Love and time travel meet

New drama series The Time Traveler’s Wife was adapted by Steven Moffat from the beloved novel of the same name. This new series can be seen on M-Net.

The series follows the spellbinding and intricately out-of-order love story between Clare (Game of Thrones), and Henry (Divergent), and a marriage with a problem...time travel.

At six years old, Clare meets Henry, the future love of her life - and who, as a time traveler, is actually visiting from the future. Fourteen years later, when a beautiful redhead wanders into the library where Henry works claiming not only to have known him all her life but to be his future wife, a magical romance ensues that is as sprawling and complicated as Henry’s attempts to explain his “condition.” Over six hour long episodes, the genre-bending drama series expertly weaves themes of love, loss, marriage, and survival - in a story that defies the laws and logic of time. 

Couch potato by Danie Jacobs

Friday May 13: WW1 comes alive in the award-winning 1917. M-Net Movies 2 on DStv, 16:25.

Saturday May 14: The Nazis made a database of German witches. Find out more in Secret Nazi Expeditions. History on DStv, 21:05.

Sunday May 15: Two Sides is a sports documentary about the British Lions rugby tour to SA. M-Net, 18:00.

Monday May 16: The Bisexual is a new drama series about a woman who breaks it off with her girlfriend and ventures into the straight world. SABC3, 22:00.

Tuesday May 17: A girl falls in love with a drug dealer in Babyteeth. SABC3, 23:00.

Wednesday May 18: Jo-Ann Strauss dives into fresh seafood in Homegrown Tastes SA. BBC Lifestyle on DStv, 20:00.

Thursday May 19: Venrap is a documentary about rap artists from Venda. etv, 22:30.

Friday May 20: Al is still trying to adapt to American life in Unites States of Al. M-Net, 19:00.

Saturday May 21: A man hooks up with his dream girl from school in There’s something about Mary. SABC3, 19:30.

Sunday May 22: Bric n brac can be worth a fortune. Find out in Antiques Roadshow. BBC Lifestyle on Dstv, 20:00.

Dinge van ‘n kind nou ‘n dramareeks 

Gewilde boek Die dinge van 'n kind is omskep in TV-reeks. Die nuwe dramareeks op Kyknet op DStv gaan kykers voor hul TV’s hou.

Dinge van ’n kind word vanaf Dinsdag 10 Mei om 20:00 uitgesaai. Dit is uit die pen van die bekroonde skrywer Marita van der Vyver.

In dié reeks van tien episodes ontmoet kykers vir Mart Vermaak. Die ontnugtering van haar grootwordjare vind plaas teen die politiese agtergrond van die onstuimige laat 1970’s, terwyl ’n ouer Mart haarself in ’n ontnugtering van ’n ander aard bevind.

In die roman leer lesers Mart sowel as tiener en as ’n vrou in haar dertigs ken wat as ’n expat in Londen woon. In die TV-reeks ontmoet kykers egter ook ’n heelwat ouer Mart wat haar weer in Suid-Afrika gevestig het.

Die boek het in 1994 verskyn. Daar was reeds twee oplae van die eerste hardebanddruk en daarna ongeveer drie oplaes van die sagtebanddruk tussen 2005 en 2011, en ’n nuwe sagtebanddruk in 2016. Dit is ook al in Engels, Nederlands en Duits vertaal.

Die dramaturg Harry Kalmer het in die 1990’s die boek in ’n gelyknamige opvoering vir die KKNK verwerk. Dit is ook in 2019 in ’n eenvrouvertoning omskep met Cintaine Schutte wat die rol van Mart vertolk. Die teks vir hierdie weergawe is deur Francois Toerien geskryf en Alexa Strachan was die vervaardiger.

Die temas wat fyn deur die boek en teaterstuk verweef is, vorm ook die ruggraat van die TV-reeks.

Volgens Schutte is dit steeds relevant al speel dit af in die 1970’s. Dit vang temas van tienerskap, hormone en grootwordjare, asook vriendskap vas. Ek dink die grootste vraag wat almal vir hulleself vra en wat ook in die boek en teaterproduksie voorkom, is: ‘Wie is ek en waar hoort ek?’  

“Ek het nie in die 1970’s grootgeword nie; ek was nog ’n kind in die 1990’s, maar nadat ek die boek gelees het, het ek besef dit maak nie saak of jy ’n tiener in die 1970’s was nie en of jy eendag in 2085 ’n tiener is nie – jy gaan deur dieselfde goed.”

Couch potato by Danie Jacobs

Friday April 29: It’s guest bedroom week on The Block. M-Net, 18:00.

Saturday April 30: Joanna Lumley visits Paris in Great Cities of the World. BBC Earth on DStv, 18:00.

Sunday May 1: Wedding planners plan perfect weddings while their lives fall apart in Love, weddings and other disasters. M-Net Movies 1 on DStv, 21:40.

Monday May 2: The Offer takes viewers behind the scenes during the making of the movie The Godfather. M-Net, 22:30. 

Tuesday May 3: A dancer is looking for her estranged father in Break. M-Net Movies 2 on DStv, 22:20.

Wednesday May 4: Truth and fantasy clash in the finale of Landscapers. M-Net, 22:30.

Thursday May 5: British legal series The Split features a family of fearless female divorce lawyers. M-Net, 22:30.

Friday May 6: The Top 20 perform on American Idol. M-Net, 19:30.

Saturday May 7: A streaker must find a way to bear his soul rather than his buttocks in Kaalgat Karel. Kyknet on DStv, 20:00.

Sunday May 8: Maria helps a letter writer with her faith on Recipes for love and murder. M-Net, 20:00.

 The story behind The Godfather

The Godfather is seen as many people’s favourite movie. This classic Mafia film is a compelling story about how one family comes to symbolise the corruption of the American Dream.

However, the story behind the making of the movie is also a truly gripping drama - as The Offer, a new 10-part series, demonstrates. The series will start on M-Net at 22:30 on Monday May 2.

The miniseries is the story of producer Albert Ruddy, who had to go to war to get film made. It’s told from his point of view and examines the many challenges he faced - from evading mandates from his corporate bosses, to threats from the real-life mafia, all the while navigating the nuances of Hollywood to get the job done.

The drama depicts the severe and constant pressure which Ruddy (played by Miles Teller) endured while trying to get The Godfather off the ground. He leads a life of non-stop stress.

It is not hard to see why one of his most famous quotes is: “Show me a relaxed producer and I’ll show you a failure.”

Lead writer Michael Tolkin, who also scripted the Oscar-nominated movie The Player, admits that he had to do masses of research for The Offer.

For the actors, the biggest challenge was playing real-life characters. Matthew Goode, who has also had leading roles in The Crown, Downton Abbey, Brideshead Revisited and A Discovery Of Witches, said, “There’s an awful lot you can find on the internet. There’s always your version, the other person’s version and then the truth.”

Couch potato by Danie Jacobs

Friday April 22: A guard is coerced to steal a truck containing millions in Armored. etv, 22:05.

Saturday April 23: A wedding is turned into comical chaos in Kandsamys: The wedding. etv, 20:00.

Sunday April 24: Chaos Walking is a sci-fi drama with a difference. All thoughts are seen and heard by everyone. M-Net, 21:05.

Monday April 25: Pam starts to lose control as the trial looms in The thing about Pam. M-Net, 21:30.

Tuesday April 26: Ted Danson is the guest on The Kelly Clarkson Show. M-Net, 17:00.

Wednesday April 27: Renowned psychiatrist Dr Bob Johnson goes Inside the mind: Michael Jackson. M-Net, 23:30.

Thursday April 28: It’s fans vs faves with two returning couples in The Block Australia. M-Net, 18:00.

Friday April 29: The bed and breakfast finally opens in the season finale of Ghost. M-Net, 22:30.

Saturday April 30: Homegrown Taste SA highlights Karoo lamb. BBC Lifestyle on DStv, 19:00.

Sunday May 1: Three princesses are engaged to the same prince in Charming. M-Net Movies 3 on DStv. 14:50.

Back on the Block

The world’s toughest reality show is back for its 17th series.

The Block Australia will kick off on M-Net on April 28.

This series is called “Fans vs Faves” with hosts Scott Cam and Shelley Craft, site foremen Keith Schleiger and Dan Reilly, and judges Neale Whitaker, Shaynna Blaze and Darren Palmer, all returning from the previous series.

This series introduces 3 new couples (dubbed "Fans") and 2 returning couples (dubbed "Favourites"/"Faves").

Loved couples such as Ronnie and Georgia and Mitch and Mark are back on the Block.

Couch potato by Danie Jacobs

Friday April 15: The secret of Trevor’s pants is revealed in Ghosts. M-Net, 23:30.

Saturday April 16: Jane the Virgin is back and it starts with a shooting. SABC2, 21:00.

Sunday April 17: Day Zero is a harrowing documentary about the planet’s most precious resource. SABC2, 21:00.

Monday April 18: Passion of the Christ depicts the final 12 hours in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. SABC2, 22:00. 

Tuesday April 19: A maverick teacher (played by Robin Williams) uses poetry to inspire his students in Dead Poets Society. SABC3, 23:00.

Wednesday April 20: The Black Door is causing waves in the local TV industry. The daily drama is set in a brothel. etv, 21:30.

Thursday April 21: A pagan clan is active on Agatha Raisin. BBC Brit on DStv, 21:15.

Friday April 22: Survivor reaches its climax with five castaways vying for the title. M-Net, 15:30.

Saturday April 23: Tenet is set in a world of espionage in a world beyond time. M-Net Movies 2 on Dstv, 16:00.

Sunday April 24: Dirk and Anna escape in Recipes for love and murder. M-Net. 20:00.