MultiChoice and M-Net put Bolhuis back for broadcast on kykNET schedule after racism scandal.

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice and M-Net have placed the show Bolhuis back on the kykNET (DStv 144) schedule with the canned show resurfacing a year after a racism scandal led the pay-TV service to abruptly drop its broadcast over highly offensive remarks and racist comments by the disgraced private detective Mike Bolhuis - including the "K"-word - that MultiChoice said was "unacceptable".

kykNET is suddenly once again going to broadcast Bolhuis, produced by Rian van Heerden, announcing that second season of the show will start on Thursday 15 October at 20:00.

It comes after a flurry of racist slurs and derogatory remarks made by Mike Bolhuis in audio recordings - including using the "k"-word - surfaced in mid-2019 from the private investigator and kykNET reality star.

Last year, just before the second season of Bolhuis was set to air, MultiChoice said in a statement that "Mike Bolhuis had conducted certain conversations in which he expressed himself in a discriminatory manner, which is unacceptable to MultiChoice".

"MultiChoice is committed to the building of a non-racial society and strongly condemns any acts of discrimination. In the circumstances, we resolved that programming in the second season of the Bolhuis series, in which Mike Bolhuis is the central figure would not be broadcast."

Bolhuis also disappeared from the DStv Now's Catch Up service and the Showmax subscription video-on-demand service run by MultiChoice's Connected Video division.

Now kykNET has quietly added Bolhuis back to its broadcast schedule with the programme and M-Net that will again earn money through it from DStv subscribers and advertisers, as well as further exposure to the detective.

kykNET in response to a media enquiry from TVwithThinus, asking why Bolhuis is now again going to be broadcast, said that "Following the public release of a voice note where presenter and private investigator Mike Bolhuis used derogatory language, he apologised to the public, the channel and the CEO of the MultiChoice Group".

Karen Meiring, director of M-Net's kykNET channels, says Mike Bolhuis "has taken steps in his personal life to not only reflect but use his platform to support and promote diversity and inclusion".

"One of these examples will be covered in an episode of the new season that will be broadcast on kykNET in October 2020. While the incident was indeed unacceptable and deplorable, his unconditional apology has been accepted."

In June this year kykNET was also in hot water when another reality star uttered the "k"-word which led to mom Jana le Roux's dismissal from the show after she uttered the racial slur in the Red Pepper-produced Kwarantyn Afrikaans reality show.

ALSO READ: kykNET pulls new second season of detective show Bolhuis shortly before broadcast as well as first season repeats from schedules due to unspecified contractual problems.

ALSO READ: As even more Mike Bolhuis racist slurs from the kykNET reality star surface including him using the 'k'-word, MultiChoice says it is still considering 'the reinstatement of the show'.
ALSO READ: MultiChoice canned the Bolhuis reality show on kykNET after investigator Mike Bolhuis used racist and derogatory language including the 'n'-word. 

ALSO READ: After MultiChoice canned racist Mike Bolhuis' TV show on kykNET the private investigator starts a belated apology tour pleading for forgiveness: 'I used these terms in anger'.

kykNET pulls new second season of detective show Bolhuis shortly before broadcast as well as first season repeats from schedules due to unspecified contractual problems.

M-Net's Afrikaans channels division kykNET has pulled the new second season of the detective show, Bolhuis, from the kykNET (DStv 144) schedule shortly before broadcast, and also yanked the first season repeats of Bolhuis from sister channel kykNET & kie(DStv 145) due to unspecified contractual problems.

The new second season of Bolhuis, following the private investigator Mike Bolhuis tackling and commenting on various crime cases, was supposed to start on Wednesday night 31 July at 20:00 on kykNET (DStv 144) and episodes would have been made available simultaneously on MultiChoice's subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service Showmax from its Connected Video division.

A rebroadcast of the first season of Bolhuis would have started on Wednesday night 31 July at 21:00 with MultiChoice that said viewers can binge-watch the first season of Bolhuis on Showmax.

Now Bolhuis, with the show covering the detective hunting down international fugitives to apprehending drug dealers and investigating occult events, has been pulled shortly before broadcast from the kykNET schedules and Showmax.

In the new second season of Bolhuis, viewers would have seen how Mike Bolhuis hunts international fugitives and takes a look at drugs targeted at school children, along with shedding light on dark occult activities, as he tries to save a town and even gives romantic advice.

The second season of Bolhuis would also have shown "Mike’s softer side when he releases the flamingos he saved, and there’s even a wedding on the horizon".

MultiChoice still promoted Bolhuis to the press this past Friday in publicity material.

On Tuesday, kykNET in a programming notification a day before the second season was supposed to debut, said Bolhuis is being replaced with a new season of Sandra op 'n Drafstap at 20:00 for the next three months.

On kykNET & kie the first season Bolhuis repeat has been replaced by a rebroadcast of the documentary series Oppie Kassie detailing the history of South African television.

kykNET was asked why Bolhuis was pulled from the schedule at short notice and told TVwithThinus that the show can no longer be broadcast due to contractual issues. kykNET didn't explain what exactly the contractual problems behind-the-scenes are.