Building Paradise Island
Channel: National Geographic Channel (DStv 181 / StarSat 220)
TX Time: 19h00
Genre: Documentary Series
Filmed over two years - from foundations to opening party - this is the story of the total transformation of an abandoned, industrial island into a luxury destination.
Battling against isolation, extreme weather and a punishing schedule the teams building paradise must work night and day to deliver this incredibly ambitious project on time.
A camera crew followed every step of this major construction project, including the clearing of the tons of industrial waste, the reshaping of the island and installation of revetments, facility and infrastructure construction, the installation of a pier for the ships to dock directly at the island and the planting of more than 75,000 trees and shrubs.
Relive the restoration of the marine ecosystem, which involved the clearing of the seabed, a coral relocation programme and establishing partners with some of the world's leading marine experts to ensure its future success.
The series concludes with the race against the clock to welcome the first guests in December 2019.
In the series premiere, "The Deepest Clean": An island is purchased, a plan for building paradise made, and the date to open to the public set.
But with two gigantic lagoons to excavate and the infrastructure needed to allow the cruise ships to dock, can it be done in time?
Before the build can even begin, 50 years of industrial waste needs to be cleared away and to prevent erosion, the outline of the island must be reinforced with rock.
Crazy Delicious
Channel: Netflix South Africa
TX Time: 10h00 (all episodes)
Genre: Reality Competition, Food
Chefs Heston Blumenthal, Carla Hall and Niklas Ekstedt are to take on the roles of 'Food Gods' in this food competition series, a co-production between Channel 4 in the UK and Netflix.
The six-episode series, presented by comedian and foodie Jayde Adams, is a food competition set on the world's first edible set.
In a culture where many British families eat the same meals every week, this show aims to inspire viewers to turn everyday dishes into Crazy Delicious creations.
Each week, three passionate and inventive cooks work magic with commonplace ingredients, such as the humble carrot, some of which they will pick, pluck and snip from an enchanted garden on the Crazy Delicious set, which also contains edible blossom, chocolate soil and a drinkable babbling brook.
Inspired by the viral world of #foodporn, the competition challenges the cooks to create dishes that are both a taste sensation and a feast for the eyes.
Crazy Delicious is presided over by our world-renowned Gods of Food: Heston Blumenthal, Carla Hall and Niklas Ekstedt.
The trio sit amongst the clouds and judge which ingenious cook will reign victorious and be awarded the golden apple.
Together, the gods judge the concept, visual appeal and taste of each dish, with their complement of expertise combining to choose their favourite creation.
As the competitive cooks create new takes on recognisable meals such as chicken pie and pizza, presenter Jayde Adams oversees the garden, speaking to the competitors about their recipes as they go about making their extraordinary culinary innovations.
Van der Valk
Channel: BBC First (DStv 119)
TX Time: 20h00
Genre: Drama
Marc Warren stars as streetwise Dutch detective Van der Valk in a detective series filmed entirely on location in Amsterdam.
Van Der Valk centres on the investigations of detective Piet Van der Valk in and around the city of Amsterdam as he investigates a series of high-profile cases.
In this series Van der Valk and his team are immersed in the worlds of art, politics, addiction, mysticism and the fashion industry.
The original series, set in the 1970s and 90s, was loosely based on the novels by Nicolas Freeling.
The new series re-imagines Van Der Valk in the contemporary world of Amsterdam and follows an engaging, unapologetic and street-smart detective as he leads his dynamic team in solving a raft of mysterious crimes using astute human observation and inspired detection.
Together Van der Valk and his team will solve complex, twisting cases with a combination of street-pounding procedure, perceptive human observation and inspired detection.
There will be humour and warmth as there is in life but there will also be pathos and heartache, murders being a blot on even the most appealing landscape.
In the series premiere, "Love in Amsterdam": A story set in the worlds of politics and art.
Set against the backdrop of impending elections, Van der Valk and team investigate the mysterious deaths of two innocents with no connection to each other or to crime.
It is a puzzle that leads Van der Valk into the world of politics as well as both the mainstream and avant garde art scenes.
It will bring him up against the city's high-flying politicians and risk the life of one of his team before ultimately uncovering a clock-ticking kidnapping that fuses political elements with a heart-rending personal story of betrayal, loss and obsession.
Taken 2
Channel: e.tv
TX Time: 20h30
Genre: Thriller, Drama
From executive producer Luc Besson, this modern-day, edge-of-your-seat thriller follows a young but deadly Bryan Mills (Clive Standen, Vikings), former CIA spy Christina Hart (Jennifer Beals, The L Word) and a team of covert operatives as they embark on rescue missions around the world.
This is a job that employs Bryan's very particular, and very dangerous, set of skills.
In 30 years, this character is destined to become the Bryan Mills in the "Taken" films.
In the Season 2 premiere, "S.E.R.E.": Bryan Mills fights for his life inside a secret Mexican prison and plans a series of dangerous deals to put him on track for escape to the United States.
But plans change when Mills and a young migrant girl are taken by human traffickers.
Meanwhile, Christina Hart leverages her spycraft skills to obtain powerful new software that could locate Mills, and enlists two unlikely allies to aid in her mission to bring Mills home.
Athlete A
Channel: Netflix South Africa
TX Time: 10h00
Genre: Documentary, Sport
This documentary focuses on the gymnasts who survived USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar's abuse and the reporters who exposed USAG's toxic culture.
The film delves into the unchecked abuse inside the world of elite competitive gymnastics.
Equal parts devastating and inspiring, the film follows the IndyStar reporters as they reveal the extensive cover-up and culture of cruelty that was allowed to thrive within elite gymnastics.
This includes the attorney fighting the institutions, and most importantly, the brave whistle-blowers who refuse to be silenced.