 10:00 pm 60mins

Four-part series in which Esther Rantzen, Ron Atkinson and Marcus Brigstocke attempt to learn French by undertaking a linguistic crash-course, living together for a month deep in rural France, totally immersed in the French language and culture.

The trio meet for the first time when they move into their picturesque Provencal villa. Their challenges include telling a joke to complete strangers, becoming a newspaper reporter and working as delivery drivers.

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  • 2 weeks later...
[quote]I wonder if they have any knowledge of the french language before they made the program, I'm guessing they would.[/quote]

Not Big Ron. He seemed to pick up a fair bit in the first episode. I'm just waiting for someone to give him all he really needs - deuxie\me poteau (= "back stick" in Big Ronglish - a.k.a. "far post").

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EHM wrote

I wonder if they have any knowledge of the french language before they made the program, I'm guessing they would.

I watched it last week, Esther obviously had a fair command, Marcus knew a little and improved,  Ron knew none at all but fell back on his command of Spanish.

I think one good thing the program showed was that if you don't speak the language French doesn't just magically trip off the tongue as soon as you arrive in France.[8-)]

 

Last week they showed a program "French Exchange" (I think it was called) about French people working in the U.K. and what they thought of their life here. I believe this may have been shown before on BBC4

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I started watching it last night but had to change channels as it was too embarrassing to watch. Esther did not seem to grasp the fact that the French hosts seemed affronted that she was not taking the programme seriously and I thought this reflected badly on her - I think the producers could have made the programme less difficult for the participants and more humourous for the viewers - still, what else was there to watch on the box!
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[quote user="Blanche Neige"]

EHM wrote

I wonder if they have any knowledge of the french language before they made the program, I'm guessing they would.

[/quote]

Although billed as all three having to learn French in a month, in the first programme it was mentioned that both Marcus and Esther had done French at school and Ron spoke Spanish, Marcus to "O" Level and with Esther they said O Level and then said A level, so she is hardly a novice is she?

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Esther Rantzen is over 60, n'est-ce pas? So even if she did A level French it must've been around 40-odd years ago. So "hardly a novice" is putting it a bit strongly.......dunno about you, but I notice my French going downhill if I don't speak it for a couple of months![:D]
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[quote user="Croixblanches"]Esther Rantzen is over 60, n'est-ce pas? So even if she did A level French it must've been around 40-odd years ago. So "hardly a novice" is putting it a bit strongly.......dunno about you, but I notice my French going downhill if I don't speak it for a couple of months![:D][/quote]

Not that long ago, I applied to do a language degree, involving the "A" level French that I achieved about 30 years earlier. When I queried with the tutor whether my language skills would be able to cope with this level of study he said "If you took "A" level that long ago, your knowledge will be better than someone who left school last year" That's pretty much an exact quote. Believe it or not, he was right. Apart from lacking the confidence to open my mouth and talk (no lack of confidence with the 18 year olds!), my standard of French was far more advanced than the younger students. When you learnt languages in those days, they stayed learnt!

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[quote user="KathyC"]

When you learnt languages in those days, they stayed learnt!

[/quote]

 

I know, I did! [:)]

But I still think "hardly a novice" is a bit strong...and BTW I teach French to lots of adults now who learned at school 30-odd years ago, so I totally agree with you, some things stay with you.

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I thought the first episode was quite good... humourous and fairly helpful too with my french.... I thought that in the second episode someone should have shot Esther Rantzen. Why is she there...is she stupid? Theres no way she didnt know what she was getting into....

monti

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Personally, I think it shows that those with a moderate grounding in a language are likely to make most progress using the immersion method. A complete idiot, (sorry, beginner) like Ron, flounders, having no foundations to build on: someone with more knowledge, like Esther, improves, but not dramatically: whilst a person with the basics, like Marcus, comes on in leaps and bounds. Of course, it does no harm that he's the most willing and adaptable learner of the three.

Although I'm no fan of Esther Rantzen, I think that if  I were 65 and an established media figure, I would be a bit cheesed off at having to skivvy round as a waitress. I rather agree with her that it's not going to improve the language skills she needs to do her task.

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I thought that in the second episode someone should have shot Esther Rantzen. Why is she there...is she stupid? Theres no way she didnt know what she was getting into....

Montagrier, did you or anyone else begin to feel the program was going down the "Nippy and Nigel" route????????????????[8-)]

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[quote user="Blanche Neige"]

Montagrier, did you or anyone else begin to feel the program was going down the "Nippy and Nigel" route????????????????[8-)]

[/quote]

If by that you mean, cr*p, but strangely watchable, then I have to agree.

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But Nippy and Nigel were amusing.  I just find Big Ron and Esther embarrassing.  The only "rationale" I can find for Esther's approach during the programme is that she has a "script" to follow as someone at the BBC thinks this is the way to "entertain" us. 

I was hoping (perhaps foolishly) that the programme would show how progress could be made in learning a foreign language by people of different ages and with different residual levels of French.  But of course, that would not be "entertaining"!

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Speaking with a language teaching hat on, Esther's attitude really annoyed me last night. She wants to spend all her time doing grammar exercises, which really isn't necessary at her level. Most of my students learning English follow the Marcus route of speaking as much as possible to become fluent (once you have the grammar basics of course). Grammar exercises are quite easy for intermediate + students, it is putting the rules into practice when speaking that is the most difficult thing and I'm sure the way in which they are being taught on this programme would help with this. Esther would be one of my nightmare students.
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Couldn't agree more, Susan, but I have to admit that Esther's attitude and that of Ron's teacher were a bit of a close-run thing as to which annoyed me most! Have you ever stormed out of a lesson with a student because you found them frustrating? No, neither have I, and believe me, I've taught people a lot more frustrating than him!!!
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"The only good part is that the BBC has not wasted any of our licence fee on the series"

How do you work that one out?    Do you mean that as you do not pay the UK license anymore it was not your money being wasted?

Have I missed something here?   Someone paid for the crew, flights, meals,  transport, accommodation, tutors.etc or are the "contestants funding it themselves?

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[quote user="Ron Avery"]

"The only good part is that the BBC has not wasted any of our licence fee on the series"

How do you work that one out?    Do you mean that as you do not pay the UK license anymore it was not your money being wasted?

[/quote]

Correct, we don't pay a UK licence but doubtless some of the money that we pay to Mr Murdoch is handed over.

John

not

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John,  old mate, I would wear a hat when you go out in the sun, do you really think that Murdoch gives any money to the BBC?  You still have not explained how "Excuse my French" did not waste any license payers money,  I am sure those who do pay a license fee are dying to know.[Www]

However, there is a link from the BBC web page for the programme to a learning French website for beginners with Ron how nice of the BBC to welcome him back to TV after he called a Frenchman a lazy nigger:   Basics are  Marcus : intermediate is Esther, how convenient is that[:'(] Did they plan it!! 

The site is pretty useful with interesting tests and if you want to practice understanding spoken French at all three levels it has English and French sub-titles to assist with comprehension during the film clips, it features Gerard Houlier the manager of Lyons, amongst others,  who used to be an English teacher.

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[quote user="Ron Avery"]

John,  old mate, I would wear a hat when you go out in the sun, do you really think that Murdoch gives any money to the BBC?  You still have not explained how "Excuse my French" did not waste any license payers money,  I am sure those who do pay a license fee are dying to know.[Www]

[/quote]

Ron old fruit, you really must try to pay attention. I did not say that the prog did not waste ANY licence payers money, just that it did not waste any of ours (as in D n J).

I have no idea how/whether Sky pays anyone for anything and to tell the truth I am not particularly bothered.

John

not

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