Starting on
M-Net in December, 2009:
Royal PainsPremiere date: Tuesday 1 December 2009 at 19h30
Royal Pains centers round young doctor Hank Lawson (played by Mark Feuerstein) who seems to have it all... a thriving career, beautiful girlfriend, and a swanky New York City apartment.
With one fateful and principled decision in the ER, Hank loses it all.
Months later, single and blackballed from the medical community, he finds himself in the Hamptons playing the role of concierge doctor to the wealthy and infamous.
For more about the show, see:
TVSA's Royal Pains Mini Site.
Soundcheck LivePremiere date: Wednesday 2 December at 17h00
Soundcheck Live is an interactive music video request programme. Viewers have the weekly opportunity to request a video from a list of local and international songs, as well as some golden oldies.
There will be a weekly live acoustic performance in the studio by local bands and musicians as well as a weekly round of “shout-outs” from the public.
The show is hosted by Liezel van der Westhuizen and Bongani Nxumalo.
Moving OnPremiere date: Monday 7 December 2009 at 20h30
Moving On is a 5 part mini-series about people making life-changing decisions.
In Episode 1 entitled Drowning Not Waving, a debt-ridden woman’s ex-boyfriend offers to buy her house and rent it back to her, but there’s a catch.
In The Rain Has Stopped (episode 2) after a whirlwind holiday romance Liz plans to marry 54-year-old Damar, but her children are appalled.
Bully (Episode 3) follows the increasingly strained relationships between two once-close families as they become more and more distant from each other following an uncomfortable holiday.
Material Gain (Episode 4) highlights the dilemma facing 17-year-old Daniel, a boy with a secret.
The Butterfly Effect (Episode 5) uncovers the tale of homeless centre worker, Sylvie Jackson, who is threatened by a local psycho. But can she find the courage to testify against him?
The show features Sheila Hancock, Lesley Sharpe, Richard Armitage, Dervla Kirwan and Ian Hart.
For more about the show, see:
TVSA's Moving On Mini Site.
The PrisonerPremiere date: Wednesday 9 December 2009 at 20h30
The Prisoner is a modern reworking of the classic 1960s television series by the same name, and is a thriller about one man’s battle for freedom.
Michael (played by Jim Caviezel) has resigned from his job at surveillance firm Summakor, and now people are after him.
On the day of his resignation, one minute he is in his New York apartment, the next he wakes in another place - a place known only as The Village.
Here, there are no names, only numbers, the sky is blue and there is seeming peace and order, all overseen by the looming figure of Two (played by Ian McKellen).
And for Two and everyone else in the Village, Michael is not Michael - he is known as nothing but “Six”.
Michael soon discovers that no matter how hard he tries, there is seemingly no escape for him.
As he reluctantly attempts to adjust himself to life in the Village, and interacting with the people who live there, he is constantly haunted by memories of his ‘real’ life in New York, which push him to ‘decode’ the riddle he finds himself in.
Fast facts:The mini-series was filmed entirely on location in Namibia (Swakopmund and the Namib Desert) and South Africa (Cape Town, Worcester and the Huguenot Tunnel in the Du Toitskloof mountains).
The show aired in the USA on the AMC network from 15-17 November, 2009. There are six hour-long episodes in the series.
For more about the show, see:
TVSA's The Prisoner Mini Site.
Hitched Or DitchedPremiere date: Sunday 13 December 2009 at 16h00
The reality television programme, Hitched or Ditched follows long-time dating couples as they face up to the ultimatum of a lifetime.
In each self-contained episode, a couple is presented with an invitation to their own wedding - which is taking place in one week.
Nominated by a friend, these couples are at a major crossroads in their relationship. Over the course of seven days, the couple is forced to confront their biggest demons, leading up to their ultimate decision of whether they should get married or not.
While wedding preparations are underway, the couples test their commitment to each other as they are forced to face their deepest issues alongside their closest friends and family members.
At the end of the week, and with their lavish ceremony in place, the couples will make the decision at the altar in front of 100 guests. Will they tie the knot or call the whole thing off?
For more about the show, see:
TVSA's Hitched Or Ditched Mini Site.
Durham CountyPremiere date: Thursday 17 December 2009 at 21h30
They say there’s only six degrees of separation between you and the rest of the world. Sometimes it’s not even that many.
Sometimes the most brutal evil you can imagine is already part of your world.
Durham County is series that centres round Detective Mike Sweeney (Hugh Dillon of Flashpoint) and his family as they move from the city to a seemingly idyllic suburb in the hope of making a new start.
But the appearance of a local serial killer sees Mike assigned to the case and becoming increasingly suspicious that his new neighbour Ray Prager (Justin Louis - Missing; Dawn Of The Dead) may be the killer.
Mike and Ray share a history stretching back as far as high school… a history that could have deadly consequences.
For more about the show, see:
TVSA's Durham County Mini Site
SPECIALS
Invasion Of The Christmas LightsOn: Wednesday 23 December 2009 at 19h30
You think your neighbours have cool Christmas lights? Think again. These crazies spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on having the best displays imaginable.
For more about this special, see:
TVSA's Invasion Of The Christmas Lights Mini Site.
Michael BubleOn: Saturday 26 December 2009 at 19h00
A revealing portrait of one man’s dream. Featuring a live performance and behind the scenes footage from a sold-out Michael Buble show, directed by Dick Carruthers.
Alex: A Passion For LifePremiere: Sunday 27 December 2009 at 17h00
A film that follows the story of Alex Stobbs, the talented Eton music scholar who, who was the subject of the film A Boy Called Alex.
Alex has severe cystic fibrosis, an incurable lung disease which is steadily getting worse and yet, against incredible odds, he has achieved his ambition to study music at King's College in Cambridge University, where he also sings as a choral scholar in one of the most celebrated choirs in the world.
Despite requiring huge amounts of medication and daily oxygen, being deaf to high notes and suffering from osteoporosis in his fingers, Alex still has a beautiful voice and continues to astonish everybody with his extraordinary talents as pianist, organist and conductor.
And now he is about to fulfill his greatest dream: to conduct one of the world’s most famous choral works, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion.
In April 2009 he has been invited to conduct the Passion with a major professional orchestra and some of Britain’s best singers in one of London’s top concert halls.
An audience of a thousand will be there to watch him as he takes on the three-hour epic in the climax of this film.
Royal Variety PerformanceOn: Thursday 31 December 2009 at 22h30
The annual Royal Variety Performance in which celebrity performers from around the world gather to Queen Elizabeth II. Continuing the tradition of extravaganzas stretching back to 1912, this royal gala features music, theatrical performances and comedy.