François Gall, the man who took television on a journey, has died

The French audiovisual landscape has lost one of its great craftsmen of documentary storytelling. François Gall, journalist, writer and producer, was the creator of the cult program... Trains like no other, has died at the age of 103. The announcement was made by his family, according to a notice published in Le Figaro.

Another way of telling the story of the world

Passionate about travel and storytelling, François Gall initially built his career in journalism before turning to television production. In the 1970s, he notably produced Point Blank, a portrait program dedicated to the great figures of the era. At the same time, he pursues a career as a novelist alongside his brother Jacques.

But it was in 1987 that he made a lasting mark on the French audiovisual landscape. With Bernard d'Abrigeon, he conceived Trains like no other, a documentary series that uses the train as its entry point to tell the stories of countries, their inhabitants, and their cultures. The concept breaks with traditional formats: no presenter facing the camera, but a narration carried by the unique voice of François Gall and images of journeys to the four corners of the world.

A work that remains vibrant on screen

From the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway to journeys crossing Australia, Japan, and even the Congo, the program has established itself over the decades as one of the flagship shows of public television. In a press release, France Télévisions praised "an iconic program" whose success has never wavered.

Since 2011, the format has enjoyed a revival on France 5 with Philippe Gougler as its presenter. Gougler paid tribute to the creator on social media, recalling that in François Gall's time, "there was no presenter on screen," but a voice capable, all on its own, of transporting viewers to other horizons. More than a producer, François Gall leaves behind the image of a storyteller who transformed travel into a television experience.