''Loft Story'' was a French
reality show
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...
, and it is the first
French
French may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France
** French people, a nation and ethnic group
** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices
Arts and media
* The French (band), ...
adaptation of ''
Big Brother'' franchise. The show generally considered is the first of its kind in France. ''Loft Story'' presented by
Benjamin Castaldi
Benjamin Castaldi (; born 28 March 1970) is a French television host, columnist, radio host and producer. He is the former host of '' Secret Story'', a spinoff of '' Loft Story'', which he also hosted.
Biography Family
Benjamin Castaldi was bo ...
and broadcast on
M6 from 26 April 2001 to 5 July 2001 for the first season and from 11 April 2002 to 4 July 2002 for the second season.
The French title of the show is a
play-on-words
Word play or wordplay (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Examples of word play include puns, phone ...
on ''
loft
A loft is a building's upper storey or elevated area in a room directly under the roof (American usage), or just an attic: a storage space under the roof usually accessed by a ladder (primarily British usage). A loft apartment refers to large ...
'' because the contestants are "locked up" in a loft during their adventure, and ''Love Story''.
The initial ''Loft Story'' inspired the creation of a similar
show of the same name in Quebec. The famous eye logo is used by both ''Loft Story'' versions. It evokes the
voyeuristic
Voyeurism is the Sexual attraction, sexual interest in or Human sexual activity, practice of watching other people engaged in intimate behaviors, such as undressing, Human sexual activity, sexual activity, or other actions of a private nature.
...
eye of the television viewer as she or he watches the ''Lofteurs'' live in front of the cameras. Some of them get gradually voted off the show by viewers on their phones and the last couple win a house.
It caused great controversy in France and the house was attacked by protesters. A limited television series following the creation of the show's first season, titled ''Culte'', premiered in 2024 on
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...
.
Production
Format
''Loft Story'' is a slightly re-tooled version of the original ''
Big Brother'', toned down slightly for the French market by production company
Endemol
Endemol B.V. (stylized in all lowercase) was a Dutch-based media company that produced and distributed multiplatform entertainment content. The company annually produced more than 15,000 hours of programming across scripted and non-scripted gen ...
.
Eleven singles cut off from the outside world and must live in a loft where all rooms (except toilets and a room imposed by the
CSA) are equipped with 26 cameras (including 3 infrared cameras, mostly hidden behind one-way mirrors) and microphones. They are filmed 24 hours a day.
Broadcast
The live stream is slightly delayed on one or more paid channels of the
TPS
TPS or Tps may refer to:
In arts and entertainment
*Télévision Par Satellite, a French satellite television company
*Third-person shooter, a game genre
* Torsonic Polarity Syndrome, in ''South Park'' animation
* Trailer Park Sex, a band from ...
offer, as well as on the Internet during the first season. A daily program is broadcast after editing this live footage.
Presentation
The show was presented by Benjamin Castaldi. Two hosts co-hosted the live show from the loft: Marie Guillaumond in 2001 and Séverine Ferrer in 2002.
In 2002, during the second season, there was also a show presented by
Max
Max or MAX may refer to:
Animals
* Max (American dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog
* Max (British dog), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of the OBE)
* Max (gorilla) ...
and broadcast on Saturday at 23:55 summarizing the events of the week and welcomed the evicted contestants.
Series overall
Season 1
*Start Date: 26 April 2001
*End Date: 5 July 2001
*The prize: 3,000,000-
franc
The franc is any of various units of currency. One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes. The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription ''francorum rex'' (King of the Franks) used on early French coins and until the 18th century ...
â‚£ worth house (
€
The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists of a stylized letter E (or epsilon), crossed by t ...
450,000)
Nominations table
All Housemates entered on Day 1 except for Fabrice and Kimy who entered on Day 7 and Day 11 respectively.
The contestants released a music single under the name 'Les Lofteurs'; 'Up and Down' reached number one in the French charts.
Season 2
*Start Date: 11 April 2002
*End Date: 4 July 2002
*Prize: €250,000 + €250,000
Nominations table
All Housemates entered on Day 1 except for Lauryne and Romain who entered on Day 7 and Day 14 respectively.
Criticism
''Loft Story'' became a craze when it was screened, but as it went on, it became extremely criticized, mocked and belittled by the media: the premise of ordinary young people being filmed most of the time in a cozy loft (and letting themselves out, they got a reputation of being stupid), being voted off by people on phones and getting to win money at the end, got it called high-rated "garbage tv".
''Loft Story'' is considered to be the precursor of reality shows in France where the contestants get voted off by viewers.
Like other ''Big Brother''-style programs, the show's sexual content was criticized as several contestants were seen having
intercourse on camera.
See also
*
Culture of France
The culture of France has been shaped by geography, by historical events, and by foreign and internal forces and groups. France, and in particular Paris, has played an important role as a center of high culture since the 17th century and from ...
*
List of French television series
This is a list of television programs that have been produced by France. It includes series made by France alone as well as those produced in collaboration with various other countries. Almost all are in the French language; exceptions to this rule ...
*
List of French adaptations of television series from other countries
*
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...
References
External links
Official website of ''Loft Story''
{{Authority control
Big Brother (France)
Big Brother (franchise) adaptations
French reality television series
2001 French television series debuts
2001 French television series endings
M6 (TV channel) original programming
Television series by Endemol