Simon-Olivier Fecteau first made a name for himself with humor and directing in Les Chick'n Swell. Then advertising, the web (At the audition with Simon) and fiction (These boys) gave him the ammunition to dive headfirst into the biggest show of the year. You'd think he thrives on marathons. The race that allowed him to get back into shape and stay in shape. And that from Bye which leaves no peace and which he has been running for eight years together with his long-time collaborator, the producer Guillaume Lspérance.
• Also read: Here are 12 personalities who will likely end up on Bye Bye 2023
A few hours before he turns the page to 2023, he promises a look back at the exciting year and a number of surprise guests, including Claude Legault, Guylaine Tremblay, Pierre-Yves Roy-Desmarais and Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse. A modest contribution to preserving tradition and cultivating our culture.
Photo provided by ICI Télé
At what point do you start thinking about it? Bye ?
On January 1st, my first instinct is that I won't do it again. Then, when an event occurs during the year, I write it down in a file. My mind is still in bye bye mode. However, the big months are in autumn and begin at the end of August. There are a lot of things we write and rewrite. We're talking about a ratio of 3 or 4 to 1, 80 sketches to 28. While we're shooting, Maxime Caron, the script editor, and I are constantly creating. A few days before broadcast, focus groups allow us to refine things, cut sketches or change their order. We underestimate the importance of the order of the sketches. It changes everything by putting the focus somewhere else.
THE Bye is one of the rare shows where there is very elaborate makeup and prosthetics. It combines many professions. Do you have a deadline to submit your requests to them so they can create the characters?
I have the advantage of working with a team that has incredible experience. Stéphane Tessier, who designs the prostheses, is a genius of transformation. He is at his best. Everyone is used to switching sides quickly until the end. Filming is finally over [depuis le 15 décembre], but we are open if until the 27th/28th. something new emerges. We could find a way to incorporate a joke.
It wasn't a good year. How can you laugh at topics that at first glance aren't funny?
Whether they are political, social or cultural issues, they must be present in our collective unconscious. Sketches have a liberating power for some people. I'm glad it's not my first bye bye because it's actually not a fun year, but we have to treat it in a way that makes it fun. The war took up a lot of space. The one in Ukraine was replaced in the media by the one in Palestine. We won't go there. There's nothing funny about that. But we don’t have a cold-hearted “bye bye.” We'll bite. We have selected the topics intelligently. Our limit lies in being on the edge of the limits. We're in the news, but the ultimate goal is to be funny.
What have you learned from your experience in 8 years?
Many things. The importance of timing. Time influences our perception. The news concerns the last three months. Additionally, Infoman helps with the Bye Bye by reminding people of what happened during the year. We complement each other.
THE Bye is a tradition we all remember. It comes with a lot of pressure. Where will you see it on the 31st?
At home, with family, with friends. I've been organizing a party since last year. I like seeing the reactions of the people around me. I look at Twitter (X) for a while and then put my phone away. I know I would have done anything to put on a good show. You have to know how to take a step back. Even if almost 5 million people are listening, even if the criticism can go from one side to the other. Bye Bye is part of our culture, our traditions. It's structured like hockey or cake. Nowhere else in the world do we have a show like this. I'm really proud to be able to give my little grain to it.
►Bye 2023 Sunday, December 31st, 11 p.m. on ICI Télé. A behind the scenes show Bye will follow.