Channel gives much to discover in 2015
AFTER working its way up to becoming South Africa’s No 1 lifestyle channel in the past three years, TLC Entertainment will finally be adding some local flavour.
At Thursday’s Discovery Networks 2015 Showcase, Lee Hobbs, vice-president of Channels, Emerging Business, Discovery Networks Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, announced plans to find a host for Top Ten TLC next year.
He said: “This is a landmark moment for TLC and the first time we have ever had a local presenter on the channel. We know TLC has a huge army of fans in South Africa and our mission is to find a new presenting talent among them.”
And while hopefuls bombard the channel with video clip auditions, TLC has a few new shows on the menu.
True to their legacy of shockand-surprise-effect content, Houston Beauty, a reality series featuring the students and staff of Franklin Beauty School, starts things. And those perfectly manicured claws surface with many big personalities vying for the spotlight.
Any Oprah offering is guaranteed a fan base. And Oprah: Where Are They Now? is definitely one to catch. It revisits the status quo of former guests like Hulk Hogan, Mike Tyson and Nicole Richie.
Theresa Caputo ( Long Island Medium) gets a run for her visions with new psychic on the block – Deborah Graham ( Psychic Matchmaker).
Those outrageous bedroom shenanigans have made their way into a TV series, too, with Sex Sent Me to the ER.
Those yearning for something more intellectually stimulating should tune in to Discovery Channel and Discovery Channel HD. Heading the line-up, King of The Nerds, hosted by actors Robert Carradine and Curtis Armstrong, should satiate appetites as it has geeks going toeto-toe with each other.
Meanwhile, Bear Grylls taps into ordinary people’s greatest phobias in Running Wild with Bear Grylls.
Petrol heads will be revved up by Idris Elba: Speed Demon. Yep, this seasoned Hollywood legend has his own Top Gear side.
The wild frenzy on Animal Planet takes things up a notch. Aside from South Africa’s Lion Whisperer – Kevin Richardson – in a new show called Killer IQ, which pits hyenas against lions in a series of groundbreaking experiments; there is To Be King, which homes in on the lion family, the Mapogos, in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve.
For that Planet of the Apes effect, Meet the Orangutans offers a heartwarming look at several baby orangutans.
Hobbs noted: “It’s set to be a blockbuster year for Discovery Channel in 2015, with even more content for our SA viewers to sink their teeth into. Not only do we have three amazing new series from Bear Grylls, who kicks off our survival season, but we also have a raft of new series which we are excited about. Plus fan favourites like Fast ‘N Loud and Gold Rush are back. Discovery Channel will be the No 1 destination for high quality factual entertainment programming.”