Les Douze Coups de midi
| Company type | Television game show |
|---|---|
| Industry | Entertainment |
| Founded | June 28, 2010 |
| Headquarters | France |
Area served | France |
Key people | Jean-Luc Reichmann (presenter) |
| Products | Television game show |
Les Douze Coups de midi (previously titled Les 12 Coups de midi, ) is a French game show presented by Jean-Luc Reichmann and broadcast every day on TF1 since June 28, 2010.
History
The format of Les Douze Coups de midi is derived from the Argentine program El Legado aired on Telefe. The initial French adaptation, called Crésus, was broadcast on TF1 between 2005 and 2006 with Vincent Lagaf' as host. This quiz format centers on a single contestant competing to win various rewards, including a jackpot.
Broadcasting
Scheduled for the midday slot on TF1, the show competes directly with Tout le monde veut prendre sa place on France 2. Starting in October 2010, Reichmann has been joined by a virtual fairy named Eulalie (voiced by Véronique Le Nir), who was subsequently replaced by Zette (voiced by Isabelle Benhadj).
Between May 12, 2020, and October 9, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in France, the program was aired without a live audience. During this time, a new character called Docteur Maboul was introduced to disinfect the contestants’ desks.
Description
The contestant who wins is designated as Maître de midi (Master of Midday) and defends their title to accumulate additional prizes until they are eliminated.
With each correct response, a tile on a 13x10 grid is uncovered, revealing clues that help identify a hidden celebrity. Since January 27, 2023, only achieving a "coup de maître" (Master's stroke)—answering five questions correctly—grants the Master of Midday the chance to guess and compete for the jackpot.
The format has evolved over time; from January 2018 onward, the final round "L'étoile mystérieuse" (The Mysterious Star) replaced the direct image of the celebrity with only hints, increasing the difficulty. The last four tiles reveal the identity of the celebrity.
Visual identity
From September 2016 to September 2019, coinciding with the unveiling of the 100th mysterious star, the program refreshed its logo and visual design.
In September 2019, it launched a revamped studio set, along with a new logo and artistic concept.
The logo changes according to seasons: red during Christmas and New Year (golden during winter 2023), golden/yellow (pink in summer 2022), green starting fall 2023, and orange for Halloween.
Audiences
- Upon its debut on June 28, 2010, the show attracted an audience of 2.9 million viewers, reaching peaks of up to 4.6 million.
- After a decline around September 2010 (~2.3 million), viewership climbed again by October and stabilized above three million.
- The program consistently grew its audience share, hitting a peak of 4.5 million viewers on February 1, 2011, establishing itself as leader in daytime viewing.
- On December 26, 2016, it attracted 4.73 million viewers with peaks reaching 6.5 million.
- Following the Quesada controversy in April 2019, ratings briefly dropped before recovering.
- On July 6, 2025, viewership rose to 4.98 million with a peak of 7.1 million during Émilien’s elimination.
Records
Émilien holds the world record for most wins in television game show history. He also tops total earnings among French game show contestants with €2,566,931 in winnings, surpassing Bruno Hourcade’s €1,026,107 and Marie-Hélène’s €1 million from Who Wants to be a Millionaire.
Ranking
Below is a table showcasing the top twenty participants, ranked according to their longest streaks of appearances alongside their cumulative winnings.
| # | Contestant | Appearances | Total earnings | First appearance | Last appearance | Master strokes | Stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Émilien | 647 | Template:Euro | September 25, 2023 | July 6, 2025 | 193 | 23 |
| 2 | Bruno (Fifou Dingo) | 252 | Template:Euro | January 20, 2021 | October 5, 2021 | 92 | 9 |
| 3 | Éric | 199 | Template:Euro | November 21, 2019 | June 19, 2020 | 62 | 7 |
| 4 | Christian | 193 | Template:Euro | July 4, 2016 | January 14, 2017 | 64 | 7 |
| 5 | Paul | 153 | Template:Euro | April 29, 2019 | October 10, 2019 | 59 | 6 |
| 6 | Stéphane | 153 | Template:Euro | August 20, 2022 | January 20, 2023 | 44 | 5 |
| 7 | Céline | 125 | Template:Euro | March 14, 2023 | July 24, 2023 | 37 | 4 |
| 8 | Véronique | 100 | Template:Euro | April5,2018 | July21,2018 | 39 | |
| 9 | Léo | 98 | Template:Euro | August31,2020 | December6,2020 | 31 | |
| 10 | Timothée | 83 | Template:Euro | March24,2017 | June14,2017 | 29 | 3 |
| 11 | Benoît | 82 | Template:Euro | January18,2019 | April9,2019 | 28 | |
| 12 | Bruno (Lille) | 80 | Template:Euro | August8,2013 | October26,2013 | 34 | |
| 13 | Xavier | 76 | Template:Euro | January5,2013 | March21,2013 | 32 | |
| 14 | Alexandre | 75 | Template:Euro | November12,2010 | January25,2011 | 37 | 5 |
| 15 | Sylvain | 75 | Template:Euro | April26,2015 | July15,2015 | 30 | 4 |
| 16 | Lucia | 73 | Template:Euro | April13,2012 | June24,2012 | 5 | |
| 17 | Laurent | 72 | Template:Euro | January13,2022 | March25,2022 | 20 | |
| 18 | Cyrille | 71 | Template:Euro | February12,2011 | April23,2011 | 28 | 4 |
| 19 | Sébastien | 68 | Template:Euro | October16,2012 | December23,2012 | 20 | rowspan="2"|3 |
| 20 | Vincent | 62 | Template:Euro | February8,2014 | April10,2014 | 22 |