Darius Rochebin

Last summer, RTS’s star journalist, Darius Rochebin announced that he was leaving Switzerland and heading for Paris. After 20 years presenting the “Téléjournal” news programme, Geneva’s media darling was to enter the fierce world of French broadcasting. It was an occasion for everyone to express their appreciation for this elegant gent, able to fire out tough questions without provoking his interlocutor. How did he manage it? With a dose of the East: Darius’ Iranian origins combine to create a smooth yet pugnacious character. The Swiss public mourned his transfer to France, however flattering it may have been for him. They accused RTS of failing to retain its best people, or worse, of having pushed their hero off the Swiss airwaves. But Rochebin himself explained that he did not leave under a cloud; quite the contrary.

The presenter is now working for the channel LCI. Every evening, from Monday to Thursday, he rolls out his sense of rhetoric, interviewing French politicians and stars. In the first episode of “20H de Darius Rochebin”, the Genevese journalist asked the Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, if his astounding lack of charisma, as noted by former President Sarkozy, had changed at all. All without angering the minister. Quite an achievement. He also surprised Professor Didier Raoult, expert in infectious diseases, by asking him if he kept busts of himself in his garden. A guaranteed buzz! Off the air, Darius keeps going. He notably ruffled the feathers of French cinema icon Catherine Deneuve, accusing her of being completely disagreeable after an interview. A gift for social media. Now in Paris, Darius Rochebin poses any question he wants to VIPs, from his distant Swiss cultural roots, this politically moderate land that was unable to keep him.