Arnaud Soly gives comedians the chance to pay tribute to loved ones with surprise acts that are original, sometimes emotional and often gritty, with SURPRISE ROAST (SOUS LE SPOT). The first two episodes of this first Crave original variety show land on the platform on December 14.
Over the course of four 60-minute episodes, Arnaud Soly welcomes 16 popular comedians who come and put someone close to them with a SURPRISE ROAST by devoting a roast-style comedy number to them, with love and irreverence, in front of an already conquered audience. Whether it’s a sister, a relative, a colleague, a friend or even a former teacher, the people close to the comedians have no idea of the surprise in store for them. Arnaud‘s guests have to pull out all the stops to get them into the room, with a series of clever tricks, each more original than the last. Some of those close to the comedians only learn that they’re SURPRISE ROAST when the spotlight shines on them in the auditorium a few seconds before the act.
“Because they’re in the public eye, we think we really know our comedians. However, what we found charming about this original concept was a certain renewed accessibility to the artist. We see them present themselves in a vulnerable way, and discover them from another angle, through the ties they have with someone close to them, and through the anecdotes they share with the audience,” suggests Mélanie Bhérer, General Manager, Variety, Lifestyle, Documentary and Digital at Bell Média.
SURPRISE ROAST is produced by Avanti-Toast in collaboration with Bell Media. The four episodes are directed by Raphaël Malo. The first two episodes air on December 14, and the next two on January 18. In the latter, comedians José Gaudet, Alex Perron, Mario Jean, Richardson Zéphir, Stéphane Fallu, Dave Morgan, Silvi Tourigny and Varda Étienne trap a loved one.
