Des chiffres et des lettres

Des chiffres et des lettres
Also known asNumbers and letters
GenreGame show
Created byArmand Jammot
Presented byChristine Fabréga (1965–1970)
Patrice Laffont (1972–1989)
Laurent Cabrol [fr] (1989–1992)
Max Meynier [fr] (1992)
Laurent Romejko (1992–2024)
Country of originFrance
Original languageFrench
No. of seasons52
No. of episodes12,000+
Production
Running time33 minutes
Production companyFrance Télévisions
Original release
NetworkFrance 3
Release19 September 1965 (1965-09-19) –
25 August 2024 (2024-08-25)
Related
Countdown
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Des chiffres et des lettres (French: [de ʃifʁ e de lɛtʁ]; "Numbers and Letters") is a French television programme which originally aired from 1965 to 2024. It was created by Armand Jammot and tests the numeracy skills and vocabulary of two contestants. It was one of the longest-running game shows in the world, and the inspiration for Countdown on Britain's Channel 4.

The game debuted in 1965 as Le mot le plus long using letters only, and reached its present format in 1972. From 2004 to 2024, it was transmitted on France 3 after 39 years first on Antenne 2 and then France 2. It had been hosted since 1992 by Laurent Romejko, who was originally assisted by Arielle Boulin-Prat and Bertrand Renard, the latter two respectively checking words proposed by the contestants and providing solutions to the number problems the contestants fail to solve. Renard was hired on the show at the age of 19, after having won as a contestant in 12 consecutive matches. Starting on 17 September 2022, Boulin-Prat was replaced by Blandine Maire and Renard by Stéphane Crosnier, due to disputes over their salaries and the terms of their contracts. The show came to an end on 25 August 2024 after a 52-year run, it aired at weekends during its last two years.

The show was seen throughout the world on TV5Monde including TV5 Québec Canada throughout Canada.