Qui veut gagner des millions ?


Qui veut gagner des millions ? is the French version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, which originated in Great Britain on the ITV network. The aim of the game is to win the top prize of €1,000,000 by answering 12 multiple-choice questions correctly. It is broadcast on the TF1 network, and was hosted by Jean-Pierre Foucault from 2000 until 2019, then by Camille Combal.
For more about the show and rules see Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?; the money tree differs in amounts, but the format is virtually identical. For several years a "Switch the Question" lifeline was available once a contestant answered the fifth question correctly. As of April 2009, the first three possible questions were taken out of the game, reducing the number of possible questions to 12, similar to the UK format in play from September 2007 to February 2014. For list of international variants of the show, see International versions of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.
The show served as a plot device in the French film My Best Friend.
In December 2010, TF1 announced the end of the first daily multi-year run, due to a fall in viewing of that series as of June.
A prime-time version with celebrities was maintained between 2010 and final broadcast of that main series on 1 January 2016.
In December 2018 in a charity version, Jean-Pierre Foucault announced he would leave the show in favour of Camille Combal for a return to the air on TF1 in January 2019 - each figured respectively as a contestant on those shows also.
In February 2019, TF1 announced the return of the daily version. The first tapings were scheduled for April 2019, for a broadcast from May 13, 2019, at 6:15 pm.

Game rules

The goal of the game is to answer, without a single fault, a progression of questions of general knowledge/culture, ideally to try to win the maximum prize, set since September 2001 at 1 000 000 €. Such maximal wins have mirrored its increase in value and were in July 2000, July 2001 and August 2004.

Money trees

Question numberQuestion value
Question number2009-16
1€800
2€1,500
3€3,000
4€6,000
5€12,000
6€24,000
7€48,000
8€72,000
9€100,000
10€150,000
11€300,000
12€1,000,000

Lifelines

;Defunct

The music

The music commonly associated with the franchise was composed by Keith and Matthew Strachan, father and son. It dramatizes the atmosphere and brings tension, and unlike old games, the music was created to be played throughout most of the show. The credits acknowledge inspiration from public domain Mars in Gustav Holst's Planets Suite; each musical theme used for the questions. The music goes up a semitone per question, as candidates progress through the risk and reward scale.
In 2010, the credits are remixed and new music.

Special shows

Special shows, where anonymous candidates played, were aired in prime time between June 7, 2001 and November 29, 2005.
Prime Time, where celebrities aimed to win for their chosen charity, was broadcast between September 29, 2001 and January 1, 2016 and now January 19, 2019.
Only the prime-time version with celebrities aired between 2010 and the first day of 2016, the daily version having stopped.
On July 1, 2003, a special program entitled "L'émission interdite" was broadcast in the second half of the evening. It was entirely devoted to the case Charles Ingram, contestant of the British version of the game who had pocketed £ 1 million by cheating with the help of two accomplices present in the public and on the set. This report was the only time Jean-Pierre Foucault presented without the public.
On September 5, 2015, TF1 broadcast a special anniversary edition. This saw TV game hosts from TF1 with their biggest winner, as well as Christophe Beaugrand and Olivier Minne, as respective hosts of QI: la France passe le test and Joker; Foucault also played alongside a former grand prize winner.
On January 1, 2016, TF1 broadcast a Pièces Jaunes special edition.
On January 19, 2019, the return of the game after three years of absence, saw Jean-Pierre Foucault present the game for his last time hosting five pairs of celebrities playing for charities, emulating the latest series. At the end of the show, Camille Combal was a candidate ; Combal took over the reins of the show permanently on January 26; Foucault co-contested.
On April 18, 2019, after the fire at Notre-Dame de Paris, TF1 announced that the Section de recherches series had been replaced by a special edition for that cathedral. This saw three pairs of presenters and a duo from Dance avec les stars : Anne-Claire Coudray and Harry Roselmack, Laurence Boccolini and Arthur, Alexandra Sublet and Grégoire Margotton and Fauve Hautot and Chris Marques.
The return of the daily version on May 13, 2019 brought a novelty: during some programs, two contestants participate in the duet game and two celebrities participate in the duet game for an association, which was previously the case only in the programs in the first part of the evening.
On April 20, 2020, a format called "à la maison" started broadcasting during the COVID-19 pandemic for celebrity contestants to answer questions from their homes using video conference. All prizes generated in this special program are given to charity.

Grand prize winners