In April 1959, the musical Gigi broke the previous record of eight Oscar awards which went to Gone With The Wind in 1940.

Paul Gambaccini discovers how the combination of Gallic charm and memorable songs, including The Night They Invented Champagne, Gigi and I Remember It Well, sanitised Colette's risque novella for the big screen.

Considered to be the last of MGM's great musicals, Gigi tells the story of a young girl being groomed as a courtesan and the movie's producers battled with the censors to get it made.

Director Vincente Minnelli's lavish film, which was shot mostly in Paris, sugar-coated the subject matter and Caron's gamine performance melted Hollywood cinema goers.

Paul also explores how Gigi represented the passionate early days of the on-off American love affair with France - a relationship that has come under strain in recent years following the war in Iraq.

Producer: Paula McGinley

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2010. Show less