So French!

Raphaël Glucksmann isn’t even a Socialist Party member. Last Sunday, he won its primary anyway, with two-thirds of the vote, leaving the party’s own leader on 14 per cent. Stefan de Vries asks what is left of the French Socialists, why the “united left” never got to hold its own vote, and who really gains from Glucksmann’s win: Mélenchon, or François Hollande waiting in the wings.

Plus: a new Les Misérables hits French cinemas, with Vincent Lindon as Jean Valjean. Why does France keep filming the same old stories? And in a campaign where everyone wants a hero, who gets to claim Valjean, the left or the right?

Host: Stefan de Vries

Contact: sofrench.show/contact
Original music by Laurent Blot.

France is simmering. In this episode, Sara and Stefan unpack the high-school protests spreading across the country: overcrowded classrooms, missing teachers, tense confrontations with police, and what young people are demanding for their future.

They also discuss Mediapart’s reporting on alleged past antisemitic messages by Jordan Bardella — and what the political fallout could mean for the Rassemblement national ahead of 2027. Plus: is Emmanuel Macron already keeping the door open for a 2032 comeback?

And, because France never stays serious for too long: 70,000 people, one world championship, and the eternal question — are the best fries French or Belgian? Bon appétit !

• So French! on YouTube en Instagram — look for @SoFrenchShow
• World Radio Paris

• World's Best Fries are made by Logan Poirson

What happens when two minutes of political commentary send France’s biggest radio station silent?

Sara Bertilsson and Stefan de Vries unpack the mounting pressure on French media—and what it reveals about power, politics and free speech in France.

Their guest is Hind Ziane, geopolitical analyst, TV commentator and founder and CEO of Paris-based political strategy and CivicTech company Génération Politique. Together, they look at the emerging presidential campaign, France’s international standing and why the election is already shaping difficult budget negotiations.

Plus: Céline Dion is back in Paris, sending the city into a full-blown frenzy.

Further reading: Le Monde’s live coverage of the 2027 presidential campaign
Guest: Hind Ziane

France is back from summer break, and so is its most wide-open presidential race in decades. Political scientist Damien Lecomte joins Sara and Stefan to explain why voters now fear Jean-Luc Mélenchon more than Marine Le Pen, and what that means for 2027.

So French! is back for season 7! Sara and Stefan return from the summer break to a France gearing up for the most unpredictable presidential election in years — with Emmanuel Macron unable to run again, Marine Le Pen the clear frontrunner, the left divided, and the centre-right squabbling over who should lead it.

First, the rentrée: a new phone ban now covers French high schools too, and Sara's own teenage daughter has thoughts. Macron's flagship plan to ban under-15s from social media was struck down by the Constitutional Council just before the summer — so what happens now? And as France heads into "meteorological autumn" with another heatwave on the way, why is climate barely coming up in the presidential campaign at all?

Then, political scientist Damien Lecomte (Paris Panthéon-Sorbonne University) joins the show to unpack a genuinely open race: why Marine Le Pen is the clear frontrunner, the quiet battle between Gabriel Attal and Édouard Philippe for the centre-right, why the French president is unlike almost any other democratically elected leader in the world — and the striking normalisation of the far right that now has centrist voters more wary of Jean-Luc Mélenchon than of Le Pen herself.

We close out with an update on Gabriel Attal's school uniform experiment — and why it's quietly falling apart.

Guest: Damien Lecomte, political scientist and researcher at Paris Panthéon-Sorbonne University.

Links:

• Our new website: www.sofrench.show
• Instagram: @sofrenchshow
• Email: [email protected]
• Also on air: World Radio Paris

In this episode, Stefan and Sara discuss France's extreme heatwave, government responses to climate change, transparency issues in French politics, and upcoming French presidential elections. Stefan also tells how his journalistic nosiness led to a radical change in French public spending, or as Sara calls it, the "Lex De Vries".

This week on So French!, Sara Bertilsson and Stefan de Vries look at two sexual abuse scandals shaking France: the killing of 11-year-old Lyhanna and the growing allegations against singer and actor Patrick Bruel. What do these cases reveal about the failures of the French justice system, the protection of women and children, and the way power shields powerful men?

And after the darkness, a little elegance: the long-awaited return of Arsène Lupin on Netflix, with Omar Sy once again bringing France’s most charming gentleman thief back to life.

Hosted by Sara Bertilsson & Stefan de Vries

At the Cannes Film Festival, the biggest drama isn’t on screen. In this episode of So French, Sara Bertilsson and Stefan de Vries dive into the growing power of billionaire Vincent Bolloré over French media, cinema and politics. Can one media empire shape what Europe watches, thinks and creates?

Plus: fresh trouble for presidential hopeful Édouard Philippe, the endless parade of Macron-era political movements, and why culture may be Europe’s most underestimated form of power.

From Cannes red carpets to Parisian backrooms, this is France at its most So French.

Hosted by Sara Bertilsson & Stefan de Vries

S06E11:

One year before France’s 2027 presidential election, the race is already crowded with old political heavyweights, ambitious newcomers and oversized egos. Stefan and Sara discuss the return of familiar names like François Hollande, Dominique de Villepin and Michel Barnier, the chances of Édouard Philippe and Jordan Bardella, and the question hanging over French politics: who comes after Emmanuel Macron?

Plus: France’s bizarre “chicken war”, where a mayor tries to block a fried chicken restaurant with concrete blocks and manure, turning a local fast food dispute into a national debate about class, food and gentrification.

And yes, there is also more courtroom drama for Nicolas Sarkozy.

So French! is hosted by Sara Bertillson and Stefan de Vries

Ten years after the launch of En Marche, we take stock of the Macron era. What has Emmanuel Macron’s promise of a political movement “neither left nor right” truly delivered? Has France been transformed, or has it become more divided than ever?

We also unpack the results of the latest local elections, the final major political test ahead of the 2027 presidential race. What do these outcomes reveal about the rise of the far right, the resilience of traditional conservatives, and the ongoing fragmentation of the left?

Beyond politics, France is gripped by Céline-mania. Four years after being forced off the stage due to Stiff Person Syndrome, Céline Dion is making a triumphant return to Paris with a residency expanded from 10 to 16 shows at the Paris La Défense Arena. With over nine million fans registering for presale tickets, the excitement is nothing short of extraordinary.

Finally, we follow the latest chapter in the legal saga of former president Nicolas Sarkozy, who is appealing his conviction over alleged Libyan campaign financing, a case that continues to captivate the nation.

🎧 So French! is presented by Sara Bertilsson and Stefan de Vries, offering sharp insights into French politics, culture, and society with wit and clarity. Subscribe and follow the podcast so you never miss an episode.

France heads to the polls and to the table in this new episode of So French. Stefan de Vries and Sara Bertilsson unpack the first round of the local elections, where nearly all races were decided in one go, yet the political landscape looks more fragmented than ever. Is this a preview of the 2027 presidential battle, or just another uniquely French paradox?

In Paris, the high-stakes duel between Rachida Dati and the left raises questions about alliances, scandals, and the unpredictable behaviour of voters. Meanwhile, the shadow of Nicolas Sarkozy looms large again, both in court and in legacy.

The episode also dives into a controversy that left a bitter taste in French politics: the National Assembly’s tribute to a far-right activist, and the uncomfortable revelations that followed.

And because no episode of So French ends without indulgence, we turn to something more delicious: the 2026 Michelin Guide. Who’s in, what trends are shaping French gastronomy, and why are women still so underrepresented at the top?

From town halls to haute cuisine, this is France in all its contradictions.

Bienvenue to So French! With Sara Bertilsson and Stefan de Vries