Come Dine with Me South Africa 6
Channel: BBC Lifestyle (DStv 174)
TX Time: 20h00
Genre: Reality, Food
The cooking competition is back for a sixth season and has a new home on BBC Lifestyle, once again narrated by the savage Mr Dave Lamb. Four brand new hopefuls are in the running to take home that cash prize of R10,000.
It's week one and it seems that in the premiere episode of the all new Come Dine With Me South Africa that everyone's a food critic, sometimes you just can't win, but someone has to...
Thespian Gregg, spelt always with two gs darling, is not shy in talking frankly in front of this week's unsuspecting cooks.
Fun-loving Janet - aka Miss J - takes us on a Pan-African culinary experience.
Shogan opts for a trip a little further east and brings colour to his dishes with the brightest red chicken tikka you've ever seen.
Kelly delights in including twists and surprises to her menu including the world's only Italian champagne...
The first night is hosted by actor and director Gregg. His dinner party is themed against the backdrop of Broadway characters. Much to his guest's annoyance, he has a waiter on call, summoned by a bell.
His starters is vichyssoise, or a cold potato soup. For his mains, he serves tenderloin medallions, served well done alongside a lesson in wine glass etiquette.
Dessert is a showstopper thanks to a special surprise which delights his guests and brings the fun back into a rather intense dining experience.
Night two and its advertising account manager Kelly's turn to host a three-course meal cooked from scratch. Gregg arrives and graciously points out that Prosecco is not Italian champagne.
Kelly's other two guests Janet and Shogan bite their tongues, aware that they will have to deal with this wannabe food critic later in the week.
Kelly serves asparagus, brie and prosciutto bruschetta for starters. Her ciabatta is a tad crispy, much to Gregg's delight.
Mains is meat free and Italia with her gnocchi gorgonzola. Dessert promises to be a surprise. An aubergine chocolate cake. It would appear the only surprise is that it is dry.
Poor Kelly – sometimes you just can't win, but someone has to...
Night three sees travelling people manager Janet take over the reins of hosting. Her menu is inspired by her work across Africa. Her Afro chic dress code sets the tone for her evening.
She starts with spicy jollof rice, served with calamari. It's a taste profile that even Gregg likes. For her mains, it's a peppered lamb rack. Dessert is a chocolate pudding affair.
It's Janet's first time baking and she pulls off a winning recipe. Has she done enough to top the previous two dinner parties?
The final night arrives and it's instructional designer Shogan's chance to show off. His menu is rooted in his Indian heritage. Chicken tikka, lamb saag, and cardamom brûlées.
Shogan's evening takes its first wrong turn when he incorrectly spells Gregg's name with one g.
The accompanying long grain white rice to his lamb saag is deemed the ultimate curry crime to Gregg and yet for Kelly, it's her favourite meal of the week and she tucks into Gregg's generous leftovers after cleaning her plate entirely.
The brûlée dessert delivers 2 out of 3 cracks. Not bad, but is it enough for him to take the cloche of cash?
TVSA Show Page: Come Dine with Me South Africa 6
X-Ray Earth
Channel: National Geographic Channel (DStv 181 / StarSat 220)
TX Time: 21h00
Genre: Documentary Series, Nature, Technology
From the churning interior to the oceans and life on land, view the world as it's never been seen before.
Beneath our feet, under trillions of tons of rock, lurk astonishing and deadly secrets. Earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions are all driven by hidden forces deep inside our planet.
Now, using the latest scientific data from sensors and surface scans, we can x-ray the Earth to reveal the dangers locked inside our planet.
Using thousands of sensors and state of the art surface scan information, for the first time, we can create x-rays of the deep interior of our planet.
Joanna Lumley's Hidden Caribbean: Havana to Haiti
Channel: BBC Earth (DStv 184)
TX Time: 19h00
Genre: Travel, Documentary Series
Joanna Lumley travels across two of the most enigmatic countries in the Caribbean – Cuba and Haiti – to explore, uncover and share the hidden gems that these countries have to offer.
Across two episodes, Joanna will kick off her adventure in the back of a classic car in Havana, outlining her 1500-mile Caribbean adventure.
The twists and turns of history have seen these two Caribbean neighbours be colonised, populated by slaves, blighted by natural disaster and suffering sanctions and international isolation.
Both countries are undoubtedly poor in monetary terms, but are abundantly rich in other ways, with cities full of colourful streets bursting with the rhythm of life, which then give way to unspoiled coastlines, pristine beaches, majestic mountains and lush forests.
There really is much more to both Haiti and Cuba than the headlines suggest - so much of it is thrillingly under-explored and this series is the perfect chance for Joanna to uncover and share the joy these countries have to offer.
In the first episode Joanna explores the back streets of Havana, meets a rising female boxing star, watches a cabaret and reads to factory workers as they roll cigars.
She also takes to a horse and cart to explore more of Cuba, including Hemingway's favourite beach and Fidel Castro's hometown.
She visits a boxing gym in the city, and explains that no other country in the world has produced more successful amateur boxers than Cuba.
Since 1972 Cuban male fighters have won 37 Olympic gold medals, more than any other country.
Joanna adds that, in Cuba, women are banned from taking part in any competitive boxing match and she meets up with boxer Idamelys, who is battling to change the rules for women fighters.
Taking in the shabby chic of Havana, Joanna visits a cabaret at the National, a hotel that pre-dates the revolution.
Joanna leaves Havana and collects a horse and cart to begin exploring the rest of Cuba – starting with the tobacco region.
At the factory she visits, each worker must produce 100 cigars a day, and as they roll and pack the workers are read to throughout their shift.
Joanna takes a turn and reads the workers some Charles Dickens.
Next Joanna catches an electric train to the town of Hershey, named after the chocolate manufacturer. There she meets one of the families who made a living from working in the huge sugar factories that used to occupy the town.
As she continues her journey, Joanna discovers a country defined by the revolution and visits the tomb of Che Guevara before heading off to Hemingway's favourite beach that is being turned into a five-star luxury complex.
Enjoying the music and dance of Cuba she ends this episode in Fidel Castro's hometown, Santiago de Cuba, which is preparing for the 60th Anniversary of the Great Revolution.
Sex, Lies & Murder 2
Channel: Lifetime (DStv 131)
TX Time: 21h55
Genre: True Crime, Docu-Drama, Documentary Series
True crime series with hour-long episodes detailing the true crime cases of relationships in which broken intimacy has led to murder.
When the lies collapse and the love triangles are revealed crimes of passion turn what should have been simple break ups into headline grabbing real life stories with severe consequences.
A husband's heart-wrenching betrayal results in his wife committing a horrific act of violence. A wife's torrid affair with her pastor ends with her husband killing them both.
A salacious online romance leads to murder after it's discovered.
Love can make people do terrifying and unspeakable things.
NCIS 16
Channel: M-Net City (DStv 115)
TX Time: 18h20
Genre: Drama, Police Procedural
The 16th season returns one month after Director Vance was kidnapped by a terrorist who tortured Special Agent Sloane years ago in Afghanistan.
As Special Agent Gibbs assumes the role as Acting Director in Vance's absence, the team searches worldwide for their missing leader.
Diona Reasonover, who joined the cast as Forensic Scientist Kasie Hines last season, is promoted to series regular cast for Season 16.
In the Season 16 premiere, "Destiny's Child": Vance is still missing, and Gibbs is assigned as acting director while the team searches his whereabouts.
TVSA Show Page: NCIS 16
Girlfriends 5
Channel: 1Magic (DStv 103)
TX Time: 17h30
Genre: Comedy
In the Season 5 premiere, "L.A. Bound": Joan tries to confess her feelings for William, but knocks on the wrong door and winds up on the run from a crazed lesbian who thinks that Joan stole her girlfriend.
Joan is repeatedly thwarted in her efforts to try to share her feelings with William, and gives up after he ignores her to have a tryst with Monica in the airplane's bathroom.
Lynn returns to her birth father's house and admits that she is his daughter.
Todd refuses to believe that Toni is pregnant unless she takes another test. She refuses, and orders him to be on the plane back to Los Angeles the next day.
When he does not show up, she tries to hold up the plane to make everyone wait for him.
TVSA Show Page: Girlfriends 5