Breton performer Stéfane Laurens, recently crowned the best magician in France, has opened the doors to his creative world in a profile for TF1info.
In a television report published on 2 November 2026 by TF1's weekday midday news programme, Le 13H, Laurens offered a look inside the private space where his greatest illusions are born and explained what sets him apart.
According to the TF1info video editorial team, the secret to the Breton magician's success lies in his singular approach to the craft: the art of comic mentalism.
Mentorship from former French teacher Fañch
Laurens owes his passion for magic to Fañch, his former French teacher and mentor, who is 36 years his senior and introduced him to the art form.
Fañch passed his love of conjuring on to his student by teaching him magic at the end of every French lesson they shared.
Known as a Breton magician, Laurens represents Brittany, the cultural and administrative region occupying the peninsula of north-western France. The region maintains a distinct heritage and its own Celtic language, Breton, in which Fañch is a traditional given name corresponding to the French name François.
Comic mentalism and French television profile
While traditional stage magic typically centres on physical props, sleight of hand and visual illusions, mentalism focuses on feats of the mind. Mentalists use observation, suggestion, memory techniques and showmanship to create the impression of thought reading, foresight and heightened psychological intuition.
Comic mentalism blends those psychological demonstrations with stand-up comedy and audience interaction. Instead of presenting mind reading as solemn or mysterious, performers use humour and timing to turn unexpected predictions into light-hearted stage entertainment.
The three-minute and 25-second video feature on Laurens was produced for the culture, media and entertainment section of Le 13H. Broadcast on weekdays at 1:00 p.m. on TF1, France's leading commercial television network, the flagship midday news bulletin regularly pairs national headlines with regional human-interest and cultural reporting.
