INTERVIEW
What if science was the solution to the Sunday blues? This is in any case the bet of France 2 and its new show Antidote. Michel Cymes, surrounded by a team of columnists, introduces viewers to the functioning of the human body and mind, with one goal: to have fun. “The idea is to create an antidote to the ambient gloom,” says journalist Benoît Thévenet, guest of Media Culture alongside the mentalist Fabien Olicard. The two men are part of the team assembled by Michel Cymes.
“Having fun in a context where health can be anxiety-provoking”
At their side, there will also be veterinarian Farah Kesri, comedian Cécile Djunga and physiotherapist Major Mouvement. “We will offer viewers of France 2 to spend a Sunday afternoon in a good mood,” promises Benoît Thévenet.
The program wants, through experiences to reproduce at home and reports, to understand how our body and our mind work. “The principle of the show is to reinvent a little the way of approaching health, and to have fun while learning things, in a context where health can be anxiety-provoking, ”adds the health journalist.
“It’s the positive emotion that makes us learn”
It is this desire to make an entertainment program with serious information that attracted the mentalist Fabien Olicard. “What appealed to me was the popularization of science”, he explains. “You can have fun with science, I have been doing it for years on stage and on YouTube. The ambition is to always be in touch with the state of scientific knowledge.”
According to him, entertainment is the best way to withhold information. “Mammals learn by playing,” he recalls. “It’s the positive emotion that makes us learn things. And that’s the principle of the show.” Antidote is broadcast every Sunday at 5.35 p.m. on France 2.
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