Is this the best Train Manager's announcement ever?

[scotsman]

Clicky.

Skip to around 1:30 if you don't speak French.

I only speak a little, so I'm not sure why everyone starts laughing at one particular point.

 

[Phil.]

To (slightly mis) quote the late Frank Carson, "It's the way he's telling them".

 

[Peter Mugridge]

...and for the benefit of those of us who are cloth eared, what did he say please?

 

[WestCoast]

He sounds like a character! Not good enough at French to get the joke I'm afraid!

Reminds me of this clip of a DB Train Manager, who apparently makes rather "camp" announcements that are well liked. Skip to 2.04 for English, I'm not sure the people in the carriage were completely sober though!

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

If memory serves, I think Monty Python enjoyed a minor French revival around this time... I assume the announcer was a fan as he is speaking like the French characters from Holy Grail

 

[Starmill]

...and for the benefit of those of us who are cloth eared, what did he say please?

@ 1:48
[With drama, in a French accent. Background rapid french chatter and laughter]

Ladies and Gentlemen, good evening. My nom is François... an I will be your Train Manager on this journey now [journe' noh!]. On behalf of SNCF and all the TGV crew [very high inflex for effect], I wish you welcome onboard this TGV to Lyon-Perrache. We will be calling at [dramatic stop]: TGV Haute-Picardie [elongated last vowel], Charles-de-Gaulle Airport TGV [veeee], [a third calling station which I can't hear nor guess at from a map, but is presumably somewhere between Paris and Lyon. It might help if I knew where the train had originated!], Lyon-Part-Dieu [ooooo], and Lyon-Perrache the final station [almost growls last word]. I would like to remind you that for safety reasons [szzzzzz] your luggage must be labelled with name and surname. Don't hesitate to contact the onboard staff if you notice [high pitch] any unattended luggage![/high pitch]. [pause] For your comfort, the buffet [poofay] bar is located in coach number fourteen in the middle of this train. Could you please for the quietly of everyone [jumps in pitch for 'one'] onboard use your mobile phone on silence mode and give your phone calls around the areas between [meerkat] each coaches [/meerkat]. Ladies and Gentlemen, I and my colleague Frédéric will soon be walking through train. [mock chastising] If you didn't stamp your ticket [/mock chastising] [high pitched] have [av] any [aneeeeey] question about your journey [/high pitched] or just love to.. talk with us, don't hesitate, ask it to us! For your information uuh, TGV is running with a delay of about 13 minutes. We apologise for this inconvenience. All the onboard staff, member of the [something, can't hear] Alliance... wishes you a pleasant journey.

Ends

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Thank you.

 

[scotsman]

The gaps are Marne-la-Vallée – Chessy and Railteam

 

[Starmill]

Euuuuh, very good What happens exactly if you didn't stamp your ticket!?

 

[scotsman]

Euuuuh, very good What happens exactly if you didn't stamp your ticket!?

Penalty fare I believe. You stamp your own ticket, rather than the conductor, to prevent reuse.

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

Penalty fare I believe. You stamp your own ticket, rather than the conductor, to prevent reuse.

Conducter?

What if there was no third or forth rail system?

I'll get me coat...

 

[crehld]

Euuuuh, very good What happens exactly if you didn't stamp your ticket!?

Escorted to the vestibule for an awkward conversation, where the train manager starts off by saying he'll have to charge you a lot of money, waits for you to get your wallet out, but then lets you off because he is the benevolent Frenchman and you are the stupid Englishman who doesn't understand the most basic of French customs.

I speak from experience

 

[Starmill]

I thought it was amusing from the point of view that he was inviting people to come and speak to him if it hadn't been stamped, so presumably he intended to do something like that. I would guess that a lot of people would try to get themselves let off on the basis that they can prove they paid, and it's just evidence of re-use that they must disprove, wheres here it would be up to the company to prove that.

It is interesting that custom is effectively inverted in France, where presentation of an unmarked ticket is a transgression, because of course here presentation of a marked ticket may indicate there has been one!

 

[crehld]

I thought it was amusing from the point of view that he was inviting people to come and speak to him if it hadn't been stamped, so presumably he intended to do something like that. I would guess that a lot of people would try to get themselves let off on the basis that they can prove they paid, and it's just evidence of re-use that they must disprove, wheres here it would be up to the company to prove that.

From what I gather from my French friends and colleagues, 'composting' one's ticket is taken quite seriously. I imagine I was only let off due my appalling French accent giving away my status as a foreigner!

 

[newmilton]

They normally walk through the train twice. The first time is your opportunity to 'fess up if you don't have a ticket or haven't had it stamped; the second is the actual ticket check. Though with e-ticketing and tickets on mobile 'phones there are a lot of advance tickets which don't need validating before travel.

In fact I've seen more people fined for not validating their ticket in Italy than in France; and SNCF have drastically cut the period of validity to make reusing tickets more difficult.

BTW the laugh in the video comes at the point he invites people just to have a chat with him.