Full disclosure: I have been a fan of Call My Agent! since 2015, when I saw the first two episodes at a small festival in Brides-les-bains, a spa town in the French Alps. The event was organised by agent-turned-producer Dominique Besnehard, who was showing the episodes ahead of their first airing on French TV.

Having spent eight years getting the project off the ground, Besnehard was anxious to know whether French audiences would like it. They did. The series ran for four seasons, was picked up by Netflix and critically well-received. It won several French TV awards and an International Emmy, with its formula later reproduced in the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain among others. Now comes the movie.

In the series, written by talented showrunner Fanny Herrero who also wrote the film, we observe the workings of Parisian casting agency ASK (modelled on Artmedia, where Besnehard worked) in light comedy mode. Agents match “the talent” with film projects, while coping with actorly egos, affairs, meltdowns and tantrums. The series’ key trick was to mix the fictional agency staff with real-life celebrities making fun of themselves.

Many major stars were reluctant to join the first series. There was no Catherine Deneuve or Gérard Depardieu, possibly for the best in the latter’s case (in the new film, his name is met with stony silence). Fans had to wait for seasons two and three to see A-listers like Juliette Binoche, Isabelle Huppert and Jean Dujardin, and season four for Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jean Reno and American actress Sigourney Weaver (playing a diva version of herself). In turn, the success of the series brought fame to its actors, especially Camille Cottin (Andréa) and Laure Calamy (Noémie).

There is evidence that great series do not automatically produce brilliant movies – see The Avengers (1998), Miami Vice (2006) and Sex and the City (2008). So could Call My Agent! pull off a movie version?

The one star problem

Season four of the series ended on the break-up of ASK. Five years on, the film picks up with Andréa about to direct her first full-length feature film and Noémie producing a TV series. Both work in the same company as their former boss, Mathias (Thibault de Montalembert), who is also Noémie’s partner. Predictably, things go awry.

Andréa’s star, Laurent Lafitte, drops out and she sacks her producer. After Noémie (who steps in as producer) wrecks the possibility of casting George Clooney by making a series of cringeworthy remarks that incense the Hollywood star, they recruit Vincent Macaigne, who plays a reputed, but fragile version of himself.

Things go from bad to worse when they all move to the south of France for the shoot, with lead actors punching each other, an unruly wild boar and a storm that destroys the equipment.

For fans of the series, there is fun to be had in the familiar banter among the team of former agents reunited for Andréa’s shoot. Each plays up to their established identity: Mathias continues to be a cad; Andréa bullies everyone while fighting with her lesbian ex-partner over their daughter; Noémie’s chaotic energy hides her professional skills; straight Gabriel (Grégory Montel) and gay Hervé (Nicolas Maury) channel their vulnerable masculinity; and veteran Arlette (Liliane Rovère) reveals more of her improbably eventful past.

The problem, not just for Andréa’s film but also the second half of Call My Agent! The Movie, is the featured “star”.

The reason for the series’ success, beyond gossipy shenanigans at a casting agency, is its deep roots in French cinema history. Sustaining 24 episodes is a rich film culture, with stars ranging from internet celebrities (Norman) to international figures (Binoche), auteur cinema divas (Isabelle Adjani), TV stars (Muriel Robin), comics (Frank Dubosc), the old (Guy Marchand) and the young (Julien Doré).

Boiling this down to one star in one film was a challenge to which Macaigne is not the solution. The film, which showcases Macaigne’s trademark depressive persona, never gives him an opportunity to display his craft – he is upstaged by both the wild boar and the storm.

Meanwhile, the input of his co-lead, former model Laetitia Casta, amounts to being punched on the nose. The “joke” that the policemen who arrest the couple at a demonstration do not recognise them may be a little close the bone.

To attain major stardom in France actors must straddle the rarefied world of auteur cinema and popular genres – as is the case, indeed, for Lafitte who would have been ideal star but unfortunately drops out of Andréa’s film. (In real life Laffite is an alumni of the prestigious Comédie Française theatre who stars in both art movies and popular comedies.)

As a result, despite glamorous cameos by Clooney and Eva Longoria, the film is unlikely to attract new viewers. Fans of Call My Agent! will continue to long for another season, but in the meantime they will have to be content with this watchable, but ultimately disappointing film.

Dr Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at Copernicus, described August as “a remarkable month in the global climate record”, and its impacts had been “increasingly being felt by communities, economies and ecosystems across the world”.

The combination of record air temperatures, record ocean heat and Europe’s exceptional summer showed how climate change was now driving extremes across “both the atmosphere and the oceans”, she said.

UN climate chief Simon Stiell said the record clearly showed humanity’s impact on the climate.

“The evidence is irrefutable: this is the spiralling price of humanity’s fossil fuel addiction, and the global climate crisis it is fuelling,” he said.

On top of the ongoing impact of the use of fossil fuels, the rise of a powerful El Niño is making matters worse, the researchers have said.

El Niño is a natural climate pattern in which a band of the eastern Pacific turns unusually warm, releasing vast amounts of stored ocean heat into the atmosphere and nudging global temperatures upwards for around a year.

The one currently being experienced is still strengthening and could become one of the most powerful on record, according to the Copernicus team.

The biggest impact of this natural phenomenon on global temperatures is expected to hit over the coming year, meaning the current run of records may have further to go.

As the new Telegraph Fantasy Football season approaches, the fantasy football experts at Fantasy Football Hub will continue to bring you the very best in fantasy football knowledge, tips and tools to help you rise up the ranks and win your mini-leagues.

To join the Hub and get access to all their great resources and expert tips you can take advantage of its 50% pre-season discount here.

 

New signings can be a slight risk to include in your very first starting XI. However, many teams got a lot of their business done early this year and there is always a thrill in the unknown of unearthing a potential new fantasy football star. Here are our top five to look out for this season:

 

Mamadou Sangaré (£3.1m)

Ever since the introduction of tackle bonuses, combative midfielders have found their place in the hearts of Telegraph Fantasy Football faithfuls. Brentford’s Malian international could prove to be the next Palhinha or Gomes, with a steady stream of bonuses expected alongside the odd attacking return.

 

Marco Palestra (£2.7m)

The exciting full-back has played the majority of minutes in pre-season under new Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso, showing a willingness to push high up the pitch. If the defensive and attacking returns come as expected, the 21-year-old could make a mockery of his cheap price-tag.

 

Gonzalo García (£3.7m)

No doubt influenced by his stint in the dugout at the Santiago Bernabéu, Arbeloa beat off stiff competition to land the former Real Madrid striker. At 6’ tall, the striker possesses the physical attributes, alongside the technical ability, to thrive in the Premier League. TFF managers will be targeting the GW6 to GW8 run, where the Cottagers play all three promoted clubs back-to-back, as a great entry point to transfer the Spaniard in.

 

Luka Vušković (£2.9m)

Brighton’s qualification for Europe was built on a solid defensive structure last season, and the ex-Tottenham centre-half has been brought in to fill the Van Hecke-sized hole in their back-line. The highly-regarded 19-year-old could be one of the bargains of the season if he lives up to his potential on the South Coast.

 

Tarik Muharemović (£2.7m)

TFF managers have a plethora of great value defensive assets to pick from this season, and the Bosnian could be the pick of the bunch. Having already demanded attention after scoring with an audacious bicycle-kick in pre-season, it won’t be a surprise to see the new Leeds no.5 in many final drafts.

 

Pick your team for the 2026/27 season >

You can follow the latest Telegraph Fantasy Football news and discussions throughout the year on Facebook, Twitter and Fantasy Football Content Hub.

Phil Wanless has spoken about the impact of his 20-year-old son Fraser’s death in a powerful new documentary launched to mark World Suicide Prevention Day.

A Scots dad has told of the devastation of losing his son to suicide after the tragic death of his wife in a heartbreaking new film.

Phil Wanless has spoken about the impact of his 20-year-old son Fraser’s death in a powerful new documentary launched on Thursday to mark World Suicide Prevention Day.

Fraser was just eleven years old when he found his mum, Lisa, dead after she suffered a fatal epileptic seizure.

The former Portobello High School pupil struggled to grieve her death, turning to substance use and experiencing difficult relationships before taking his own life in 2021.

What I Want You To Know follows Phil’s journey as a bereaved father.

Phil says in the documentary: “Fraser and I spoke every day, whether it was a voice call or a text. I hadn’t heard from him for a day, and that was very unusual.

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“I don’t believe he wanted to die. I just don’t think he wanted to live. He just didn’t want the pain any more.

“The boy that I brought up, bought his first football boots, and put his first Hearts top on, everything was gone in the blink of an eye. Part of my heart is missing. That’s the only way I can describe it. It’s not a cliché. Part of my heart is missing.

“It broke us. It took a family that was pretty close, and broke us. I wish I had the chance to tell Fraser right now how much I loved him.

“It is Fraser’s story, but it could be anybody’s story.”

The dad also talks about how his grief of losing Fraser led to him contemplating taking his own life.

He said: “The impact of Fraser’s death was profound, and was felt from as soon as Phil learned his son was gone. Eventually, he also planned to take his own life.

“There were no instructions on how to grieve. The only time anybody talked to me about my mind health was at the point of crisis. That has to be the wrong way round.

“Suicide is the end product, and it’s the permanent product. But the truth is, we want to reach anybody who’s feeling like that long before we get to crisis.

“We need to stop the idea that the first time you get to talk to anybody is when you’re thinking about taking your life. We have to treat mind health as every bit as important as physical health.”

Phil wants the principles of time, space and compassion to be taught from an early age.

He said: “In my whole life nobody ever taught me about compassion, and yet it’s one of the most important things in life. I think we should be teaching it at school.”

The 30-minute film is released by Suicide Prevention Scotland, the community of people and organisations delivering the Scottish Government and COSLA’s joint suicide prevention strategy, Creating Hope Together.

Phil is joined by his partner Debbie Rowan, Fraser’s friend Darren Gallagher, Iain Corbett, a community development practitioner who has extensive experience working with young men, and John Gibson, founder of The Canmore Trust.

John and his wife Isobel lost their son Cameron to suicide in 2019.

Suicide Prevention Scotland’s national delivery lead Haylis Smith said: “The film shines a light on the reality of suicide in a way that hasn’t happened before. I know Phil doesn’t think he’s extraordinary, that he’s simply a grieving father angry after the loss of his son.

“But Fraser’s death will not be in vain, because Phil, Debbie and their families have opened up their home and lives in a way that will help so many people think about how to support people who experience trauma. He is extraordinary, because Phil’s intervention will save lives. We might never know who, but it will.

“We can see in the film where there were missed opportunities for time, space, compassion. It shows what their absence feels like, how much there still is to learn about reaching people long before a crisis and how we can all play a part in supporting people at risk of, or impacted by suicide.”

Maree Todd MSP, Minister for Mental Wellbeing, said: “Losing a loved one to suicide is a tragedy beyond measure and this documentary brings home the devastating impact. It also reminds us that opening up conversations about suicide and encouraging people to seek help can save lives.

“Our work on suicide prevention is informed and guided by those with lived and living experience. I am determined that we learn from Fraser’s tragic death as we continue that work to ensure that anyone with thoughts of suicide or impacted by suicide in any way gets the help they need and feels a sense of hope.”

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