National Geographic goes HD on DStv, as Nat Geo Africa unveils upcoming Summer 2022 factual content slate.

by Thinus Ferreira

The National Geographic and Nat Geo WILD linear TV channels finally switched to high-definition (HD) on MultiChoice's DStv this week with National Geographic using the upgrade to unveil its upcoming Summer 2022 factual entertainment content slate for Africa, including its first pan-African kids show Team Sayari, more Bear Grylls, and the celebrity chef-adventurer Gordon Ramsay competing against other chefs and eventually also his own daughter in a new series.

After many years as standard-definition (SD) channels, National Geographic and Nat Geo WILD - also available on China's StarTimes and StarSat in Southern Africa - finally switched to high-definition (HD) on Wednesday on MultiChoice's DStv pay-TV service in South Africa and across pan-African countries.

"The exciting line-up of National Geographic programming delivers on our core purpose to tell exceptional stories that ignite wonder and inspiration for people of all ages, enabling them to better understand the world and their place in it," said Christine Service, senior vice president and general manager of The Walt Disney Company Africa.

"We can't wait to bring these wildly entertaining documentary series, feature documentary films and extraordinary natural history shows from the best storytellers in the world to viewers across the continent, and especially in HD for the very first time."

Speaking at the National Geographic Africa Summer 2022 factual showcase about how The Walt Disney Company Africa keeps its collection of linear TV channels like National Geographic strong with vibrant, first-run content to keep these channels a compelling TV destination amidst the growth of video streaming, Christine Service said "our linear channels business is hugely important to us - and certainly on the African continent".

"We continue to produce vast amounts of for all of our different distribution platforms - our linear business, our direct-to-consumer [Disney+], for cinema. So we're just about great storytelling and great content that we can deliver in many different ways to audiences across the globe."

Tracy-Ann van Rooyen, senior manager for programming and scheduling at The Walt Disney Company Africa, said she's personally looking forward to keep watching Primal Survivor: Mighty Mekong, as well as another season of Running Wild with Bear Grylls.

"Hazen Audel is that real adventurer with that real spirit and he goes through the Mekong basin and it just happens to be monsoon season and he has to go through all of the treachery of climbing mountains. Every season of Primal Survivor has showcased this man's mental capacity to just overcome what he's doing."

"You as a viewer sit back and go 'why?' but it's that adventure spirit that you just keep tuning into. I've been a fan of Bear Grylls for many years and I love what he's done with Running Wild with Bear Grylls. Not only are you watching him teach survival skills but also going on an emotional journey".

"Gordon Ramsay's next series is Gordon Ramsay: Unchartered Showdown. He'll be going up against other Michelin-star chefs and in the final episode you'll see him go up against his own daughter. So it's really a question of practice what you preach, who did you raise?"

Amping up pan-African content

On supporting the South African and pan-African TV industry, Tracy-Ann van Rooyen said "we're doing the best we can with Team Sayari".

As National Geographic's first locally-produced pan-African children's production starting on Saturday 24 September at 13:00, Nat Geo hopes the series which features a group of young conservationists will be the springboard for even more local content.

"We're making sure that the story we're telling is pan-African and in South Africa we have our satellite production companies which are producing and telling the stories that you see, and we are briefing them from a National Geographic perspective - so grooming production teams in South Africa to be able to meet a brief that is of a National Geographic standard."

"Alongside that, we do have local series such as Snakes in the City and of course the stories being told by filmmakers Dereck and Beverly Joubert, so we are amping up."

From Arabia to athletes and Tut to cooking

Bear Grylls is back with Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge on Wednesday 28 September at 21:00 in which he goes on more survival outings with American celebrities ranging from Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman to Simu Liu and Anthony Anderson.

The fourth season of Europe from Above will start on 28 September at 19:00 on National Geographic, tracking the changing seasons across a year in Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Romania, Serbia and Scotland. 

Lost Treasures Of Arabia starts on Friday 28 October at 19:00, investigating AlUla's unsolved mysteries. This TV special reveals the historical heritage, natural assets and immense legacy of art that continues to inspire future generations in this Middle-Eastern city.

To celebrate the centennial anniversary of the tomb of King Tutankhamen by Howard Carter 100 years ago in 1922, National Geographic will premiere Tut’s Toxic Tomb on Friday 18 and 25 November at 19:00, with library content King Tut in Color on Friday 4 November at 19:00 and Tut’s Treasures, The Golden Pharaoh on Friday 11 November at 19:00.

Gordon Ramsay: Unchartered Showdown starts on 9 November at 21:00 on National Geographic in which the Michelin-star faces off against those closest to him, including going head-to-head with his daughter Tilly in a culinary showdown.

The Navy veteran Big Moe Cason goes on an epic journey to seek out the most mouth-watering dishes cooked over an open flame in World of Flavour with Big Moe Cason starting on National Geographic on 30 November at 21:00, exploring the connections between American barbeque and cultures around the world.

The second season of Critter Fixers will premiere on Friday 11 November at 18:00 on Nat Geo WILD with Dr Hodges and Dr Ferguson, two longtime friends who operate their veterinary hospital in Georgia in the United States.

Edge of the Unknown starts on Sunday 25 December on National Geographic as an epic new 10-episode series by the Oscar producers E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin. Audiences get to go inside the minds of pioneering adventure athletes as they recount the most consequential moments of their lives on their journey to perfect the mastery of their craft.

BREAKING. A South Africa team, Team Cyanosis, included in Amazon, Mark Burnett and Bear Grylls' gruelling global adventure race reality show, World's Toughest Race Eco-Challenge Fiji.

A South African team of 4 adventurers made it and secured a place as one of over 60 teams in Amazon Prime Video's new global survival-adventure race reality series, World's Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji with Bear Grylls and produced by MGM Television's Mark Burnett.

Team Cyanosis from South Africa, will compete against similar teams from across the world in Amazon' revival of the Eco-Challenge series that originally ran on the Discovery Channel since 1995 for 8 years, and that will now debut in a new global show format on Amazon Prime Video.

Team Cyanosis will be lead by Clinton Mackintosh as Team Captain, along with Nicholas Mulder, Sarah Fairmaid Clarke, Darren Barry and Steven Burnett (TAC).

The producers chose Team Cyanosis who will battle it out in a race across the world, billed as "the toughest global outdoor multi-sport endurance race on Earth".

The South Africans will compete against teams including one of 28-year old sisters from India racing for gender equality, an American Eagle Scout team and a team of Scouts from Australia, a team of Wounded Warriors who served in the American armed forces, the world's youngest expedition racer to compete in the Adventure Racing World Series at the age of 17, a team of Ironman athletes including "The Iron Cowboys" who gained notoriety for completing 50 Ironmans in 50 states in 50 days, and many other teams from South America, Australasia, Europe, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

In the 10-episode season, contestants will take part in whitewater rafting, mountaineering, horseback riding, scuba diving, and mountain biking across more than 563 kilometres. If someone from a team quits, the whole team gets eliminated.

Bear Grylls will be the presenter of the season that will take place in Fiji and be filmed during spring and premiere on Amazon Prime Video in 2020. 

In this "ultimate expedition race", teams will race non-stop for 24 hours a day, across rugged backcountry terrain complete with mountains, jungles and oceans. Each race team is comprised of four competitors, including at least one member of the opposite sex, and one assistant crewmember that will be helping their team from base camp. 

Each team will race under a single country flag while making their way through some of the most impenetrable terrain Fiji has to offer. 

Navigation will have to be done with a map and compass only and teams will be required to use expedition problem-solving skills in their quest to the finish line. Only teams that can work together under extreme stress and fatigue have any hope of reaching the finish.

"Challenging oneself in the outdoors is as relevant today as it was 25 years ago when Eco-Challenge began," says Mark Burnett. "It's the ultimate test of human spirit, teamwork and honouring our planet. I can’t wait to see the drama unfold as these teams test themselves beyond what they ever thought possible."

Bear Grylls who will also be executive producer, says "The Fiji course is truly epic. It’s incredibly demanding and will force our competitors far out of their comfort zone as they race against themselves, their competitors and the fiercest elements of Mother Nature. Only the teams that work together can ever hope of making it to the finish line".

Lisa Hennessy, executive producer, says "The race in Fiji is the biggest and most exciting Eco-Challenge production to date".

"The course is a staggering 672km with a record 330+ athletes participating. We also have a record 35 camera crews capturing the action, in addition to drone and state-of-the-art handheld gyro cameras that will film in areas previously impossible to reach. We’ll be filming in 4K HDR, ensuring that the series is unparalleled in quality.".

Eric Van Wagenen, executive producer, says "The backstories of the athletes are what will be truly inspiring. Not everyone will win - or even finish the race, but following them throughout this gruelling competition and sharing their triumphs and setbacks along the way will make very compelling television."

Jennifer Salke, the head of Amazon Studios, says "As a global platform, we’re excited to be telling stories of perseverance and triumph as these teams face the challenges that the World’s Toughest Race: Eco Challenge Fiji has to offer".

"We're thrilled to be partnering with Mark Burnett, Bear Grylls, Lisa Hennessey, Eric Van Wagenen and the entire creative team who all have a love for this race and will be helping to tell these teams’ powerful and inspiring stories for our Amazon Prime Video customers."

New 6-episode nature series, Hostile Planet, starting on National Geographic on 24 April with Bear Grylls.

National Geographic's (DStv 181 / StarSat 220 / Cell C black 261) new 6-episode series, Hostile Planet that it commissioned exactly a year ago in April 2018 will now start on 24 April 2019 on Wednesdays at 21:00, featuring Bear Grylls.

Hostile Planet is an unflinching look at the "volatility of Mother Nature and the resilient animals that survive Earth's most extreme habitats" says National Geographic.

Hostile Planet was produced by director Guillermo Navarro who also served as executive director, and Plimsoll Productions.

"Set against the backdrop of a more violent and volatile climate, the battles for survival take on a new urgency as animals face intensified wildfires, blizzards, droughts and downpours. To some, the new challenges are too much, but for others, it presents new opportunities," says National Geographic.

"Over the course of 6 episodes, we explore the extremes of deep, high, cold, hot, wet and dry and reveal the truly extraordinary ways in which animals have adapted to survive in the face of great adversity."

"It's always been a hostile planet and yet, in the last 40 years, it's got a whole lot tougher for the wildlife. The world has changed more in the last 40 years than at any time in the last 65 million," says National Geographic.

"So animals in the most hostile places on Earth must adapt in the blink of an evolutionary eye. Facing everything from intrinsically hostile habitats and brutally punishing weather to the unrelenting threat of predators and intense competition for resources, their challenge is simple: adapt or die."

"Earth may be the only place we know that is teeming with diverse life, but that does not make it a benign planet."

"Against all odds, species have found ways to survive in the world’s most inhospitable landscapes – from a scorched desert to the frozen tundra. Every day is a struggle to survive, but animals continue to surprise us by adapting to the toughest challenges." 

In Hostile Planet, set against the backdrop of a more violent and volatile climate, "the epic battles for survival take on a new urgency as animals face intensified wildfires, blizzards, droughts and downpours," says National Geographic.

"To some, the new challenges are too much, but for others, it presents new opportunities. Hostile Planet is an epic drama told in an intimate manner with new camera technology allowing a close-up vantage point as the animals navigate through their changing landscapes."

Each episode characterizes one the planet's roughest environments – including jungles, mountains, deserts, oceans, the Poles and grasslands – and how each of its inhabitants acclimate to its turn of events.

Netflix adds interactive adventure series, You vs. Wild, with Bear Grylls; viewers to decide whether he succeeds of fails in various adventure quests around the world in 8-episode series.

Netflix is adding another interactive series, this time an adventure show, You vs. Wild, with Bear Grylls that will become available from 10 April on the global video streaming service and allow viewers to choose how his adventures unfold and whether he succeeds or fails.

You vs. Wild follows after the interactive Bandersnatch episode of Black Mirror that became available over December on Netflix.

You vs. Wild is an 8-episode series with the survival expert Bear Grylls as presenter, with viewers who will be presented with several multiple choice decisions in each episode as part of an interactive viewing experience.

In You vs. Wild, a play on the Bear Grylls series Man vs. Wild he presented on the Discovery Channel for 7 seasons, the viewer makes all the decisions to see whether Bear Grylls ultimately succeeds or fails in his quests around the world. Viewers decide what Bear Grylls eats, encounters, and experiences.

"Dense jungles, towering mountains, brutal deserts, and mysterious forests await, with tough decisions around every corner," says Netflix in a statement.

"I'm so proud to deliver this first-of-its-kind live-action interactive series, really giving viewers an all-access pass to explore the world and its landscapes in my boots. The stakes are high in this one!" says Bear Grylls.

You vs Wild is executive produced by Bear Grylls, Chris Grant, Drew Buckley, Ben Silverman, Howard Owens, Rob Buchta, and Delbert Shoopman, with director Ben Simms and Electus, A Propagate Company, and Bear Grylls Ventures as the production companies.

Amazon Prime Video revives the survival-adventure race reality series Eco-Challenge, this time with Bear Grylls and MGM's Mark Burnett producing.

Amazon Studios has decided to revive the survival-adventure race reality series Eco-Challenge, picking up the show that this time will feature survivalist Bear Grylls and MGM's Mark Burnett producing.

The new Eco-Challenge that originally ran on the Discovery Channel since 1995 for 8 years, will now roll out on Amazon Prime Video worldwide.

The location for Eco-Challenge 2019 that will be filmed in September 2019 hasn't been revealed but the producers will choose 50 to 60 teams from 20 to 25 different countries, who have to consist out of 4 people each and with every team including men and women.

If someone from a team quits in what is billed as "the toughest global outdoor multi-sport endurance race on Earth", the whole team gets eliminated.

In the 10-episode season, contestants will take part in whitewater rafting, mountaineering, horseback riding, scuba diving, mountain biking and more across 563 kilometres.

"[Eco-Challenge] started my entire TV career and afforded me my first Emmy. I’ve been asked one question over and over. When is it coming back? Now it is," says Mark Burnett who is also MGM Worldwide Television Group chairperson," in a statement.

"With Bear Grylls at the helm and the Amazon Prime Video team delivering it to a worldwide audience, we will make an amazing team, and the audience will see that this little race eats Ironmen for breakfast."

"Mark Burnett and Bear Grylls are a dream pairing when it comes to the world of ultimate survival.  The stakes and the emotions will run high for the teams on Eco-Challenge 2019," says Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios.

"Our Prime Video audience is in for a high-octane edge-of-your-seat experience as these fierce competitors find their limits and are asked to push beyond them in an adventure unlike any other."

Bear Grylls says "Eco-Challenge is the ultimate survival-adventure race, against the elements, against the clock, and against some of the greatest extreme athletes the world has ever seen".

Eco-Challenge 2019 is produced by MGM Television with Mark Burnett and Lisa Hennessy executive producing. Bear Grylls is also an executive producer.

Sir David Attenborough slams Bear Grylls over killing animals for TV entertainment on his survival show The Island on the Discovery Channel.

Sir David Attenborough has slammed the TV survivalist Bear Grylls over his merciless slaughtering of animals for the sake of TV entertainment in Bear Grylls' survival show The Island, saying unlike Grylls he wouldn't kill an animal to make compelling television.

The narrator of the upcoming Blue Planet II on BBC Earth (DStv 184) from 4 February who will also soon be launching a new nature conservation series on Netflix, told Britain's The Sun newspaper that Bear Grylls will "have to answer for himself" about the killing of defenseless animals on The Island with Bear Grylls.

"We’ve never killed an animal. Bear Grylls will have to answer for himself. But I wouldn’t willingly kill an animal just to get a shot," said Sir David Attenborough.

In The Island with Bear Grylls broadcast on Discovery Networks International's Discovery Channel (DStv 121) in South Africa and across Africa, contestants have slaughtered pigs, turkeys, iguana and now also caiman crocodiles, with viewers who are outraged over the killings done for television. 

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) in the United Kingdom in a statement has said "The RSPCA opposes practices that cause animals pain, suffering or death in the name of entertainment. It's unacceptable and could easily cause great distress to the animals".

Previously People for the Ethical ­Treatment of Animals (PETA), said about the Discovery Channel show: “The Island is the result of some worn-out idea about showing crude dominance over the wonders of nature, a deep ignorance of who animals are and a callous disregard for life”.

PETA over the animal killings says “There was no reason other than a desperate quest for ratings to harm and torment.”

About his new Netflix conservation series, Sir David Attenborough says "Netflix want me to do something on conservation and have asked me to do it, and I’ve said I would. There’s certain things that the BBC can do and can’t do, and I can see some reasons why to do a programme on Netflix rather than the BBC”.

BREAKING. American president Barack Obama to trek through the Alaskan wilderness with Bear Grylls in special episode of Discovery Channel's Running Wild.

America's president Barack Obama will tackle nature's challenges when he appears in a special episode with survivalist Bear Grylls in  Discovery Channel's (DStv 121) Running Wild with Bear Grylls.

Running Wild With Bear Grylls started in May on the Discovery Channel on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform and sees the survivalist take celebrities with him as they endure harsh wilderness in remote locations in high-octane, action-based and empowering journeys.

Now the outgoing president Barack Obama will trek through the Alaskan wilderness with Bear Grylls.

The episode of Running Wild With Bear Grylls will be recorded soon and broadcast later this year to help highlight the effects of climate change in Alaska.

"President Obama will meet with Bear Grylls while visiting Alaska to observe the effects of climate change on the area. The two will then come together in the Alaskan wilderness. President Obama will become the first US president to receive a crash course in survival techniques from Bear Grylls."

Celebrities like Channing Tatum, Kate Winslet, Kate Hudson, Zac Efron, Ben Stiller and others have already joined Bear Grylls in his wilderness treks.

Today's interesting TV stories to read from TV with Thinus - 26 March 2015.

Jeremy Clarkson now faces police arrest for his physical violence.
Co-horts James May tells Sky News the sacking of Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear on BBC Entertainment (DStv 120) is a "tragedy" and that "the three of us are a package" while Richard Hammond says "we're all three of us idiots in our own different ways".


The BBC has "The Jeremy Clarkson Story" - a reflexive post-firing explainer.
Meanwhile abused producer Oisin Tymon has been targeted by online vicious trolls after the firing news.
The BBC is looking for a new Top Gear presenter without the racial slurs and offensive behaviour of Jeremy Clarkson.
Jeremy Clarkson also lawyered up just before his firing with the American "litigation boutique" of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan.
Twitter went "into meltdown" after Jeremy Clarkson got fired, and Jeremy Clarkson fans threaten to boycott Top Gear and the BBC after his sacking. He also changed his Twitter profile while his girlfriend Philippa Sage "flew in to comfort him" in his West London home.
Variety asks what's next for the damaged Top Gear? and a former BBC boss says "Jeremy Clarkson was a disaster waiting to happen".
GQ Britain says the BBC was "foolish" to fire Jeremy Clarkson over a violent drunk fight - the BBC is supposed to "take care" of a drunk TV presenter during a work trip.


BBC Worldwide and Brand Events are quiet about what is happening to the Top Gear Live events scheduled - including the one in South Africa in June - as anxious people who've bought tickets are wondering what's going on with Top Gear Live's future "in doubt".
Analysis: Jeremy Clarkson's horrible violence left the BBC no choice but to fire the Top Gear presenter.


Oprah's OWN orders an Iyanla Vanzant spin-off.
With Iyanla: Fix My Life broadcast on TLC Entertainment (DStv 172) and now SABC2, OWN is ordering an as-yet-untitled spin-off with Jay Williams. Also, Oprah unveils a brand-new theme song and anthem for her TV network.

BET's (DStv 129) Wendy Williams gets a show on ID: Investigation Discovery (DStv 171).
Death by Gossip with Wendy Williams will focus on crimes that were fueled by rumors and lies.Wendy Williams will be the presenter and executive producer.

An Alien Nation remake is in the works.

Leighton Meester and the dear Dorota are still friends.
The Gossip Girl star and her maid are still in touch.

Why all of the sudden 1990's TV show remakes?
The X-Files creator Chris Carter says its "because its worked before and there's a possibility it can work again".

The Goldbergs sitcom on M-Net wanted to do a "Thriller" Halloween episode.
But its too expensive: The Michael Jackson Estate has to give permission for the song - which has a high price tag, and then the show has to pay $100 000 for the choreography.

Muggers of Vuyo Mvuko and the SABC crew are due back in court.
The criminals who are illegal immigrants in South Africa will appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court again today.

Discovery Networks International's London launch event for new Bear Grylls Escape from Hell TV series, raises alarm as fire fighters rush in.

The press launch event for Discovery Networks International's new Bear Grylls show, Escape from Hell which took place on Wednesday evening at the Battersea Power Station in south-west London saw fire fighters rush to the scene after a fire alarm was raised.

Bear Grylls: Escape from Hell will start on the Discovery Channel (DStv 121) on 1 October at 20:30 in South Africa along with other survivalist shows as part of "Survival Season" for the month. Bear Grylls: Escape from Hell is being launched in 224 countries by Discovery Networks International.

As Bear Grylls rappelled down the side of the Battersea Power Station, flames were projected onto the sides of the building. So realistic were the flames and pyrotechnic explosions which engulfed the landmark power station that it saw a call being put in on Wednesday evening to London's fire brigade which then rushed two fire engines to the scene.

The London Fire Brigade criticised the Discovery Channel for the stunt, telling Discovery that "it would be good to let us know so we don't waste our fire engines."


Other "Survival Season" programming starting in October on Discovery Channel include Naked and Marooned with Ed Stafford starting on 1 October at 21:30. The former British army captain and explorer undertakes a survival challenge naked by trying to survive on a desert island south-east of Fiji.

Car vs Wild will start on 1 October at 22:30 on Discovery Channel in which Gary Humphrey and the American car junkie Bill Wu are dropped into and forced to make their way back to civilisation in just a small red car.

Naked & Afraid starts on Tuesday 29 October at 21:30 in which two strangers - one man and one woman, are stranded for 21 days in one of the world's most extreme environments.

In December Discovery Channel will have Swimming with Monsters which will start on Tuesday 10 December at 21:30 in which the adventurer Steve Backshall dives with fascinating but deadly animals, including hippos, giant squid and the great white shark.

"It is fantastic to have Bear Grylls back on Discovery Channel to lead our Survival programming season," says Lee Hobbs, the channel director for emerging business for Discovery Networks for the Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEEMEA) region.

"He is a true game-changer in the survival genre, integral in shaping it into the programming powerhouse that it is today."

"Escape from Hell, along with our other new survival series premiering across the season, are guaranteed to have our audiences at the edge of their seats this October," says Lee Hobbs.

BREAKING. Adventurer Bear Grylls returns to television and The Discovery Channel after a contract dispute, will debut new show, Ultimate Survivors.

The adventurer and survivalist Bear Grylls is returning to television and The Discovery Channel (DStv 121), a year after Bear Grylls and Discovery Networks International (DNI) went their separate ways because of a major contract dispute and brought to an abrupt end the biggest TV show and franchise of Discovery.

Discovery Networks International has now commissioned a brand-new show from Bear Grylls, Bear Grylls: Ultimate Survivors. The first season of Bear Grylls: Ultimate Survivors will have 6 hour long episodes and will be shown on The Discovery Channel in 217 markets worldwide including South Africa.

In Bear Grylls: Ultimate Survivors, he will tell the incredible stories of survival of ordinary people stranded in dire situations, by using archive footage and interviews. Bear Grylls will then place himself in their same position and circumstances to show how survival was possible.

Bear Grylls says he is "super excited to be working with Discovery again".

"Ultimate Survivors, and any future endeavors, will be intense — but that's where the fun is! Ultimate Survival took me to some of the toughest climates and terrains out there, and this new series is an exciting evolution of that. The aim is to follow incredible real-life survival stories and demonstrate dynamic life-saving know-how along the way," says Bear Grylls.

Bear Grylls: Ultimate Survivors is produced by Discovery's production company Betty TV.

"We are thrilled to welcome Bear back to the Discovery fold," says Luis Silberwasser, the chief content officer and executive vice president of Discovery Networks International. "He is a true game-changer in the survival genre, integral in shaping it into the programming powerhouse that it is todat. We are now poised to push the limits even further for our international audience."

Bear Grylls and Discovery going their separate ways as Discovery ends its relationship with Ultimate Survival star over 'contractual dispute'.

Discovery Networks and the Discovery Channel (DStv 121) has lost its biggest star and best show with Discovery and survivalist Bear Grylls (37) parting ways.

The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that Discovery is immediately ending all its TV projects with Bear Grylls of Ultimate Survival. A spin-off, Worst Case Scenario started a year ago. Bear Grylls had several other projects in development with Discovery.

''Due to a continuing contractual dispute with Bear Grylls, Discovery has terminated all current productions with him,'' Discovery Networks tells me.

As recently as October he he wowed the crowd who were spellbound when he appeared in a special event opener message by video in Johannesburg at Discovery Networks International's upfront presentation here in South Africa.

BREAKING. Bear Grylls coming to South Africa next Friday, 10 February, to inspire with his real-life experiences and share adventurous tales.

Bear Grylls, The Discovery Channel's intrepid eat-anything, slide-down-everything, try-and-survive-anywhere star is coming to South Africa and will be in the country next Friday 10 February with thousands of South Africans expected to flock to see the Ultimate Survival guy in real life.

The popular British explorer-adventurer survivalist is set to dazzle with stories of close encounters when he visits South Africa for one day only next Friday for two events - a corporate function at Emperors Palace and a family evening at St. Alban's College billed as ''One Wild Night - Legendary Ultimate Survivor: Bear Grylls''. It's clearly the year's first biggest ticket to get. And yes. There's are still tickets available.

Bear Grylls, by far the most popular personality on The Discovery Channel (DStv 121) - the ''Oprah'' of the adventure crowd and the ''Beckham'' of scouts at heart - is sure to lure a crowd of thousands since the star is popular with South Africa adults and kids.

I'm just off the phone after talking to Rudi Bryson, the organizer of Bear Grylls' South African visit, who confirmed to me that Bear Grylls is definitely here in South Africa next Friday. I asked him how difficult it was to pull this one off.

''Very hard,'' says Rudi Bryson. ''It was very hard. We've worked on it for a year now. With Bear Grylls' time restraints it was simply not possible last year. Then he called and said he's going to Zimbabwe to do some filming and do we still want to have him and I said yes, absolutely.''

''Bear Grylls is going to to a motivational talk at the corporate lunch which is sure to be simply amazing next Friday. He will talk about his many experiences and all about his remarkable life for about 40 to 50 minutes and then there will be a question and answer session. Then for the family event later the evening at St. Alban's College it will be basically the same and he'll do a signing of autographs.''

Rudi Bryson says the reaction to the news has been phenomenal. ''The corporate lunch is selling very quickly, there's still a few spaces left. People who like Bear Grylls knows that it's an exclusive and a once-in-a-lifetime experience to meet a real-life hero. Also for kids, for any kid, he's a great rolemodel.''

I don't usually do this and but I like the Bear: The website where you can book and make enquiries is Rudi Bryson's own company and it can be found RIGHT HERE.

BREAKING. Discovery's Upfront 2012 in South Africa razzle-dazzles when it kicked off with HIM suddenly popping up in a special video.

You're reading it here first.

''Hi Johannesburg,'' surprised Bear Grylls in a special video message at the very start of Discovery Networks CEEMEA Upfront 2012 in South Africa on Tuesday evening.

Discovery did an unrivaled preview of all the programming coming up in next year on its 6 channels on DStv for South Africa and Africa at Urban Tree in Johannesburg.

There was immediate rapt attention from the press, media buyers and planners and TV executives when none other than Bear Grylls from Ultimate Survival on Discovery Channel (DStv 121) suddenly popped up at the very start of Discovery Networks' sizzle reel in a specially recorded video message.

The tented crowd immediately fell silent and since it was dark, it wasn't possible to spot for dropped jaws. ''Thank you for coming to this special Discovery event. We're hugely excited about out brand-new line-up for 2012, so please relax and enjoy,'' said Bear Grylls on the massive video wall.

After Bear Grylls' surprise special message for South Africa, Discovery Networks' vista-filled sizzle reel to kick off the upfront proceedings couldn't be anything else but completely sensorifically spectacular.

ALSO READ: Discovery's Upfront 2012 for South Africa an unrivaled preview on the year ahead, executed with master showmanship.
ALSO READ: Rocking Red: How Discovery Networks CEEMEA Upfront 2012 went from white to red for the launch of TLC on DStv.

Preview of Ultimate Survival with Bear Grylls and actor Jake Gyllenhaal roughing it in the dangerous snow world of Iceland.

I asked, but Discovery Networks International that runs the Discovery Channel (DStv 121) on MultiChoice's DStv in South Africa, can't yet say when the season and episode of Ultimate Survival with Bear Grylls and actor Jake Gyllenhaal will be shown in South Africa.

This special episode, recently filmed, will be shown on Discovery in America this coming Monday. (In America the show is called Man vs Wild).

The Discovery Channel added this 3 minute teaser preview of the episode on YouTube yesterday with fantastic footage, with survivalist Bear Grylls and Jake Gyllenhaal finding themselves in Iceland.

GET BEAR GRYLLS! A real-life Worst Case Scenario unfolds at Discovery Channel's headquarters as a gunman with explosives takes hostages.

You're trapped in a building under lockdown, all the exit sealed. A mad gunman, apparently upset with your programming has taken people hostage and is armed with explosive canisters. What do you do?

A horrible, real-life hostage drama played out the past few hours at the Discovery Channel's headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland in Washington, America that would be the perfect situation for the channel's on-air tough guy Bear Grylls of Ultimate Survival to handle.
Bear Grylls can now also be seen in the new Worst Case Scenario in which he places himself in dangerous situations and shows viewers how to survive harrowing conditions and deadly circumstances.

A few hours ago Associated Press and Reuters were first with the news that a man with a handgun was holding people hostage at Discovery Channel. He had canisters of explosives as well, one of which exploded as James J. Lee was shot by police and the hostages fled. The rest of the 1 900 people working in the building also got out safely.

Ultimate Survival 5 with Bear Grylls, Mondays, Discovery Channel (DStv 121), 20:00.
Worst Case Scenario with Bear Grylls, Tuesdays, Discovery Channel (DStv 121), 20:00.

Discovery exec on new shows starting soon: ''I'm excited to see how viewers take to Bear Grylls in a whole new environment.''

You're reading it here first.

Besides the recent new great additions, Discover Channel (DStv 121) is rolling out some great new fare from the end of this month that includes a spin-off show with Bear Grylls.

I asked Discovery Networks International about how its leveraging its existing brands and personalities like Bear Grylls and how important it is to have continuing new content development like Bear Grylls who is attempting a whole new show in Worst Case Scenario. ''The show is great and I'm excited to see how viewers take to Bear Grylls in a whole new environment. Its a new style of show for him,'' Paul Welling, vice president head of channels, emerging markets for Discovery Networks' Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region told me.

''To have strong channels that viewers keep coming back to, you need strong content. MythBusters is probably a core stable science show in the schedule that has a new season once or twice a year. The same with Deadliest Catch. And we get viewers who always return and keep coming back,'' Paul Welling told me. ''At the same time you also want to keep a channel alive and fresh and new and we have to introduce new shows as well. A good example is Worst Case Scenario with Bear Grylls starting soon on Discovery Channel. Also Cake Boss and LA Ink are new introductions and we'll see how they do.''

Ultimate Survival 5 with Bear Grylls starts Monday, August 30 on Discovery Channel (DStv 121) at 20:00.
Worst Case Scenario with Bear Grylls starts Tuesday, August 31 on Discovery Channel (DStv 121) at 20:00.
Deadliest Catch VI starts Monday, 30 August on Discovery Channel (DStv 121) at 21:00.

Cake Boss, Mondays, Discovery Channel (DStv 121), 17:50
Cake Boss, Fridays, Travel & Living (TopTV 453), 18:55
LA Ink, Tuesdays, Discovery Channel (DStv 121), 20:55
LA Ink, Fridays, Travel & Living, (TopTV 453), 20:10

Adventurer Bear Grylls almost killed by something that starts with a C . . . And no, it's not a crocodile.

Adventurer Bear Grylls of Ultimate Survival on The Discovery Channel (DStv 121), almost got killed by something starting with a C.
Nope, not a crocodile.

Last year I spoke to Edward Michael Grylls after his serious shoulder injury when he had to be evacuated from an Antarctica expedition. Now the TV adventurer stared death in the face once again. He again had to be evacuated from a mountainside recently, this time with a badly damaged leg. Bear Grylls was in the Canadian Rockies and busy filming a new episode of Ultimate Survival when, according to new reports, a camera on a sled slammed into him. The camera barely missed his head and crashed into his leg after which Bear Grylls had to be airlifted to safety.

Ultimate Survival V will premiere on The Discovery Channel (DStv 121) on Monday, August 30 at 20:00. TV's tough guy however does double dangerous duty. Bear Grylls can also be seen in the new spin-off show Worst Case Scenario that premieres a day later on Tuesday, August 31 at 20:00 in which he places himself in dangerous situations and escapes from them while giving advice and tips and explains how people can get out of precarious situations alive.

BREAKING. Bear Grylls runner-up in Discovery Channel's Best of 2009.

You're reading it here first. Bear Grylls of Ultimate Survival is the runner-up (winner revealed next Friday) in Discovery Channel's (DStv 250) Best of 2009 viewers' choice.
Bear Grylls and his popular Ultimate Survival was voted second most-loved show on Discovery Channel by more than 9 000 South African viewers.

The best episodes of Ultimate Survival will go out from this coming Monday to Friday 14 to 18 December every night at 20:00 on the Discovery Channel.

BREAKING. Bear is back! When you can catch the new season of Bear Grylls and other upcoming highlights on the Discovery Channel

You're reading it here first. Check below for a list and starting dates of some of the new and returning Discovery Channel shows worth watching in the last bit of the year - including a new season of Ultimate Survival with Bear Grylls.
October
Extreme Explosions, 6 Oct 22:00
Explosives experts dr Braden Lusk and dr. Paul Worsey get a backstage pass to the world's biggest and toughest demolition blasts from urban skyscrapers and massive steel bridges to giant stadiums.
Deadliest Catch V, 12 Oct 21:00
Captain Sig Hansen is back aboard for another treacherous season of crab fishing, but storms - personal, natural and financial - are brewing.
Fifth Gear XV, 16 Oct 20:00

The test driving panel's back with more razor sharp driving, hard hitting motoring advice and a lovingly compiled selection of some of the best cars in the world.
Destroyed in Seconds II, 22 Oct 23:00
A front row seat to the most terrific explosions, from well-planned ones to awesome unexpected Ka-booms!
Dirty Jobs IV, 26 Oct 22:00
Mike Rowe tackles more filthy, stinky, unthinkable jobs that somebody has to do.
Industrial Junkie, 27 Oct 21:00
Jonny Smith gets access to some of Europe's biggest and most exciting industries and gets close to extraordinary machines, processes and experience the awesome scale of big industry.

November
Ultimate Survival IV, 9 Nov 22:00
Bear Grylls is back and being dropped in more remote and harsh environments to survive on his own with nothing as he makes his way back to civilization.
X-Machines, 17 Nov 22:00
The biggest and most awe-inspiring machines on the planet - that will include some South African mechanical beasts you have to see to believe!
Time Warp II, 29 Nov 21:00
Incredible stop-time and time-slowing cinematography creates this breathtaking and astoundingly beautiful show as your eyes get to see what happens usually so fast that it's invisible. Watch as things as slowed down so much that you can see how things burst, explode, vibrate, scatter and expand in milliseconds.

December
Extreme Engineering V
Storm Chasers III
How It's Made XIII
Best of 2009
The best Discovery Channel shows will run from 30 November until 25 December.