Ziyanda Mngomezulu promoted to Rapid Blue managing director from 2021 as legendary TV exec Kee-Leen Irvine steps down after 30 years, production company ups others to new roles.

by Thinus Ferreira

Rapid Blue has promoted Ziyanda Mngomezulu who will become Rapid Blue's new managing director from 2021, replacing the legendary TV executive Kee-Leen Irvine and Rapid Blue co-founder in the position who is stepping down after as managing director after almost 30 years.

Ziyanda Mngomezulu is currently executive producer and business director at the production powerhouse. In her new position, Ziyanda Mngomezulu will be reporting into Duncan Irvine, Rapid Blue CEO.

Ziyanda Mngomezulu joined Rapid Blue in May 2020 and previously held roles at eMedia Investments as group content services general manager and at the SABC as a programme manager where she worked on bringing shows like SA's Got Talent on e.tv and Strictly Come Dancing SA on SABC2 to viewers.

"I am hugely excited to take on the role of Rapid Blue managing director of such a formidable and highly respected production company both here in Africa and internationally," says Ziyanda Mngomezulu.

"I hold great respect for Duncan and Kee-Leen from working closely with them both over the years, as we share the same ethos, values and creative ambition. I am drawn to their professionalism and ability to produce world-class television."

"Kee-Leen will leave some big boots to fill after such an admirable career leading a strong and talented team. I look forward to carrying forwards the energy she’s been instrumental in instilling, that of respect for people first."

"Building on this legacy, I am ready to continue to grow Rapid Blue’s range of productions and to help entertain even more viewers here and abroad in the years to come."

Kee-Leen Irvine, former managing director and co-founder of Rapid Blue said, "I am delighted we have got someone of Ziyanda’s calibre to pass the baton on to".

"With her expertise and creative vision, I know she will be a huge success and I am excited to see her thrive at the helm. After over 30 years in the television industry and 28 years leading Rapid Blue, I’m immensely proud of what we’ve achieved."

"The team, to me, are the best people in entertainment television in Mzansi. As much as I’m stepping down on a high note, I’m going to miss my colleagues immensely because of the bond that exists between all of us and the passion and excellence they bring to everything they do."

"It has been a pleasure and privilege to work alongside them and be able to make great shows, from nine exhilarating seasons of Dancing With The Stars, eight seasons of the captivating SA’s Got Talent, six seasons of the hilarious Come Dine With Me South Africa to matchmaking on the likes of The Bachelor SA and First Dates South Africa amongst many other hits."

Alongside the appointment of Ziyanda Mngomezulu, Rapid Blue has confirmed additional promotions to establish a new leadership team for the company.

Kim Thwaites, currently head of production, has been promoted to head of television, taking over from Ed Worster, who after a successful 40-year career is emigrating from South Africa.

Tsubi Mapiyeye, currently line producer has been promoted to supervising producer and Adi de Lancey, recently joined as a senior executive producer.

Rapid Blue starts 2021 with a collection of upcoming shows including The Bachelorette SA and Love Island SA for M-Net and new Come Dine With Me South Africa for BBC Lifestyle.

Duncan Irvine, Rapid Blue CEO, said, “I am hugely excited to have Ziyanda step into the role of managing director and lead Rapid Blue into what is already shaping up to be a busy and promising year for the company".

"Ziyanda has been a fantastic addition to the team so far. Her wealth of experience and eye for what makes a good production is hugely encouraging for what’s to come. When myself and Kee-Leen formed Rapid Blue 28 years’ ago, we could only have dreamed of what has been achieved together."

"I am hugely proud of what we all as a team have built and created for audiences around the world so far and am confident that our vision will be carried forward in an exciting direction with Ziyanda."

M-Net on Dancing with the Stars SA: No confirmation of a 2nd season yet, says 1st season was 'crazy, chaotic, fun, scary, but so rewarding' - and brought the magic back for us.

M-Net (DStv 101) says it can't as yet confirm that there will be a second season of Dancing with the Stars South Africa but the pay-TV broadcaster's head of local content described the just-concluded first season of the BBC's glitter floor dance format's revival on M-Net, produced by Rapid Blue, as "a mixed bag" that was "crazy, chaotic, fun and scary but most of all rewarding" - and a show that "brought the magic back for us".

This past Sunday night, Kaye-Ann Williams, the head of local content and independent films for M-Net channels; Kee-Leen Irvine, managing director and executive producer at Rapid Blue; and winning dance pair Connell Cruise and Marcella Solimeo did a Q&A with the media at a press conference immediately after the conclusion of the live broadcast of the Dancing with the Stars SA first season finale on M-Net.

TVwithThinus asked Kaye-Ann Williams whether M-Net will be doing a second season and if so, when it will be scheduled.

"I can't confirm a second season just yet, we will go through a process and then make a decision after that," said Kaye-Ann Williams, the head of local content and independent films for M-Net channels at the press conference.

"With regard to the first season of Dancing with the Stars SA I think we started discussing this mid last year, and Jan du Plessis, M-Net channels director is such a fan of Strictly Come Dancing UK and so is Yolisa Phahle, CEO for general entertainment at MultiChoice, and so am I, that just, you know, the dream of being able to do this seemed quite big."

"So when we started our discussions we knew that doing this would be dependent on various 'ingredients' - the right judges, the right celebs, the right professional dancers, producers and all hands on deck."

"So this past season has been a mixed bag for us. It has been crazy, it has been chaotic, it has been fun and it has been scary. But most of all it has been so rewarding. Because in its entirety - from the cast and crew to the dancers and the pro dancers - everyone had been 100% committed."

"We are extremely proud of what has been accomplished by this entire group. From episode to episode you watch it, you analyse it, you ask 'what can we do better?', 'how can we raise it?', 'how can we raise the bar?' We constantly asked ourselves that and challenged each other to do that."

"So it was very robust as well in terms of raising the bar, so I feel, just as a brand exercise for M-Net, it brought the magic back for us," said Kaye-Ann Williams.

"For me it was one of our wildest dreams come true and we are extremely, extremely proud of what this entire production and this entire team has accomplished."

"Also the type of leadership that Kee-Leen Irvine has provided to this production - she is an executive producer of note. Uncomparable. And I'm so proud to work with Kee-Leen - you have been so committed and absolutely collaborative, and such a joy to work with and I am so proud of what you have accomplished and it's because you've steered the ship this way."

Kee-Leen Irvine said "there's certainly an appetite - South African viewers love local versions of international formats and their shiny floor shows so we do them well, I think, especially when we have the support of a client like M-Net".

"So we will always continue to do those, alongside the original local programming that Rapid Blue also does."

"This really, really has been the highlight of my producing life and I think all of the cast as well. We've learnt so much. And a lot of that learning has come from Jason Gilkison - he stretched us."

"I've had the most supportive client in M-Net that I've had in my entire life, and I'm going to get tearful, but from Yolisa Phahle to Jan du Plessis, and Kaye-Ann Williams and Terja Beney (commissioning editor), what you can do as a producer with the right client behind you, and the right team alongside you, it's just been phenomenal," said Kee-Leen Irvine.

"As a production company, every single person has walked away enriched on a number of levels through being involved with this show".

Choreographer and judge on the Jason Gilkison who also served as Dancing with the Stars SA's creative director, at the press conference said "it was an absolute joy to be here".

"The team that was assembled by M-Net and Rapid Blue were just so incredible to work with. And no matter what I said as creative director, there was never a question of 'there's no way we can do that".

"Everybody just threw all 100% of themselves into this. And it was a beautiful situation to be in as a creative director because suddenly every week we were all doing stuff we were so proud of. And it was just a lovely experience for me," said Jason Gilkison.

Lani Lombard, M-Net's head of publicity, said M-Net won't be releasing any voting results for Dancing with the Stars South Africa and that the new voting system that was introduced whereby viewers first had to register before they could vote was a highly secure and massive TV voting improvement.

"We had no glitches whatsoever throughout the season of Dancing with the Stars SA for live voting. This is incredible, if you look at the history of live voting, and in this country the problems that you had in the past with delayed voting, or volumes or technical failures. This is really a secure, controlled voting mechanism. We knew exactly how many people were registered and it made the process easier."

"And because of this we can move forward and do more live shows with live voting. Live voting just makes a TV show so much more exciting because anything can happen. We are completely convinced by the new voting system. It was just so errorless and so easy to compute," said Lani Lombard.

From Swarovski crystals to wardrobe malfunctions, flying through the air and shedding their clothes – here’s everything you want to know about M-Net's Dancing with the Stars SA.

In Dancing with the Stars South Africa the sexy celebrity contestants and their dance partners will be shedding their clothes, someone will be flying through the air, and if there’s a wardrobe malfunction they need to keep on dancing.

M-Net held a press briefing over the weekend during which producers, judges and M-Net executives inside the specially-constructed ballroom dome on the roof of the Hyde Park Corner shopping centre in Johannesburg and answered all kinds of questions about the show starting today, Sunday, 4 February on M-Net (DStv 101) at 17:00 as a weekly live broadcast.

The briefing offered up some very revealing – and funny – answers ranging from the expensive costumes and what happens if there are injuries, to how long the contestants have been practising, the orchestra and how the contestants were chosen.

Is that shirt coming off?
Yes, the clothes are going to come off on Dancing with the Stars SA. Do you for want to see Suidooster actor and model Eden Classens shirtless during the course of the show? He was asked specifically this question and simply said ... "yes".


Injuries
TVwithThinus asked what happens if there's an injury during the show.

"If there's an injury, during a dance, if we've seen about 30 to 40 seconds of a performance and our head judge feels that they've seen enough to judge the dance, then they will judge the dance."

"We will then during that time establish how bad the injury is - whether they can perform the following week or whether they need to fall out of the competition," says Kee-Leen Irvine, executive producer of the show at Rapid Blue.


The costumes ... and Swarovski's
"The costumes cost more than a small penthouse," says Kee-Leen Irvine. "So I have a phenomenal head of wardrobe, Lynn Driver, that all of the cast have worked with. She's worked with me for many years now on all of our big shows."

"There's 78 costumes for the first episode. I won't tell you how much the Swarovski crystals cost but it's a lot. So Lynn oversees a team of about 4 designers, assistants and seamstresses and they turn around costumes in a phenomenally fast turn-around time."

"The costumes are such a high quality. We're so lucky also that the cast have all such phenomenal bodies. So the costumes are going to dazzle."


Someone is ... flying?
Jan du Plessis, director of M-Net channels, reveals that he screamed when he saw someone flying through the air!

"I have seen amazing stuff. There was one moment where I actually think I distracted one of the dancers where I screamed when a certain person was flying through the air.


If there's a wardrobe malfunction?
TVwithThinus asked if the show is going to be really live, live, or delayed live by a few seconds and what happens if there is a wardrobe malfunction like something popping open - or out - of those costumes.

"It really is live, live and if there is a wardrobe malfunction, they just suck it up and dance," says Kee-Leen Irvine.

Jan du Plessis, joked and said that because of the beautiful cast he hopes that there are actually wardrobe malfunctions.

Practising
TVwithThinus asked how long the contestants have been practising. You'd be surprised. The contestants have only been practising ... 3 weeks!
"They've been practising for what feels like 127 years, but they started 3 weeks ago," says Kee-Leen Irvine.

"What I do want to say is that after learning their dances, they've also had to do some group routines. Drill sergeant Jason Gilkison (choreographer and creative director and one of the judges) has been working them really, really hard. I do want to say as a producer I was in tears this morning because they've brought their AAA game. They were absolutely amazing to accomplish what they've have in 3 weeks - it's phenomenal.


Dancing the first episode
In the first episode of Dancing with the Stars SA today on M-Net at 17:00 there will be 6 contestants performing but there will be a group dance including everybody.
In the second episode it will be the next 6. And then from the 3rd week the show will have the live shows at 17:00 and then the live results show at 20:00.

There's an orchestra
Dancing with the Stars SA has a live orchestra and two vocalists.


How's it different from Strictly Come Dancing SA?

Strictly Come Dancing SA had 8 seasons on the SABC2 and then SABC3. It's the same show and show format but now improved since moving to M-Net as a pay-TV broadcaster and being made for DStv Premium subscribers.

"It's a BBC format but we're bring it M-Net's premium touch," says Kee-Leen Irvine.

The name-change says Kaye-Ann Williams, M-Net's head of local content, is because "we just wanted to differentiate ourselves and using the alternate title allowed us to do that."

"It allows us to differentiate ourselves and give our subscribers a premium experience."


How the contestants were chosen
"Each of the celebrity contestants needed to be relatable, they needed to have some resonance and represent our audience," says Kaye-Ann Williams. "Our subscribers need to be able to identify with whoever they see on screen and that's why we chose every single celebrity who we chose - they fulfill a certain category."

"We really went through a long, arduous selection process, and we are so proud of every single celeb and dancer that ended up in our final group".


Why Dancing with the Stars SA will only be on M-Net on DStv Premium
Dancing with the Stars SA is a premium entertainment experience. DStv subscribers on lower subscription tiers can upgrade if they want to see the show. "It's always a mission of M-Net to reach out to as many subscribers as possible, but Dancing with the Stars SA is definitely a premium offering," says Kaye-Ann Williams.

Who stays and who goes ...
will be in viewers' hands. Viewers need to register to vote and vote, says judge Jason Gilkison.

"One by one each week we'll lose one couple, eventually getting to our 3 finalists. But the power is in the viewer's hands. They're the one who have to vote. We can give scoring but viewers' voting will ultimately decide the winner".


It's not slave labour or a prison camp, but ...
Jason Gilkison hilariously quips "Kee-Leen gave me 45 minutes off last week. It's really, really intense".

"It's really going to be an incredible journey over three months. There's going to be incredible dancing on M-Net."

The dance floor ... tested
The dance floor is brand-new. "We had Jason Gilkison bouncing around the floor to see if he's happy with how it's sprung. We do replace the floor with every season of Dancing with the Stars SA," says Kee-Leen Irvine.


Super producers
Jan du Plessis thanked Duncan and Kee-Leen Irvine from Rapid Blue for making Dancing with the Stars SA and called them "the prolific husband and wife that I'm as scared as hell of - the guys from Rapid Blue. Your work on this show is incredible".

About Jason Gilkison he says "I'm so proud that through Kee-Leen's wheelings and dealings we've been able to convince him to come and stay with us and take us on this journey".

EXCLUSIVE. Dancing with the Stars SA on M-Net will take place in the Dancing with the Stars SA Dome that Rapid Blue is literally building on the rooftop of the Hyde Park Corner shopping centre and will seat an audience of 350.

Lionel Ritchie might have been dancing on the ceiling but when the celebrity contestants of Dancing with the Stars South Africa waltz across the floor to strut their stuff on M-Net from next month, TVwithThinus can exclusively reveal that they'll do so on a roof.

Rapid Blue, producing Dancing with the Stars South Africa for M-Net (DStv 101) that will be beamed to viewers from Sunday 4 February, has been constructing a massive, purpose-built, brand-new ballroom on a rooftop - the Dancing with the Stars SA Dome on the rooftop of the Hyde Park Corner shopping centre in Johannesburg.

The newly constructed ballroom dome on top of Hyde Park Corner at the corner of Jan Smuts Avenue and William Nicol Drive in the wealthy Johannesburg suburb is both literally and figuratively very far removed from the Carlton Centre Ballroom in downtown Johannesburg where Strictly Come Dancing SA started more than a decade ago on SABC2 in February 2006.

After 8 seasons on SABC2 and SABC3 that ended in 2015, M-Net and Rapid Blue decided to revive the BBC Worldwide format show and in the process also decided to shed the old name, taking on the American moniker of Dancing with the Stars to usher in a new TV era for the glitter floor format show on South African television.

A centrepiece as part of that pasodoble TV makeover is the brand-new rooftop ballroom, as the show moves from free-to-air to a pay-TV broadcaster and also into a social media milieu where viewers will now weigh in instantaneously as on-the-couch dance critics.

"M-Net and Rapid Blue kept an open mind while scouting all over South Africa for a suitable venue," explains Kee-Leen Irvine, Rapid Blue owner and the South African uber producer who will be executive producing the show from the Dancing with the Stars SA Dome.

"Having seen the Sanlam Handmade Contemporary Fair on the Hyde Park Corner rooftop, we had a conversation with Jill Grogor, who handles all the publicity and events for Hyde Park Corner about whether we couldn’t erect a dome at the top of the centre."

"Hyde Park Corner Centre Management loved the idea," says Kee-Leen, "but safety and logistics was a huge consideration for us. After extensive engineering investigation and assessment, we established that we could go ahead.


Unique ballroom seating 350 in horse-shoe configuration
Being done from a ballroom under a dome will be an African first for Dancing with the Stars that besides the Carlton Centre Ballroom in the past, is hosted in a variety of different venues all over the world - from full sound stage studios, like those at Elstree in London, to massive warehouses.

The new Dancing with the Stars SA will be using about 2 500 square metres of floor space for the production. With the show being done from a rooftop, means that Rapid Blue and M-Net are again recording another footnote in the record book of South Africa's television history.

"TV shows are generally produced in standard studios, but finding a studio space that is large enough, centrally located and able to accommodate the required parking is always a huge challenge," says Kee-Leen Irvine. "Being able to work from a Dome at the top of Hyde Park Corner is really unique and interesting."

The Dancing with the Stars SA Dome will seat approximately 350 people as part of the show's audience where co-presenters Chris Jaftha and Tracey Lange will hold sway. Construction of the dome and ballroom started just over a week ago on 8 January.

"Often the architecture of a show of this nature resembles that of a theatre, for instance a stage and raked seating."

"Dancing With The Stars SA is unique in that we're essentially recreating a ballroom, and all the action takes place on a competition standard, 15 x 9 ballroom floor, with the audience seated around it on either side and at the front of the house – almost like a horse-shoe."

And how will the actual ballroom floor be tested? "Every season gets a brand new ballroom floor and being sturdy and non-slip, these floors are naturally more than equipped to handle the impact of the dances," says Kee-Leen Irvine.

"We're really pleased that Hyde Park Corner is such a prestigious, easily accessible venue for Rapid Blue, M-Net, and the cast and audience. It comes with great parking facilities and a variety of restaurants where guests can enjoy a snack before or after the show."

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.”

BBC Worldwide pins down specific South African TV production capacity as it directly invests in Rapid Blue with plans to ramp up its local TV programming.

The BBC is directly investing in South Africa's TV production capacity with a sizeable contribution in the production company Rapid Blue although the BBC's commercial arm says it doesn't want to say how much.

The BBC's financial investment in a local TV production house is a vote of confidence for South Africa's growing TV and film industry, hamstrung by a lack of financial support and expertise, and the latest investment follows after BBC Worldwide opened a Johannesburg office in January 2015 headed up by Joel Churcher.

The move signals not only the BBC's growing recognition of the increasing value and accelerated market expansion of Africa's TV industry and local pay-TV content production, but also that BBC Worldwide intends to ramp up the programming hours of television produced from inside South Africa.

Rapid Blue, established in 1993 has already produced several shows for various BBC Worldwide channels over the past few years like BBC Entertainment and BBC Lifestyle like Come Dine with Me SA and The Great South African Bake Off.

While now in partnership with BBC Worldwide that will see Rapid Blue produce more shows for the BBC specifically, the production company will also continue to produce shows for other channels as it has been.

Rapid Blue has done several noteworthy TV productions for a gamut of channels available in South Africa, ranging from The X Factor SA (SABC1), SA's Got Talent (SABC2 and e.tv), Dragon's Den (Mzansi Magic), Strictly Come Dancing (SABC3), The Weakest Link (SABC3) and Pawn Stars SA for A+E Networks UK's History channel and Four Weddings SA for Lifetime on DStv.

As part of the long-term strategic partnership, veteran producer Duncan Irvine will continue as CEO of Rapid Blue and veteran producer Kee-Leen Irvine will remain as managing director, while staff will continue to be employees of Rapid Blue that will continue to be run by its existing senior management team.

In other parts of the world BBC Worldwide fully-owns production bases in countries like the USA, France, India and the Nordics and has a joint venture with All3Media in Germany with Tower Productions and an entertainment format production partnership with FremantleMedia in Australia.

The deal with a local production company will make it cheaper and easier for the BBC to produce content for and in South Africa for its various channels like BBC Brit, BBC First, BBC Earth, BBC Lifestyle and Cbeebies.

BBC Worldwide didn't want to disclose the nature of the investment and what it is when asked, but through its South African PR agency shared background points saying how the agreement is structured and how much money is invested are "commercially confidential".

About why it chose to partner with an existing production company instead of setting up its own fully-owned unit, BBC Worldwide says "we assessed all the routes available to us and we were fortunate enough to find the perfect partner for us in Rapid Blue, whom we've worked with successfully in the past, and who already produce a number of BBC Worldwide formats locally".

BBC Worldwide says it wants to expand in the Africa and South Africa region and "meet the growing demand for high-end, compelling and relevant local content for the African market, in addition to taking African content to the world".

"The agreement will enable us to provide content solutions for broadcasters across the continent," says Grant Welland, BBC Worldwide's executive vice president for the Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMA) region.

Duncan Irvine, in the prepared statement says Rapid Blue will "continue to grow and develop our staff and the creative and production teams who work with us" with the production company that wants to develop a slate of local drama series with some already picked up for the 2016 season.

Second season of Pawn Stars South Africa will start on History on 29 March; Cecily Pavoncelli joins the team as more intriguing local artefacts surface.

The second season of Pawn Stars South Africa will start on History (DStv 186) on Tuesday 29 March at 20:30 with the new season of the local pawn shop show that will see intriguing artefacts ranging from bronze hands and something from Nadine Gordimer to sketches from the Zambezia movie.

The second season of the Rapid Blue produced show sees the addition of new team member Cecily Pavoncelli to Pawn Stars SA, and its her job to hunt for some valuable items for the Cash Inn pawn shop in Johannesburg that owner Roy Peretz can possibly end up selling for even more money.

Besides Roy Peretz and Cecily Pavoncelli, partners Eytan and Liel and assistants Irene and Solly also return.

They once again haggle with customers who want to pawn or sell a range of often strange and unique items.

In the second season of Pawn Stars South Africa on History viewers will see an original bronze casting of heart doctor Professor Chris Barnard's hands exchange hands, an interesting piece of literary history from the Nobel Prize winning author Nadine Gordimer come up, as well as original art from the South African film Zambezia.

Other items include maps and firearms, as well as items related to South Africa's liberation struggle over the last 50 years.

"We are absolutely thrilled to be working on a second series of Pawn Stars SA for A+E Networks," says Kee-Leen Irvine of Rapid Blue.

"We're really proud of our first season, which has not only been shown in South Africa but also in the United Kingdom, Canada and Romania, receiving enthusiastic feedback from far and wide".

Naked wedding tonight on Four Weddings South Africa on Lifetime on DStv proved a TV challenge; 'some things you just can't un-see', says producers.

A South African naked wedding that will be broadcast tonight at 20:50 in Four Weddings South Africa on Lifetime (DStv 131) proved a TV challenge for those who had to film the nude nuptuals.

In the local version of the competing brides show produced by Rapid Blue, viewers tonight will be able to gawk at - and perhaps laugh - at the breezy wedding in the buff, as four different brides compete to show off with the best wedding.

While the TV show had to employ some clever angles during the abundant nudity on display for bride Joanne and her husband's wedding, some above-the-waist filming as well as a lot of blurring during the editing process, the production crew who had to film it all got to witness the proverbial "full monty".

"The competing brides were under no pressure either to be nude by Joanne or her husband," the show tells TV with Thinus. "Everyone in the production team was fully clothed which was not an issue at all" for those who did shed their clothes.

"Although many of the wedding guests were fine with being filmed, not all of them felt the same way," says Four Weddings SA, "so the team had to try and ensure that they didn't feature people who were uncomfortable with being on camera, so one or two faces had to be blurred to ensure privacy".

"Wherever possible, above-the-waistline angles were specifically chosen. We tried to be as discreet as possible, but of course could not get away from wide shots in which everything is visible," says Kee-Leen Irvine, managing director of Rapid Blue and producer of the show.

Tonight's naked wedding episode with the wedding that was filmed at a bushveld retreat on the outskirts of Pretoria, took longer in post-production since it required more work: a lot of blurring.

"Post production did take longer as our editor spent many, many hours covering up the nether regions. But ... as you know, there are some things you just can't 'un-see', so they might be scarred for life - it's just too early to tell!"

"We did add one or two extras that we think will be enjoyed by viewers, but they'll have to wait and see what they are!"

The Four Weddings SA episode at 20:50 tonight entitled "Naked Ambition" also features the Zulu maiden Nthabiseng marrying her longtime Swati boyfriend in Johannesburg's botanical gardens, the wedding of Sizakele who is going over the top with an extravagant wedding at a picnic spot and bride Storm's elegant, rustic country wedding.

Naked brides! Biker brides! A Xhosa-Swazi-Tswana-Sotho-fusion wedding! Four Weddings South Africa on Lifetime to feature outrageous weddings.

Four Weddings South Africa will start on Lifetime (DStv 131) on Friday 16 October, with viewers who will see everything from naked brides to biker brides and even a wedding in a shopping mall.

And how about a Xhosa-Swazi-Tswana-Sotho-fusion wedding?

The already buzzed about reality competition show will follow four pushy brides per episode, competing and betting that their wedding will be the best in order to win a dream honeymoon.

Four Weddings SA is produced by Rapid Blue and was commissioned by A+E Networks UK as the first local TV programme commission for Lifetime in Africa.

The show is similar to the popular and funny Come Dine with Me South Africa which was on BBC Entertainment (DStv 120) and Our Perfect Wedding on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) - both of which are well-produced shows beloved by viewers and well-reviewed by TV critics.

In Four Weddings South Africa brides compete to have the perfect wedding they've planned for years, with fascinating and sometimes hilarious results. Each episode follows four brides as they attend each other's special wedding day, voting at the end on which wedding was the best.

The winning bride and groom are whisked off to a dream honeymoon destination.

In the show the brides judge each other with marks for dress, venue, food and overall experience.

In Four Weddings South Africa viewers will "taste" anything from braaivleis to Morogo, experience the whole spectrum of wedding customs of South African communities and hear the various languages of the country.

"We are confident that, with its compelling mix of brides and budgets, cultures and tastes, Four Weddings South Africa will make for fascinating and jaw-dropping entertainment," says Kee-Leen Irvine, Rapid Blue producer.

Viewers will meet a bride inviting the entire town of Villiers to her wedding, a Zulu maiden who take over the Johannesburg botanical gardens and watch as clouds gather for Storm's elegant, rustic country wedding with an unlimited budget.

There's a naked wedding for naturists Joanne and her groom as well as a must-see Xhosa-Swazi-Tswana-Sotho-fusion wedding and flamboyant Keke celebrating marriage to her Orthodox Jewish boyfriend in Sotho sesheshwe style.

Muslim bride Fagmieda will try to dazzle with a large and colourful Islamic wedding, Robyn has a grand Portuguese wedding, Simoné has "Boerekos" as her Afrikaans wedding and art teacher Jolene goes for a Steam Punk fancy dress wedding.

Biker chick Lenay invited all her leather clad, helmet wearing friends to celebrate her big day, Sheroma has an Indian Christian wedding with flamboyant embellishments, Brigitte organises an "alternative" wedding ceremony in a shopping mall and Charmaine goes for a fairytale princess wedding set in a romantic garden.

Fifth season of SA's Got Talent on e.tv looking for 'something different, something that will capture the nation's imagination'.

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South Africans can once again enter for the upcoming 5th season of the talent reality format show SA's Got Talent - with the producers asking people to start working and practising on an act to impress the judges now while there's still time.

Nationwide auditions for the popular show on e.tv, produced by Rapid Blue, will take place in May and June in Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg.

"Every year we are so impressed by the level of talent South Africa has," says Kee-Leen Irvine, executive producer for SA's Got Talent. "Last year's semi-finals were sensational. We had a magician, acrobats, a ventriloquist, and not to mention some phenomenal vocalists".

The 4th season last year saw over 6 000 people who turned up to show what they could do at the auditions for SA's Got Talent. In a thrilling finale the 16 year old singer Johnny Apple took the title and won the R250 000 grand prize. Since winning, Johnny Apple has signed a recording contract with Sony.

"With the competition so strong, we'd like to encourage those who want to enter to start working on an act that will really impress the judges," says Kee-Leen Irvine.

"We welcome performers of any age, background and talent. The judges are always looking for something new, something different, that will capture the nation's imagination".

"But being able to stand out from the crowd requires some work and preparation," cautions Kee-Leen Irvine.

The audition details for the 5th season of SA's Got Talent is as follows, so keep the dates open - and practise:

Saturday 24 May: Durban
Olive Convention Centre

Saturday 31 May & Sunday 1 June: Cape Town
Belmont Square

Saturday 7 June & Sunday 8 June: Johannesburg
Focus Rooms

BREAKING. Strictly Come Dancing to see a 7th season on SABC3 'very soon' following successful revival of the dance floor format show.

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Strictly Come Dancing will be back for a 7th season on SABC3 very soon.

A 7th season of Strictly Come Dancing on SABC3 will be announced very soon following the successful revival of the international dance floor format show on South African television after the on-screen comeback of the Rapid Blue produced show which jumped from SABC2 to SABC3 for a 6th season.

The 6th season which just concluded with Zakeeya Patel and Ryan Hammond taking the glitter ball home, saw real-life love blossom between two pairs of contestants: the winning couple Zakeeya Patel and Ryan Hammond who are very much in love, as well as Expresso presenter Graeme Richards and dance instructor Lindsey Muckle who also found love on the dance floor.

"Season seven of Strictly Come Dancing is coming soon," says Risuna Mayimele, SABC3's marketing manager. "This is the first year for the show on SABC3."

Risuna Mayimele says Strictly Come Dancing will "come back very soon". "I know that it was around five years where there was no Strictly Come Dancing [on South African television] but it will be back very soon because it has been very successful for the channel."

"From the reaction from viewers we've clearly been sorely missed and I'm so glad to be back on air. And I hope to be back on air with a new 7th season soon," said Kee-Leen Irvine, the managing director of Rapid Blue and the executive producer of Strictly Come Dancing.

Besides Strictly revived on SABC3, Rapid Blue is responsible for new seasons of TV hits SA's Got Talent on e.tv as well as Come Dine with Me South Africa on DStv's BBC Entertainment channel.

At SABC3's Strictly Come Dancing afterparty held on Thursday night at Kong in Rosebank, contestant Damon Kalvari trashed the amateur new 24-hour TV channel ANN7 (DStv 405) in his speech, saying he was approach by an ANN7 presenter and camera team "calling me Mister De Niro" and imploring "GuptaTV", as the mistake-riddled news channel on DStv has become known, "to please continue to make us laugh".

Following her dazzling win, Zakeeya Patel immediately fell in on set with her new on-screen role in SABC1's new political TV drama series End Game which will broadcast from October for 13 episodes. Ryan Hammond isn't sleeping in either.

"I'm starting a new show in Durban in the Playhouse called Shall We Dance?, there's 80 in the cast and its for 11 days. Then I'll be teaching at our studio in Pretoria and that's what I usually do - I teach a lot of couples for their weddings and young champions to be professionals, and doing some corporate work."

The happy dance couple both had advice for contestants of the upcoming 7th season of Strictly Come Dancing on SABC3.

"I would say to the professionals make sure you have a good team behind you," says Ryan Hammond. "The team is important. Don't be scared to ask and don't be too proud to ask other people for assistance and advice."

"You need the support of your family and your team. To the celebrities I would say you really need to trust your professional partner. That was the secret of Zakeeya's success. She allowed me to put my vision into practice and she trusted me with everything and you need to trust your professional partner," says Ryan Hammond.

Zakeeya Patel's advice to celebrities forming part of the new season is "work hard. Keep your head down and your eye on the prize and it's yours."

Strictly Come Dancing on SABC3's worldwide record for the 6th season: injuries, accidents, mishaps and sadness.

Strictly Come Dancing on SABC3 which just concluded its 6th season on SABC3 produced by Rapid Blue and which saw winners Zakeeya Patel and Ryan Hammond take the glitter ball home, broke a global record: the most accidents, mishaps and sadness for a single season anywhere in the world of this dance floor format reality show.

"Strictly Come Dancing started with Graeme Richards in a car accident on his way to the very first rehearsal," says Kee-Leen Irvine, Rapid Blue's managing director and executive producer of Strictly Come Dancing.

"Then Grant Esterhuizen had an accident. Then Jay Anstey hurt her back. Then Connie Ferguson's mom passed away. Then Mpho Popps got food poisoning - and I'm sure one of the other dancers had something to do with that," Kee-Lee Irvine joked.

"L'Vovo sprained his ankle, Kuli Roberts was running a fever that was higher than her number of followers on Twitter. So we've decided that the theme song for this season of Strictly Come Dancing is "I'm a Survivor",' Kee-Leen Irvine said.