Spotlight on France

When you die in France you have only two choices: burial or cremation. Neither is particularly green, but you can cut down your carbon footprint by reposing in a eco-cemetery. Paris has just opened its first one, but we travel to the pioneering natural cemetery in Niort to see how the French have taken, or not, to green burials. And we report on Apero de la mort (death aperitif) which is helping b...

How do you get your point across when no one listens to you? Draw it. From Asterix, to Tintin to Agrippine, comics and graphic novels are an integral part of French culture. We meet Emma: an illustrator whose knack for explaining complex social issues like 'mental load' has earned her a big following. Also, how French hospitals are increasingly turning to music therapy to reduce the use...

On the roofs of Paris, surrounded by concrete, a special kind of harvest is taking place. Saffron, the world's most expensive spice, was widely grown in France before WW1 but the entirely manual production methods became too onerous and it almost died out altogether. Four French sisters are now boosting the recent saffron revival as part of a city-sponsored urban farming programme. Also, we m...

Sauccison, charcuterie: France loves pork. Most pig farms are in Brittany, but the nitrates in the pigs' manure is creating havoc, feeding killer seaweed that has proven fatal on the beaches. We report from an farm that's found a way of reducing nitrates. But spreading greener-farming methods won't be easy. France has the third largest diplomatic network in the world, and the most prestigious post...

France has welcomed more than 8,000 refugees from Syria and sub-Saharan Africa so far this year. Where have they gone? As immigration is (again) becoming a hot-button political issue, we go to a small town in central France that has taken in 20 refugees to see how the situation is playing out on the ground.  Also, a new film looking at the inner workings of life as a French mayor raises...

French food culture has been profoundly changed by food delivery apps like Deliveroo and Uber Eats. Take-out is now a thing. It has brought a lot of new, part-time work for young bike courriers, who have started to organise to get better working conditions. We hear from a courrier about how the gig economy clashes with a French society built around permanent contracts. Also, menstruation is a...

Seven months after the Notre Dame cathedral went up in flames, the focus has shifted to reconstruction and tackling lead contamination in the area. But there's human fallout too. With tourists unable to visit the Gothic wonder, local businesses have taken a hit. We hear how they're surviving with a massive building site in their backyard. Also, former French president Jacques Chirac died on Thursd...

The Languedoc Roussillon region produces good quality, reasonably-priced wine, but for how long? In June winegrowers were hard hit when temperatures reached 46 degrees Celsius, literally scorching the grapes on the vines. Extreme weather used to be the exception, now it's becoming the norm. We report from a village near Montpellier where winegrowers, on the frontline of climate change, are wo...

Despite its association with Stalin and gulags, Communism is alive and kicking in France. The youth movement of the French Communist Party has 10,000 card-carrying members. Why does the party continue to charm, three decades after the fall of the Berlin wall? A young member tells us what lit the spark and why Le Parti Communiste is still relevant. Also, a big political issue this autumn, besi...

Football gives way to sheep as France hosts the world sheep-shearing championships, a first in mainland Europe. Men and women share with us their passion for the sport. Also, French winegrowers become the latest victims of climate change, losing vineyards in last week's heatwave. And parliament bans spanking children, but without sanctions on parents how will it be enforced? Plus, the French...

French football fans are getting hooked on the women's game, as the World Cup draws in new audiences, but the gender pay gap is as wide as ever. Also, homeopathy is in the crosshairs, as a medical council questions its efficacy. We hear from a doctor about her holistic approach to treating her patients. And, a parliamentary report on radicalisation in the public sector reveals little cause for con...

France is the world's most vaccine-sceptic nation. How did that happen? Also, a pilot of Macron's Universal National Service to replace the military service: enthusiastic teenagers join, but not everyone shares their excitement. Plus, France prepares to put a former president in the docks, for the first time. And the story of the last public execution in France, in 1939.   In t...

The origins of women's football in France and how the language is trying to keep up with game. Also, the first gay pride march in poorer working-class suburbs known as les banlieues aiming at fighting growing homophobia. Plus,  A&E hospital workers at breaking point opt to strike. And can the government avoid double-speak in its pledge to boost both the environment and the economy? ...

D-Day commemorations have understandably given pride of place to war veterans, but we hear from civilians in Normandy on the receiving end of the Allied bombing. Should nature run its course? France has upped quotas for culling wolves as their numbers increase but striking a balance between protecting farmers' livestock and an endangered species isn't easy. And France discovers the excitement of w...

French health officials are concerned about the increase of the use and abuse of opioid painkillers. Unlike in the US, it's not a crisis - yet. Also, a student of environmental science talks about his conversion to climate activism, and how young French people are embracing the global Youth for Climate movement. Plus, the political implications in France of the European Parliament elections. And i...

A growing number of French Catholics are asking to be de-baptised in the wake of sex abuse scandals in the Church. Also, France is not enthusiastic about this weekend's EU elections, which some parties say have become a race between president Emmanuel Macron and the far-right National Rally. And, a family's fight over whether or not to take a man off life support sparks a heated debate over the ri...

This week, the Yellow Vests get political: We meet a DJ running for a seat in the European parliament in next weekend's election. He's enthusiastic, but can the party federate the movement? Also, France is not prepared for the effects of climate change, says a new Senate report. The authors want policy to focus more on adaptation, rather than on just reducing emissions. And Macron looks for heroes...

Executives of France Telecom (now Orange) are in court, accused of driving employees to suicide ten years ago. We talk about the clash of public versus private work cultures in France. Also, a mind-boggling 34 parties or groups are fielding candidates to sit in the European Parliament - what does this record number mean? And Macron's "two-year curse": a phenomenon that seems to hit presidents of t...

Who is attacking whom? May Day protests get complicated. Also, alcohol consumption in France is not going down and doctors blame the wine lobby. And, Leonardo da Vinci's French connections. Plus, cheese wars: who gets to define a label? Paris bouquiniste booksellers struggle to stay in business. And… a bit of football.   In this episode: - Frederic Blanchard, cheese farmer, president,...

How do you teach about the Holocaust when the survivors are dying? A teacher talks about this tricky period of history. Plus, an interview with political pundit Rokhaya Diallo on breaking the mould and making her way into the French public sphere. Also, why does it matter that Macron wants to get rid of France’s top public servant training school? And the story behind France’s national...

This week we look at democracy in France: a conversation about the power of the French presidency and how French people trust their mayors more than other politicians. We meet a local councillor in a small village, who talks about his role on the very basic levels of French representative democracy. Also, Notre Dame's reconstruction has become political. And a new public debate - over what to do a...

France wants lower taxes concludes the Prime Minister as the Great national debate, organised in answer to the Yellow vest protests, comes to an end. Officially, two million people participated. We look into those numbers. Also, the refugee crisis is over, but there are just as many migrants sleeping rough on Paris’s streets as there were at the peak of the crisis in 2016. Plus, an interview...

Our first episode of a revamped Spotlight on France! Each week Sarah Elzas and Alison Hird bring you closer to this country and its people. This week, is president Macron on the brink of burnout? Michael Fitzpatrick talks about the case of a judge who asks for the least possible sentence. We talk about reparations for black Europeans. And, apples for dessert: Brexit will hit a lot of French export...