In the very first episode, Georgian-French pianist Khatia Buniatishvili and British entrepreneur Steven Bartlett join the line-up, and the two expand the conversation beyond the usual chat between athletes, touching on areas including the feelings of anti-climax that can come with success. Francis Ngannou’s story, meanwhile, of crossing the Sahara Desert and sleeping in car parks on his way to becoming a UFC champion is the stuff of Hollywood scripts.
Subsequent instalments dive deeper into fashion, film and stagecraft, with French model Cindy Bruna shining a light on the cutthroat nature of her industry and addressing heavy topics such as domestic abuse. Comedian Redouane Bougheraba talks about the courage it takes to speak your mind, and actors Omar Sy and Thomas Ngijol emphasise discipline in the performing arts. The first episode of the new season came out at the end of March and features French rapper Naza, who recounts his hilarious misadventures as the owner of a lower-league Belgian club. While that did not end well, he promises that a documentary is in the works.
The tone shifts naturally between the light-hearted and the serious. Failure, mental health problems, social media abuse – nothing is off the table. And, to the hosts’ credit, the guests open up in a way that feels raw and unscripted. Even footballers, so used to giving anodyne answers in their usual media duties, share sides of themselves the public rarely gets to see. Much like he does on the pitch, Tchouaméni anchors the whole affair, always eager to learn and ask the right questions – helped along by his co-host, who is adept at finding links between the challenges the invitees have to face in their respective endeavours.
Yes, one may be a Champions League-winning footballer and another a world-class pianist, but the lessons of sport, business and art intersect to tell us that the fundamentals are often similar. That message is reinforced in every episode of The Bridge, and it’s already proved a brilliant way to gain insight into many different fields. Keep ’em coming, Aurélien.
