Pierre Lescure is returning to his roots. The former Canal Plus chairman, who started as a radio and television journalist, will present a cinema news program on French terrestrial network France 5 beginning this season.

Although no start date is slated for the show, entitled 24 1/2, France 5 today announced that the programme would be part of its upcoming line-up. The hour-long magazine show is produced by MK2TV and will welcome invited guests each week.

Lescure was abruptly ousted as Canal Plus head in April 2002 by former Vivendi Universal chief Jean-Marie Messier.

Although he acted as president of the jury at 2002's Deauville Festival of American Film, Lescure stepped out of the limelight for a long spell before turning up of radio station France Inter to present the programme Moonlight Fiesta.

By all accounts, he will continue his duties on radio with that show which is devoted to different genres of French and American music, something about which he has been very publicly passionate.