The four-part HBO Max documentary Professeur Raoult vs le gang des cerises lifts the lid on a staggering chapter of pandemic history. The series tracks how six anonymous internet researchers used crowdsourced data and relentless fact-checking to dismantle the unverified hydroxychloroquine claims promoted by Professor Didier Raoult during the early days of Covid-19 in France.
The Bottom Line
The Streaming Event: Professeur Raoult vs le gang des cerises (4 x 45 min) is currently streaming on HBO Max, shedding light on the mechanics of pandemic-era medical misinformation.
The Counter-Movement: A covert group of six digital sleuths known as “Les cerises trottinettes”—including a mathematician, a metal-singing teacher, and a detached family member—spent months tracking and debunking IHU Marseille claims.
The Cultural Aftermath: The documentary exposes the vicious online harassment campaign directed at whistleblowers while arriving on the heels of ongoing institutional investigations into research papers linked to Raoult.
Decoding the “Cerises Trottinettes” Phenomenon
When the pandemic took its initial toll in early 2020, Professor Didier Raoult commanded massive public attention from his post running Marseille’s Institut hospitalo-universitaire (IHU). To millions searching for a lifeline, he offered an apparent shield: hydroxychloroquine. But behind the scenes, a digital counter-offensive was quietly organizing on Twitter.
The self-styled group “Les cerises trottinettes” drew their moniker from a blend of two things. First, they targeted cherry picking—the selective presentation of favorable data while ignoring contradictory evidence. Second, they nodded to an early remark attributed to Raoult claiming that e-scooter fatalities posed a greater threat than the coronavirus. Behind the anonymity of handles stood six distinct individuals: Guillaume, a math teacher and former researcher; Alexander, an educator and metal vocalist; Fabrice, an IT executive and surfer; Samuel, a research scientist; Frédérique, a nurse; and Magali Carcopino Tusoli, a Marseille-based physician.
Initially hiding her familial ties from her fellow digital investigators to protect the integrity of their work, she later found herself cut out of the family tree entirely as their collective scrutiny intensified.
Data, Flawed Studies, and the Hunt for Accountability
The HBO Max documentary, directed by Caroline Benarrosh and Martin Boudot, meticulously contrasts the grim timeline of France's rising death toll—which eventually surpassed 167,000 fatalities—with the painstaking work of the cyber-sleuths. As Magali notes in the series, conclusions were drawn from an initial sample size of just 26 patients, with one deceased individual who had received the treatment conveniently excluded from the final presentation.
While political figures and international leaders touted the treatment, real-world data told a darker story.
| Project Element | Details |
|---|---|
| Platform | HBO Max |
| Format | Docuseries (4 episodes, 45 minutes each) |
| Key Subject | The clash between institutional medical claims and online open-source fact-checking |
| Core Investigators | “Les cerises trottinettes” (Six anonymous internet researchers under pseudonyms) |
The Broader Cultural Reckoning on Streaming Screens
The arrival of Professeur Raoult vs le gang des cerises on streaming services highlights a broader shift in how modern platforms handle the intersection of public health, digital culture, and investigative journalism. True to form, while the filmmakers interviewed Raoult for the project, his responses offered little substance.
Ultimately, this documentary serves as more than just a historical archive of a divided era. It functions as a stark reminder of how quickly digital noise can masquerade as medical certainty—and how rigorous, sleepless fact-checking remains the ultimate antidote to systemic deception.
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