BBC Studios Africa unveils its Summer 2022 slate: Come Dine with Me SA, Prince William conservation series and Frozen Planet II in early-2023.

by Thinus Ferreira

BBC Studios Africa unveiled its upcoming Summer 2022 content slate of its BBC TV channels in South Africa to advertisers, with a new season of Come Dine with Me South Africa starting on 12 October on BBC Lifestyle, a conservation series fronted by Prince William starting in November, and the second season of Frozen Planet making its debut on BBC Earth in February 2023.

ALSO READ: IN IMAGES. The BBC Studios Africa Summer 2022 upfront in 37 photos and 9 videos and channel sizzle reels.

Pierre Cloete, commercial director for BBC Studios Africa, noted that BBC Studios Africa's collection of linear TV channels on MultiChoice's DStv pay-TV service has now passed 2 million viewers weekly.

"Currently we're sitting at around 2 million unique viewers per week who watch our channels so that's quite a big feat for us to hit that 2 million mark. Since 2019 we've seen growth year-on-year and this is across our five channels of BBC Brit, BBC Earth, BBC Lifestyle, CBeebies and BBC World News."

BBC BRIT (DStv 120)

The Weakest Link UK (season 1)

A reboot of The Weakest Link starts on BBC Brit on Wednesday 21 September at 20:00 for a 10-episode season with new host Romesh Ranganathan. Nine contestants will work together to answer questions and bank as much money as possible as players are voted out at the end of each round.

Strictly Come Dancing UK (season 20)

The shiny floor dance competition show is back from Saturday 25 September at 19:00 for 25 episodes, with the South African dancers Johannes Radebe and Cameron Lombard once again part of the contestant pairs strutting their stuff on the dance floor.

Dragon's Den (season 19)

A new set of eager entrepreneurs will be showing up in the 19th season from Thursday 6 October at 20:00 for 14 episodes,, hoping to strike a life-changing deal, as they pitch their business ideas to five multimillionaires. The Dragons - Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman and Sara Davies are joined by Steven Bartlett, the youngest ever Dragon, a 29-year-old entrepreneur and podcast host.

Pointless (season 25)

A new 55-episode season of Pointless will debut on BBC Brit in November when the brainy quiz returns for season 22 and contestants trying to score as few points as possible by plumbing the depths of their general knowledge to come up with the answers no one else could think of. Presented by Alexander Armstrong and co-host Richard Osman.

Mrs Browns' Boys Christmas special

Three episodes in December. It's Christmas in Finglas, and Mrs Brown is coping with life after lockdown. As she gets news of a very special competition, Grandad, Winnie and Father Damien come to her for help.

Father Brown (season 10)

A new 10-episode, 10th season of this crime drama series coming in January 2023. Set in the 1950s in the heart of the beautiful English countryside, Father Brown, the Catholic priest who also happens to have a particular talent for solving crimes, is back in this adaptation of GK Chesterton's novels.

QI (season 21)

There will be 14 new episodes in January 2023 of this British quiz show with more celebrity guests and more weird and wonderful general knowledge. Sandi Toksvig returns as host.

BBC LIFESTYLE (DStv 174)

Come Dine with Me South Africa (season 8)

The 8th season of Come Dine with Me SA, produced by Rapid Blue, will have 12 episodes, once again featuring voiceover legend Dave Lamb. Four strangers per episode, from across South Africa, once again each get a chance to entertain each other, and then scoring it with snark from Wednesday 12 October at 20:00.

Great Pottery Throw Down (season 5)

The search for Britain's best home potter continues with a new season of 10 episodes, starting on Monday 17 October at 20:00. Over 35 gruelling days and 18 different challenges, the potters must make earthenware kitchen bowls, ornate but functional chandeliers and super-sized garden sculptures, among many other household objects.

Nadiya's Fast Flavours

A new series with 6 episodes starting in January 2023 in which Nadiya Hussain inspires viewers to bring the fun back into everyday meals with easy and delicious recipes.

Jamie and Jimmy's Food Fight Club (season 9)

In January 2023 celebrity chef Jamie Oliver is back together with Jimmy Doherty for 8 episodes to whip up easy recipes and to have hilarious conversations with celebrity guests. As well as candid chats and cooking at their cafe on the pier in Southend, they travel around defending great British ingredients and putting them to work in good-humoured battles with prized local delicacies around Europe.

Bake-Off  -The Professionals (season 5)

In January 2023 viewers can watch the 5th season with 10 episodes, as 12 teams from across Britain compete to craft exquisite entremets, delicious desserts and spectacular showpieces in a bid to impress world-renowned judges Benoit Blin and Cherish Finden.

BBC EARTH (DStv 184)

Dynasties (season 2)

A second season of Dynasties will start on BBC Earth on Sunday 2 October at 16:15 for 6 episodes. This series immerses viewers in every gentle moment, poignant event and heart-wrenching betrayal as animals strive to create dynasties fit to rule for generations. 

A cheetah must prepare her daughters to survive alone. An inexperienced elephant unites her herd facing their greatest challenge – twins. High in the mountains a puma and her cubs face a battle for survival. Family rivalries cause chaos within a clan of hyenas. New alliances must form to care for the young of a troupe of macaques. Will a gang of meerkats survive the drought and rebuild their shattered dynasty?

The Earthshot Prize: Repairing Our Planet

On Sunday 13 November this new series of 5 episodes starts and is focused around the Earthshot initiative to save the planet. Facing up to the urgent need to fix our climate, restore nature and build a waste-free world can feel overwhelming. This pioneering series, fronted by Prince William and his team of high-profile champions, explores these simple but ambitious Earthshots – five goals crucial to the survival of our precious planet, and to life itself.

Inside the Factory (season 7)

A seventh season of this engineering series will come to BBC Earth in 2023 with 9 new episodes. Gregg Wallace takes his love of food back to the source - the factories that feed us - to find out how some of our favourite foods get made. Stepping into a different factory each episode, he uncovers the amazing processes behind the production of bread, dairy and confectionery.

Ben Fogle: Return to the Wild (season 3)

In January 2023 adventurer Ben Fogle revisits people around the world who turned their backs on the rat race to set up homes in some of Earth's most remote locations in 9 new episodes. Ben returns to Norway to meet the woman living on a remote island. He revisits the owner of a guest house located deep in the Sahara. And he goes to Wales to find out how a family who built their own eco home are coping. Ben discovers what's changed for these compelling characters as he learns about the challenges they’ve faced since he first spent time with them. Is life in the wild still their ultimate dream?

Life Below Zero (season 10)

There are 19 new episodes in the 10th season of this eye-opening series that follows the drama and hardships experienced by four Alaskan households in different corners of this merciless territory, as they battle to make it through a long, dark, freezing winter. Life is all about survival in the face of unrelenting weather, scarce resources and man-eating carnivores.

Frozen Planet (season 2)

There will be 6 episodes in the second season of this groundbreaking natural history series exploring the north and south poles - covering everything from wolves hunting huge bison across vast snowy plains to killer whales using cunning techniques to stalk their prey.

CBEEBIES (DStv 306)

Postman Pat: Special Delivery Service (season 2)

There are 26 new episodes in the second season, starting 3 October at 17:40. Everyone's favourite postie is back with an even more challenging set of deliveries. Whatever the people of Greendale and Pencaster need, Postman Pat comes to the rescue. Racing ducks, cowboys, a big ukelele band, bagpipes, geckos and digeridoos are all part of the fun in this new season.

Noddy: Toyland Detectives (season 2)

Noddy continues his detective adventures in 55 new episodes from Monday 3 October at 18:20 as he and his friends set out to solve mysteries in Toyland. 

Ranger Hamza's Eco Quest (season 1)

Wildlife expert Ranger Hamza takes his young Ramblers on a journey from cities to the countryside to discover conservation in all its forms in this new show, starting Monday 17 October at 10:45 for 20 episodes. Using his extensive knowledge of UK wildlife, conservation expert Ranger Hamza and his team of young Ramblers search for new Eco Heroes to discover the important part they play in conservation and sustainability.

Shaun the Sheep (season 2)

There are 40 episodes, starting in November, of the world's favourite award-winning sheep, Shaun, and his hilarious farmyard antics, together with the Farmer and the long-suffering sheepdog Bitzer.

JoJo & Gran Gran (season 2)

The heartwarming animated series has 10 new episodes, celebrating the special relationship between an inquisitive girl and her vibrant grandmother is back. JoJo adores spending time with her energetic Gran Gran, who is always ready with a "Gran Gran Plan" when JoJo comes to visit. Gran Gran moved to the UK from Saint Lucia when she was a young girl and the culture of Saint Lucia is woven across the show.

Swashbuckle (season 8)

The Swashbucklers are back for 26 new episodes from December in this adventure gameshow as they help Gem win back stolen treasure from naughty pirates. Set in a shipwreck, the swashbucklers are a team of six and seven-year-old pirates who undertake a number of large physical team games to win jewels.

Hey Duggee (season 4)

Ten further episodes from December in which the big lovable dog Duggee and the little Squirrels have fun earning achievement badges. The Squirrels each have their own distinctive personalities, but they all love playing, learning and making friends together.

ALSO READ: IN IMAGES. The BBC Studios Africa Summer 2022 upfront in 37 photos and 9 videos and channel sizzle reels.

BBC Studios Africa renews Come Dine with Me SA for a 12-episode 5th season on BBC Brit, now looking for contestants.

BBC Studios has renewed Come Dine with Me South Africa for a 5th season on BBC Brit (DStv 120) that will start in 2019, with producers now looking for contestants for the 12 episodes of the new season.

South Africans interested in entering for the chance to host dinner parties and be judged by the other contestants have until Wednesday 29 August to enter at www.BBCSouthAfrica.com.

Production company Rapid Blue continues to produce the ITV Studios Global Entertainment format for BBC Studios, with the South African version that also features the voice-over narration of Dave Lamb.

The upcoming 5th season of Come Dine with Me SA will again film in Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth.

"The popularity of the latest season of Come Dine With Me South Africa is testament to the fact that the local audience enjoy some home-grown entertainment and South African hosting antics," says Joel Churcher, general manager and vice president of BBC Studios in Africa.

"We had a break between seasons three and four and were overwhelmed not only by the return of the shows’ very loyal fans but also by how many new audiences the show attracted too."

"BBC Brit is excited to once again partner with Rapid Blue to offer a distinctly South African take on a hugely popular international format. We look forward to discovering some new vibrant, entertaining personalities to take part in the latest season and surprise and delight audiences across South Africa."

BBC Worldwide Africa switches Come Dine with Me South Africa from BBC Lifestyle to the BBC Brit channel on DStv; 4th season will start on 15 February with more colourful and diverse contestants.

The 4th season of the beloved Come Dine With Me South Africa series is switching channels from BBC Lifestyle to BBC Brit (DStv 120) and will start on Thursday 15 February at 20:00 with the revived show that will once again include voice-over narration done by Dave Lamb.

The 4th season of the show will start on BBC Brit exactly a year after the SABC awkwardly announced that it had picked up the food competition series for a 4th season on SABC3 - just to then be forced to backtrack after already airing promos and announcing that it will no longer be producing the show.

The out-of-cash SABC failed to sign the necessary contracts for the ITV Studios format produced show.

BBC Worldwide Africa and the South African production company Rapid Blue that is the format rights holder, then agreed to bring the show back for viewers of the BBC's entertainment fare in South Africa and across Africa.

BBC Worldwide Africa has been reluctant to bring Come Dine with Me SA back for a 4th season although TV critics loved it and viewers have been clamouring for more local episodes of the show.

In each episode ordinary South Africans take turns to host each other in dinner parties at their homes. They then rate each other's food, presentation and hosting abilities.

There's a 5 year gap between the 3rd season of Come Dine With Me SA and the upcoming 4th season that will have episodes filmed in Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town.

The new season of Come Dine With Me SA will also see the show switch channels. The previous three seasons were all broadcast on BBC Lifestyle where seasons of shows like The Great South African Bake Off were also shown.

Early in 2017 BBC Worldwide announced that Come Dine With Me SA would return to BBC Lifestyle in early 2018, but now Come Dine With Me South Africa is switching to BBC Brit.

BBC Worldwide Africa didn't specify why Come Dine With Me SA is switching to BBC Brit and why it will no longer be on BBC Lifestyle.

"We are thrilled to be able to announce the return date of Come Dine With Me South Africa for a 4th series," says Joel Churcher, general manager and vice president of BBC Worldwide Africa.

"Since announcing its return, viewers have blown us away with their excitement at seeing a new line-up of the country's best and worst dinner hosts step into the kitchen."

"I have seen a sneak peek of episode one and am confident that the new contestants will find their ways into the hearts of our viewers with the new episodes, promising even more iconic moments and catchphrases".

The first episode of the 4th season of Come Dine With Me South Africa is set in Pretoria with pole dancer Carmi van Heerden, the hyper-critical Philipine Modimogale, the amateur-dramatic Ian Perryman and the chatty Nonhlanhla Ntwasa.

"After all these years of producing international formats for a South African audience, I'm still constantly amazed at all the colourful and diverse personalities that our amazing country has to offer," says Kee-Leen Irvine, Rapid Blue executive producer. 

"This season of Come Dine With Me South Africa once again bring the proof to the pudding.”

AWKWARD. SABC loses the revived Come Dine with me South Africa on SABC3 after Rapid Blue withdraws the offer to make a 4th local season for the SABC.

The slush bucket filled with unending awful at the SABC continues:

After the SABC announced that it will be taking over and doing a new season of Come Dine with Me South Africa, the embattled South African public broadcaster on Tuesday afternoon was suddenly forced to issued a terse statement saying it won't anymore - and that the show has been taken away from it.

Sources told TVwithThinus on Tuesday evening that it's fully the SABC's own fault and that the public broadcaster lost the opportunity due to failure and "non-delivery of the contract".

TVwithThinus reported two weeks ago that Come Dine with Me SA would be back for a fourth season, and this time revived on SABC3.

The format rights holder, the production company Rapid Blue, who made the previous three seasons, was ready and willing to do a version for SABC3.

It was a win-win-win-win: the production company got to make another season, ITV Studios got a new localised season of its show in a country where viewers are desperate to see more of it, SABC3 got a great quality show to improve its schedule, and viewers got to participate in a show that ended prematurely and has a lot of life and ratings potential left to it.

The SABC has been running on-air promos on SABC3 for two weeks already, asking viewers living in Gauteng in and around Johannesburg to enter Come Dine With Me SA.

The SABC said Come Dine with Me SA would start in July on SABC3 and would be broadcast for 13 weeks - only it's not.

Now it's hella-awkward for the SABC - once again looking amateurish and as if the public broadcaster doesn't know how television works, how to professionally go about it and how to properly do local commissioning deals.

It's not clear why the SABC would promote a show - a local version of the ITV Studios format - and then suddenly two weeks later not have it and why the SABC would announce a show if at the time it didn't have a signed contract.

The awkward public backtracking makes the SABC look like a cat whose milk has turned sour.

Rapid Blue - who previously did Come Dine with Me South Africa for BBC Worldwide's BBC Lifestyle channel on MultiChoice's DStv - took the show away from the SABC just two weeks after the public broadcaster announced it.

The SABC says Rapid Blue has withdrawn its offer to make the show.

The SABC in a statement says "The SABC has been in negotiations with the rights holder, production house Rapid Blue, to showcase Come Dine With Me South Africa. However the Corporation was informed by the production company that they have subsequently withdrawn their offer for us to produce the show."

"The SABC would like to apologise to all South Africans who adhered to the call to action in anticipation that we would be producing the show."

"The SABC strives to have the best local television formats and will continue to pursue bringing you the best of local premium content. Further announcements of the show's replacement will follow."

Rapid Blue in a statement says "Although we will not be moving ahead with SABC3 on this occasions, we remain committed to the Come Dine with Me format and are exploring how best to bring a new series of the show to South African viewers".

The news at the beginning of February that SABC3 would be taking over Come Dine with Me South Africa was met with positive reaction, with South African TV industry insiders welcoming the move and saying that it possibly signaled the start of a turn-around for the ratings-starved and content-struggling SABC3.

Come Dine with Me SA that got glowing reviews during its three seasons on BBC Lifestyle was seen as the start of a commitment by SABC3 to return to quality programming and to steer away from terrible shows like Divas of Jozi, Top Chef South Africa and Arthur Mafokate's awful A Date with Arthur (filmed in his real-life living room) none of which got ratings or acclaim.

BREAKING. Come Dine with Me South African taken over and picked up for a 4th season by SABC3; now looking for dining contestants.

SABC3 has picked up Come Dine With Me South Africa with Rapid Blue that will now produce a new local 4th season for the South African public broadcaster.

The new season for Come Dine with Me SA comes after BBC Worldwide Africa dropped the local series in 2013 after just three well-received seasons.

Despite big buzz, ratings and viewership love when local seasons of the format show were broadcast on BBC Entertainment, BBC Worldwide opted out of doing more of the dining competition series three years ago.

The show in which ordinary South Africans take turns to host a dinner party in their homes and in turn judge each other, still has a lot of life left and now SABC3 decided to pick up the show.

Come Dine with Me SA signals a serious intent by SABC3 to revamp its lackluster and flat 2016 local content offering that saw the channel's viewership nosedive with badly produced shows like Top Chef SA, Divas of Jozi and others that were shunned by viewers and failed to garner ratings.

SABC3 hopes that Come Dine with Me SA and other higher quality local fare will help to jumpstart a ratings turn-around for the public broadcaster's embattled and only commercial TV channel.

South Africans who live in Gauteng can now enter for the new 4th season. The show is looking for people who think they are a whizz in the kitchen, love entertaining, and have the ability to perform under pressure.

Auditions for SABC3's Come Dine With Me SA will take place between March and May, and episodes will be recorded between April and August. Entries for the show are closing on 26 February and people who want more information can email comedine@rapidblue.com

People need to be older than 18, must live in or around Johannesburg in Gauteng and mustn't be regarded as a professional chef.

Find the entry form here: bit.ly/2jzSm1W