Programme
All talks start at 6.30pm at the Brighthelm Centre
A warm welcome from 6pm. All talks and activities are held in French
Come early at 6pm and take the opportunty to chat in French with other members
Talks and events 2025 – 2026
2025
22 October: Peter Prowse – Le Canal du Midi … on a bike
In September 2023, Peter, with a friend for company, explored the 161km of the Canal du Midi by bike, from Toulouse to Sète, the Mediterranean port where singer Georges Brassens was born and died. During his talk, Peter will be showing many photos as well as sharing fascinating facts about the history of the Canal itself, about neighbouring towns (Toulouse, Narbonne, Carcassonne, Agde and Sète) and song linked to the beautiful southern French countryside.
12 November: Anne French – Tales of the Brighton Royal Pavilion and its inhabitants
Anne is a guide at the Royal Pavilion. Image by image, she will share her research into this amazing building; she will explain how this small holiday home became an exotic palace, describe its magnificent interiors and tell us about the people who lived there.
Image: Courtesy of the Brighton Royal Pavilion and Museums
26 November: Sue Collard – Emmanuel Macron and his presidency
When Emmanuel Macron won the 2017 presidential election he promised a new revolution which would radically transform France. And yet, despite being re-elected in 2022, the young president has been unable to carry out his plan and since his very controvertial decision to disolve the National Assembly in June 2024, the country is now debilitated and in the doldrums.
This talk puts forward an explanation for this failure by analysing Macron’s political outcomes as well as discussing the various ways forward in the run up to the 2027 elections which will usher in the “post-Macron” era.
10 December : Find out more about Hanoukka and Christmas in various French-speaking countries
In the run up to the end of year celebrations, members of the Cercle will present various aspects of Christmas and Hanukkah.
Image: Courtesy of Dan Lippman
2026
28 January: Christopher Doidge – Music in France 1885 to 1900
Christopher’s previous talks have been devoted to key moments in French history between 1885 and 1900 and then developments in painting in the same period. In this talk we move on to the riches of French classical music between Charles Gounod (born in 1818) and Maurice Ravel (born in 1875), all produced in this supremely productive 15 year span.
11 February: Lyn Thomas – Annie Ernaux, novelist
More information to follow
25 February: Agnès Baetens – Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, two Belgian filmmakers
Creators of intensely naturalistic films about working class life in Belgium, brothers Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne have created a notable body of work since 1996. The Dardennes’ films show young people at the fringes of society – immigrants, the unemployed, the inhabitants of shelters. Both Rosetta and L’Enfant were awarded the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, the only two Belgian films ever to earn the honour.
11 March: Sheryl Green – Women worldwide who served in the Allied Secret Services.
To commemorate International Women’s Day, Sheryl will tell us about women from countries and of different origins who fought in the secret war against the Nazi regime. These women filled varied roles as radio operators, combatants, intelligence officers and messengers … but their motives were all the same: to save Europe from the threat of Hitler and to restore democracy and republican values.
Image: Sheryl Green (courageindisguise.co.uk)
25 March: Karen Serres – Seurat et la mer
Karen’s talk will examine the seascapes painted by the artist Georges Seurat (1859 –1891) during his stays on the Channel coast at the end of the 20th century.
On the recommendation of his friend Paul Signac, Seurat spent his summers in Normandy from 1885 until his premature death in 1891. He went to the coast in order to (in his own words) “Gaze at something else after days confined in the studio and interpret bright light with absloute clarity, with all its nuances.” The recurring themes of the sea, regattas and activity in the ports are particularly revealing of the way in which his style changed thoughout his short career as he was developing his neo-impressionnist techniques.
8 April: Brigitte Thibaut – Olympe de Gouges
Among the remarkable women in the history of France, Olympe de Gouges, born 1748 in Montauban, deserves to be mentioned.
She is considered one of the pioneers of feminism, since she spent much of her life fighting for women’s rights, in the midst of the French Revolution – which proclaimed that all citizens are equal, whilst apparently forgetting that women are citizens too.
She also fought to abolish slavery, showing that she had the open mind of a convinced activist.
Her hostility to the radicalism of Robespierre and his partisans during the reign of terror in 1793 led to her death on the guillotine, following a rushed trial of which the verdict was a foregone conclusion.
22 April: Dan Lippman – Science at Versailles
Between the 1660s and the French Revolution of 1789 the palace of Versailles was a place of scientific enquiry. So much was achieved there – on a large and small scale : the spectacular dissection of an elephant in front of Louis XIV. Queen Marie-Antoinette’s watch (6 cms in diameter, and 823 components).
The enthusiasm of 3 Kings Louis gave rise to all sorts of inventions and innovations, and major advances in physics, botany, mathematics, surgery, astronomy….Well worth discovering !
Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Mike_Peel
13 May: Nathalie Morgan – L’Aveyron
Located in south-west France, the Aveyron is a great destination for everyone! Its unspoilt nature, diverse landscapes, historic buildings, and local skills and traditions are sure to enchant you. Its wide open spaces – limestone plateaux, gorges and valleys, mountains and lakes – are the perfect backdrop for outdoor activities and simple relaxation. Discover with Nathalie charming villages, magnificent natural landscapes and unmissable sights.
Image: Phillip Capper, Wellington, New Zealand, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
27 May : AGM and social evening with sale of secondhand French books
Details of the AGM to follow in April 2026.
The main event of the evening will be a sale of second hand French books donated by members. All proceeds to go the the French Circle. Bring cash if possible.
Chat to your friends and enjoy some light refreshments.
10 June : Annie Kean – La langue française et la diplomatie
Annie’s talk is in three parts starting with the origins and evolution of the French language up to the French revolution, with an emphasis on the kings who were instrumental in making French the official language of the country, and the writers who contributed to its embellishment.
Annie then moves on to the use of French outside France from the 11th to the 19th century.
Finally, Annie explains the use of French in international trade and how the language has become supplanted by English.
Image: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Cartes et plans, GE CC-391 (175)
June : Matinée en plein air – venue to be confirmed
* * *
Previous talks – 2025 season
24 September: Social evening to celebrate the 110th anniversary of the Cercle Français de Brighton et Hove
8 October: Béatrice Moreau-Grey and Hilary Lowe – French literary prizes in France
Previous talks – 2024 – 2025 season
25 September: Social evening and light-hearted quiz
9 October: French politics: an update – Béatrice Moreau-Gray
23 October: Social evening and secondhand French Book Sale
13 November: The real story of the French Revolution – Mike Wells
27 November: Songs of Paris – Peter Prowse and his guitar
11 December: When London turned Impressionist : Claude Monet’s Vues de la Tamise,1899 to 1904 – Karen Serres, Senior Curator of Paintings, Courtauld Gallery, London
22 January: Art in France, 1885 – 1900 – Christopher Doidge
12 February: Gérardmer, Pearl of the Vosges – Sylviane Case
26 February: The Life and Death of Coucy-le-Château – Suzanne Hinton
12 March: Cookery demonstrations – Bob Winton, and members of the Cercle
26 March: Clermont-Ferrand – Bob Winton
9 April: A music hall artist at the Panthéon – Brigitte Thibaut
23 April: Balzac and the French Revolution – Peter Smith
14 May: Corsica – Nathalie Morgan
28 May: AGM and social evening
11 June: Germaine de Staël, la bête noire de Napoléon – Annie Kean
16 juin : Guided visit of the Reform Synagogue, Palmeira Avenue
16 juillet : Matinée amicale aux St Anns Well Gardens.
Previous talks – Saison 2023-2024
27 September: Les Vendanges / The Grape Harvest – Gill Forte and members of the Cercle
11 October: Le français, langue d’Angleterre / French, England’s language – Simon Coffey
25 October: Traduire G Simenon / Translating Simenon – Ros Schwartz (with Claire Peligny)
8 November: Bruxelles / Brussels – Elspeth Broady
22 November: Les abeilles & le miel / Bees and their honey – Alain Caron
13 December: Honfleur – Dan Lippman
10 January: Social evening in French
24 January: Un parcours international / An international career – Jessica van Thiel
14 February: Je t’aime moi non plus / Speak to me of Love – Agnès Baetens
28 February: Madame de Sévigné – Suzanne Hinton et les membres du Cercle
13 March: La Rochelle – Isabelle Martin
27 March: Return to Vietnam – Dany Marx
10 April: Le Lapin Agile – Brigitte Thibaut
24 April: Questions d’actualité / Current affairs – Béatrice Moreau
8 May: Carcassonne – Nathalie Morgan
22 May: AGM in English and social evening (French and English)
Mercredi 12 juin – Matinée en plein air (English and French) Guided visit of All Saints Church in The Drive, Hove, BN3 3QE.
Previous talks – 2022-2023 Season
28 September: Soirée d’accueil / Welcome evening
12 October: Russian immigration to France around 1917 – Annie Kean
26 October: The Auvergne – Adriano Capuano
9 November: Café-théâtre parisien – Béatrice Moreau-Gray
23 November: Les Misérables: The novel of the century – Peter Smith
14 December: The Breton Connection – Frances Stenlake
11 January: Brian Walsh and his guitar
25 January: Belgium, with help from Jacques Brel – Francesca Delescluse
8 February: Fifteen years which transformed France: 1885 to 1900 – Christopher Doidge
22 February: From prisoners to tourists – Isabelle Martin
8 March: The first refugees : the Huguenots in England – Sue Delafons
22 March: Limoges: a town that is not just porcelaine – Robert Winton
12 April: Haute Couture – Brigitte Thibaut
26 April: Learning French through the ages – Suzanne Hinton
10 May: The Gorges of the Tarn – Nathalie Landroit
24 May: AGM