In peak season at Versailles 20,000 tourists can roll up at the gates in just
one day. For confused visitors, the keys to unlocking the past are held by the
fifty-strong team of
.. show full overview
In peak season at Versailles 20,000 tourists can roll up at the gates in just
one day. For confused visitors, the keys to unlocking the past are held by the
fifty-strong team of palace guides, each primed with an encyclopaedic knowledge
of the past glories of France. For many of the guides it's not so much a job as
a way of life - a way of life that is now under threat.
This episode follows the dreams of would-be Versailles guide, Fabrice Callet,
who has been passionate about French history since childhood. Becoming one of
this elite band is a huge challenge at the best of times, involving three years
of study and a tough national exam. Even if he succeeds, Fabrice will need to
find his own way of infiltrating the close knit and not always welcoming world
of the Versailles permanent team.
Fabrice's ambitions come at a time of great change for the historic chateau:
although Versailles is one of the most popular tourist sites in Europe,
competition for visitors is fierce, and new management is intent on modernising
the palace and the way that tourists experience it. With the introduction of
modern technology in the form of audio guides, the old guard's way of doing
things, and indeed their jobs, hang in the balance. Would-be guide Fabrice
Callet dreams of becoming one of this elite band.
