On January 12 2014, the Bibliothèque Nationale de France faced an unprecedented water issue: The pipes broke. Three levels were infiltrated by 25m³ of water. The crisis management unit activated the emergency plan, on a Sunday night, to evacuate 38 000 documents, some dating back to early centuries. We'll travel back to that night — and another nightmarish night of such scale — wading back through the emergency response with Céline Allain, BnF’s emergency plan coordinator.

Our guests:
- Céline Allain, BNF Emergency Plan coordinator since 2013
- Sergent Laurent Da Silva, BNF firefighter
- Maëlle Jeanty, Natural Risks project manager at the CEPRI, the European Centre for the Prevention of Flood Risks
- Jacky Petit, plumber in Paris

This episode is produced by Nancy-Wang Musisá, Piera Rocco, Mihail Ivanov and Lola López Lungo.

The editor in chief is Lorraine Besse.

#upatnight is #ScPodcast based on an original idea by Alice Antheaume.

Music : Théo Boulenger

Illustration : Marine Coutroutsios.

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

🎈On the night of June 23rd, 2016, Brexit marked the first-ever breakup in European Union history. After more than 40 years together in an emotional and dramatic turn, the UK dumped 27 member states all at once. Ouch.

🎤Even Michel Barnier, former Brexit negotiator and now the French Prime Minister, has likened it to a painful breakup. But this wasn’t just about a fractured relationship—it set off a cascade of complex geopolitical negotiations, reshaping international dynamics and affecting lives on both sides of the Channel.

🎧 Tune in as we explore with you the tensions, the deals, and the lasting impact of that historic night.

Our guests (in order of appearances):

• Maxime Calligaro - Married to an English woman, Maxime is a Renew Policy adviser at the EU Parliament by day and a co-screenwriter of the TV show Parliament, depicting the life of an EU parliamentary assistant during Brexit, by night. After rarely agreeing with the UK on the job, he became pro-Brexit even if of course he could not vote.

• Chloé Linklater was a fresh-faced 18-year-old at the time of the vote and was casting her first ever ballot. She was a staunch remain voter and she and her friends were shocked and upset when they discovered their country had voted to leave the European Union instead.

• Rob Murray - Rob worked as a polling clerk the night of the referendum and was right in the centre of the action as he ensured all was well at his local ballot station. He was also a supporter of remaining in the EU and campaigned for some time after the Leave vote, advocating for rejoining the EU or calling for a second referendum.

• Brian Reynolds is a union representative from Scotland who campaigned for LEXIT, the exit of the Left from the EU. Dubbing the union a ‘neoliberal capitalist’ institution, he wanted to leave to protect UK public services, and to promote all workers’ rights in the country.

• Catherine Bennett is a Franco-British journalist. For her, Brexit meant more than just extra steps when travelling between the two countries, she also had to apply for French nationality in order to stay and work in Paris.

• Jonathan Smith is a Brexit-voting farmer from West Oxfordshire. For him, voting Brexit was about standing against the EU’s policies on agriculture which he felt were unfairly distributed across member states and had a negative impact on agriculture in the UK.

• Pr. Anand Menon - Teaching European Politics and Foreign Affairs at King's College London, he is also the director of the think tank ‘UK in a Changing Europe’ which provides information about UK-EU relations. Always invited as a third guest, he acted as a referee in the media during Brexit and still does.

• Nicolas Galudec was a member of the European Commission’s task force negotiating Brexit under Michel Barnier. He was specially mandated to ensure the respect of EVERY 27 member states’ interests within the process.

• Ambassador Christopher Prentice - An EU believer forever! Former UK Ambassador to Italy from 2011 to 2016, Christopher foreshadowed what was about to unfold and has thrived to exorcise his Brexit ghosts ever since.
  

🎙️ This episode was written, recorded, edited and produced by Candice Fleurance, Gabrielle Nadler and Lorna Petty, under the supervision of Lorraine Besse.

💡 #upatnight is #ScPodcast based on an original idea by Alice Antheaume

🎵 Music : @theo.boulenger

🎨 Illustration : @marinecoutroutsios

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

On June 9, 2024, the European Parliament saw a significant shift to the far right. This unprecedented gain was felt across the continent, but in France, the situation intensified. After the National Rally won more than 30% of the vote, President Macron made a decision that would significantly impact French political life—he dissolved the National Assembly. An unprecedented opportunity for the “Rassemblement National” to govern France, and a symbol of its entry into the political mainstream.

In this episode, a diverse group of stakeholders from across the political spectrum come together to discuss their roles at a pivotal moment in French politics, when the announcement of snap elections sent shockwaves through the country.

Tune in as we look back on the night that shook France and Europe, as the far right teetered on the brink of power.

Our Guests :

• Gilles Ivaldi, researcher specialized in far right parties at SciencesPo

• Adam Soussana, environmental activist

• Parliamentary assistant for the Renaissance presidential party

Directed, written and produced by Philippine Masson, Anne Sandager and Selma Sisbane. Supervised by Lorraine Besse.

#upatnight is #ScPodcast based on an original idea by Alice Antheaume @alicanth

Music : @theo.boulenger

Illustration : @marinecoutroutsios

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.