The Twins were a duo of hosts, producers and essayists famous for their hit shows and the controversy surrounding it.
They will definitely have done everything together until the end. Igor Bogdanoff, one of the star twins of the 1980s, died yesterday from Covid-19 in a Paris hospital, six days after his brother. He was 72 years old, and like his brother, he was not vaccinated.
This whimsical character was illustrated with his brother in the show “Temps X”, which sailed on the frontier of popular science, science fiction and pop-culture. It also gave them access to a certain notoriety which ended up transforming into the status of icons of French pop-culture. But they have also given rise to lively debates and numerous controversies, in particular on the question of their scientific legitimacy.
However, Igor Bogdanof had a doctorate in theoretical physics, while his brother had a doctorate in mathematics. An important line on the CV of these claimed popularizers; but their very liberal approach to popularization has often elicited mockery, even harsh criticism, and frontal opposition from the scientific community.
Death at 72 of Igor Bogdanoff, six days after his twin brother Grichka (agent) #AFP pic.twitter.com/QMb7Kzc4i2
– Agence France-Presse (@afpfr) January 3, 2022
Stars with wobbly legitimacy
The very legitimacy of their degrees has been attacked. We remember in particular the famous “Bognanoff affair”, which took on planetary proportions when a recognized physicist accused them of having obtained their doctorates on the basis of hoaxes. Despite everything, they have always vigorously defended themselves against these attacks, going so far as to sue their opponents, including the CNRS.
Their popularity also came from their decidedly unique physical appearance. They have also always maintained the mystery of the origin of this transformation, in particular by refuting any recourse to cosmetic surgery. “We are experimenters”’, Was content to explain Grichka in an interview spotted by Le Monde. “In the experiment there are a number of small protocols. These are very advanced technologies, which is why the mystery has lasted so long. “
Now become icons of kitsch science of the 80s, the two brothers had been much more discreet in the media in recent years. Despite the controversies, Igor and his brother nevertheless left an indelible mark on French media history.
