Hearst Networks Africa commissions The Schultz Creative for Battlefields South Africa with John Robbie on History channel, hands Great African Crimes a second season

by Thinus Ferreira

Hearst Networks Africa has commissioned The Schultz Creative to produce a new original series, Battlefields South Africa with John Robbie for the History Channel Africa (DStv 186), while renewing Great African Crimes with presenter Mandy Wiener for a second season.

Great African Crimes is also produced by the Johannesburg-based The Schultz Creative, taking over from the troubled Clive Morris Productions (CMP), which produced the first season.

Battlefields South Africa will start on the History Channel on 6 June and air every Friday at 21:05, while a starting date for the second season of Great African Crimes will be announced later.

"We're delighted to once again be building on our local content offering from recent years," says Nazarene Khan, Heart Networks Africa regional director.

According to Heart Networks Africa, Battlefields South Africa takes audiences on a journey through three locally relevant iconic historic battle sites. 

Combining a mix of vivid storytelling and expert analysis, Battlefields South Africa brings the childhood wonder of playing soldiers to life, exploring real-life stories from pivotal conflicts.

The episodes will focus on some of the country's most legendary battlegrounds, including Isandlwana, Rorke's Drift, Spionkop, and Colenso.

"We're incredibly excited to work alongside Hearst Networks Africa to bring these battlefields to life," says Carl Schultz, The Schultz Creative executive producer.

"In each of the episodes, John Robbie will invite a celebrity guest into studio where he will tell the story of the battle with the use of a large-scale model of the battlefield creating a dynamic and educational experience."

The second season of Great African Crimes will looks at two shocking crimes from the South Africa's history books. 

The second season looks at what would be different if the cases happened today and how the outcomes of the court could differ to what they were historically.

History channel set for 2nd season of Great African Mysteries with John Robbie and once-off show Great African Crimes with Mandy Wiener.

by Thinus Ferreira

From the Thulamela kingdom to the quagga, the History channel will debut a second season of Great African Mysteries from 3 August with presenter John Robbie, while journalist Mandy Wiener is set to front Great African Crimes that will start in October for the channel's first-ever "Crime Month".

A second season of Great African Mysteries will start on History (DStv 186) on Saturday 3 August at 19:25 with John Robbie continuing as the presenter with three episodes looking at geology and mineralogy, zoology, as well as archaeology.

The second season of Great Africa Mysteries and Great African Crimes were both produced by Clive Morris Productions (CMP) which is facing financial problems which led to the abrupt abrupt shuttering since June of Paramount Africa's Queendom telenovela and CMP also losing the production contract of Showmax's Empini telenovela that MultiChoice decided to take away and move to another company. 

The first episode of the second season of Great African Mysteries looks at the earth's oldest and largest meteor crater created over 2 billion years ago when an asteroid hit the planet near the present-day town of Vredefort and how this led to the discovery of gold billions of years later.  

The second episode looks at the quagga, extinct for over 140 years but which scientists are working to revive. John Robbie explores how, through selective breeding, an attempt is being made to retrieve the genes responsible for the quagga’s characteristic striping pattern.

The third episode explores the secrets behind the ancient walled kingdom of Thulamela inside the Kruger National Park. Dating back to the 15th century, its ruins unveil a rich history of trade and culture, offering a unique glimpse into Africa's past.

"As in the first season these stories will educate, thrill and challenge people's perceptions about aspects of the past in Africa," says John Robbie.

"South Africa, and indeed Africa, have such incredible history and prehistory and so much of it has either been forgotten or not widely taught. I'm hoping that this project will inspire people to look into this with newly opened minds."

Great African Crimes is a once-off show on 22 October with three stories, uncovering the details behind some of the most riveting crimes from South Africa's past and will explore three dramatic crimes which left South Africa stunned. 

It will screen in October during History channel's first-ever "Crime Month" programming block.

"Great African Crimes has all the ingredients of a compelling TV show – really interesting crimes, complex characters, intriguing narratives, the backdrop of the African context," says Mandy Wiener.

"I'm looking forward to telling these stories and working with a great team of producers and creators. I hope to bring my two decades of experience in the news environment, telling crime stories, to this project."

In September, History will have a second instalment of its My History Moments - a short-form series where well-known South Africans share pivotal moments from their lives.

 Also in September, Laurence Fishburne will unpack the puzzles of the world's most enigmatic unsolved mysteries in the 5th season of History's Greatest Mysteries with Laurence Fishburne.

Actor Morgan Freeman executive produces and features in the documentary 761st Tank Battalion: The Original Black Panthers which will be on History from October. 

It will tell the true story of the first black tank unit to serve in combat during WWII and explore in-depth the major battles they faced both overseas while in combat and back home in the United States.

History channel ventures inside South Africa's Oceanos and Helderberg mysteries, Homo Naledi discovery in new Great African Mysteries and Great African Escapes series.

by Thinus Ferreira

History (DStv 186) has made two new local documentaries, Great African Mysteries and Great African Escapes, both with host John Robbie, which will look at three remarkable South African mysteries, as well as three daring escapes over the upcoming two Friday nights including the sinking of the Oceanos, the disappearance of the Helderberg, and the discovery of Homo Naledi.

Great African Mysteries and Great African Escapes were both produced by Clive Morris Productions, with the two episodes that will air on Friday 21 July at 21:05 and on Friday 28 July at 21:05.

Great African Mysteries on 21 July explores three of the biggest mysteries in South Africa, including the discovery of Homo Naledi at the Cradle of Humankind, the hoard of gold which Paul Kruger supposedly hid from the British during the Second Boer War, as well as the events surrounding the crash of a South African passenger aircraft, known as the Helderberg in 1987 in which all 159 people on board were killed.

Great African Escapes on 28 July investigates three daring local escapes.

The three stories in this episode includes a look at the death-defying passenger rescue from the sinking MTS Oceanos cruise liner in 1991 on the South African coast and also reveals in detail the sensational prison break from Marshall Square by four anti-apartheid activists: Mosie Moolla, Harold Wolpe, Arthur Goldreich and Abdulhay Jassat.

Also included in this episode is the story of Albie Sachs' miraculous escape from a car bomb explosion in 1988.

Khayelihle Dom Gumede, Clive Morris Productions chief operating officer, says that "Unearthing just a few of South Africa's historical mysteries and great escapes has been an incredible journey of fact-finding and storytelling for CMP".

"Along the way, to meet inspiring people like Justice Albie Sachs and Professor Lee Berger who've had such an impact on our world and our country has had a profound influence on our production team. To be part of the channel known as the premier destination for historical features is an enormous privilege."

John Robbie says "I've always been a fan of the History channel, so I was delighted when the team reached out to me to be involved," John Robbie says. 

"It is such an important project because so many South Africans don't necessarily know about these stories which are key moments in our country's history, shedding light on significant events and remarkable individuals. Both shows go beyond surface level and tell the stories behind the actual events."

Anita Gardini, marketing manager of the History channel in Africa, says "We're a premiere channel for historical storytelling, so we are incredibly proud to uncover six local stories through these two shows".

"It was great to work with John whose effortless narration and additions of little-known facts bring each of these moments in time to life. History Africa believes it's important to uncover and share our history in order to safeguard our shared heritage."

"We hope that viewers find these stories gripping and engaging and walk away wanting to know even more about our country's history."