How the cult TV series “Helen and the Boys” was filmed: 11 interesting facts about the series (12 photos + 1 video)

In the 90s, the French youth series "Helene and the Boys" was a real hit. It was difficult to find a teenager who did not watch this series, and many of them dreamed of living just like the heroes of the series.





1. The idea to film the series “Helen and the Boys” came to the French after the success of another series - “First Kisses”. Moreover, they liked the actress Hélène Rolle, who played the main character’s older sister in the series “First Dates,” so much that they wanted to make a new series just for her. As a result, the series became so popular that it quickly spread beyond the borders of not only France, but throughout Europe.



Hélène Rolle then and now

2. Despite the fact that the plot of the series is centered on students, many of the actors were much older than their heroines. For example, the actress who played Helen (Hélène Rolle) was 26 years old at the time of filming, and the actress Rochelle Ratfield, who played Joanna, was only 30 years old. By the way, at the time of filming the series, Rochelle Reetfield already had two children.

3. Initially, Patrick Pudeba was supposed to work as a member of the technical team of the series, but when he was offered to try out for one of the roles, he agreed. Moreover, Patrick immediately received the main role of Nicolas.





And as the actor himself admitted, he was the complete opposite of his character. If Nicolas was a wise and balanced character in his own way, then Patrick himself was also a lover of walking. He could come to the set in the morning after a stormy night of partying, after which he would fall asleep right on the set, which irritated many.

4. By the way, actor Philippe Vasseux also initially came to the studio to get a job as a designer. But the creators, seeing his colorful appearance, invited him to try out for the role of Jose. This is how Philip got into the series.



5. Filming of the series took place at a fairly fast pace. It took only one day to shoot one episode, which lasts 26 minutes.

Since on average, “half-hour” projects lasted 22 minutes, which made it possible to occupy the remaining 8 minutes with advertising. And in order not to sacrifice advertising time and not go beyond the broadcast, our localizers cut out some moments.



By the way, it was the series “Helen and the Guys” that became the first series with voice-over laughter.

6. Many critics criticized the series for being too polished. That is, not a single Arab or dark-skinned character was shown here, of which there were already a lot in France at that time.

Moreover, the film showed the almost carefree and cheerful life of students, where there were no characters from dysfunctional families or characters who had obvious problems with illegal substances or even alcohol. And in principle, despite the fact that the main characters are students, the series did not show the process of their studies at all, but only their carefree life.



The creators of the series listened to the criticism, and in the following seasons certain problems were gradually highlighted, including alcohol and illegal substance abuse, unwanted pregnancy, infidelity, etc.

But in the end, the creators got so carried away that they went too far with such scenes, which is why some episodes were not aired at all, and unwanted moments were cut out from others.

7. Despite the fact that the TV series “Helen and the Boys” became a real hit, actress Helen Rolle decided to give up her acting career and devoted herself entirely to music. That is why she ultimately decided to leave the project after the 3rd season. True, she will return there again. But more on that later.



Also, actor Sebastian Roche, who played Kri-Kri, also became a musician.

8. The title song for the series was a composition by Hélène Rollet herself entitled “Pour l'amour d'un garçon”.

9. Actors Hélène Rolle (Hélène) and Patrick Pudiba (Nicolas) were often credited with having an affair, but the actors themselves constantly denied this information. Moreover, at the start of filming, Patrick was basically irritating Helen with his antics and lack of seriousness.



True, many years later, Patrick still admitted that they really had an affair in real life. Moreover, they even lived together for some time.

And although nothing ultimately came of their romance, Helen and Patrick remained good friends, and they still continue to not only maintain a relationship, but communicate, and with enviable regularity. According to Helen, she can even call Patrick at night to help with something, and he will immediately rush to her.



Hélène Rolle and Patrick Pudiebah today

10. In the story, Katie Andrieu (Katie) and David Proulx (Etienne) played a couple in love. But in the end, their on-screen relationship grew into a real romance. Kati and David got married, and after some time they had a son and daughter. True, the marriage lasted only about 10 years.



11. Since Helene Rolle left the series "Helen and the Boys" after the third season, the series could no longer be produced under that name. Therefore, the continuation was released under the new title “Dreams of Love”. And in order to reboot the series, the creators decided to move the heroes to a big house instead of the boring garage. However, the sequel itself was less successful.

However, in 1996, the next continuation of the series called “Love Vacation” was released, where the main characters move to a tropical island. Surprisingly, this series lasted for 11 years (1996-2007). Characters already familiar to everyone have returned to the series, including Helene Rolle herself and Patrick Pudiba.



But even this was not the end. In 2011, a new continuation of the series called “Secrets of Love” was released. All the famous characters, performed by the same actors, have returned to this series again. And now these are no longer young students, but matured (and almost elderly) actors.



But the most amazing thing is that the series is filmed and broadcast to this day. To date, 34 seasons of the series have already been released, which include 865 episodes lasting 45-50 minutes each.