Introduction

Antoine de Caunes is the presenter of Channel Hopping, a series which offers students a whirlwind guide through French television. Each programme comprises a variety of clips ranging from popular soap opera and zany comedies to current events and documentaries. Antoine de Caunes introduces each clip and offering a humorous commentary on its contents. Students have the opportunity to increase their awareness of French culture in general and of French media in particular.

The variety of clips gives students the opportunity to hear a wide range of authentic language in different registers to develop their listening skills. The content of each clip should stimulate speaking and discussion activities and offer possibilities for writing. Key vocabulary is introduced before each clip and repeated after each clip.

Each programme includes an extract from Eddie Izzard’s Survival Guide to French, and adds to the presenter’s endeavour to make language learning stimulating and fun.

Each programme contains cartoons, extracts from a soap opera, documentaries, comedy and pop music. This wide range of authentic language gives students the opportunity to develop their language skills and each programme stimulates speaking and writing skills.

Key vocabulary appears on screen before each clip and these words are repeated in context after each clip.

Each episode contains the following elements:

• Classe Mannequin, a teenage soap set in a school for models
• An extract from a Tintin cartoon
• Eddie Izzard in various tourist situations
• A documentary
• A comedy item
• Word or expression of the week
• An extract from a pop video