ITV Choice (DStv 123) recently announced its
highlights for the rest of the year as well as those scheduled to be shown in
early 2019. To be aired for the first time in South Africa are hit UK shows Dark
Heart, Cheat, Hatton Garden, Girlfriends and Cleaning Up
while there are new seasons of old favourites such as Victoria, Poldark,
Vera, Endeavour, Bancroft, Line of Duty, Doc Martin and Grantchester.
One of the most popular shows on the channel this
year was The Voice UK and it returns in January next year, again hosted
by Emma Willis with celebrity coaches will.i.am, Jennifer Hudson, Sir Tom Jones
and Ollie Murs. There’s also a Royal Season this November - to mark Prince
Charles' 70th birthday - with a slew of insightful documentaries including an
interview with Meghan Markle in her first major Royal documentary since her
marriage to Prince Harry.
Says Neale Dennett, ITV Choice channel director:
“Over the past 12 months ITV Choice has continued to grow its presence in
Africa, reaching record new audiences and increasingly delivering on our
promise to bring South African TV viewers the very best of Big British
Entertainment. Going ahead, we are very pleased to be building on this success
with a wide range of big new and returning drama, comedy and entertainment
shows.”
Here are some of the 2018/2019 highlights:
NEW DRAMA
Cheat
(First quarter 2019)
A gripping, psychological thriller. With two
fiercely intelligent minds unwilling to back down, Cheat will keep
audiences guessing from the start, exploring how far people are prepared to
stand up for what they believe in, and at what cost.
Cleaning Up
(First quarter 2019)
Moving, funny and surprising, this drama stars
BAFTA-winner Sheridan Smith in the role of an ordinary working-class mum caught
between two contrasting worlds - the everyday grind of suburban life and the
high-risk game of insider trading.
(Tom Riley in “Dark
Heart”)
Dark Heart
(November 2018)
Across a stifling week during a London heat wave,
Detective Inspector William Wagstaffe, a workaholic whose personal life is as
complex as his day job, investigates a string of horrifying murders in this
atmospheric crime thriller.
Hatton Garden
(2019)
This drama tells the inside story of a heist, in
the vault of the Hatton Garden Safety Deposit Company in London's jewellery
quarter, which ended up being the biggest burglary in the history of Britain,
totalling around $200 million.
RETURNING HIT DRAMA SERIES
Bancroft 2
(First quarter 2019)
The second season of this dark thriller revolving
around detective superintendent Elizabeth Bancroft, a female detective with an
explosive secret.
Doc Martin 9
(Third quarter 2019)
Martin Clunes will return for the final season as
the nation’s favourite grumpy medic in a brand-new series.
Endeavour 6
(First quarter 2019)
In this British detective drama series Shaun Evans
portrays the young Endeavour Morse, beginning his career as a detective
constable, and later as detective sergeant, with the Oxford City Police CID.
Grantchester 4
(First quarter 2019)
Anglican priest and former Scots Guards officer
Sidney Chambers (James Norton) and the overworked detective Geordie Keating
(Robson Green) forge an unlikely partnership in solving crimes.
Line of Duty 5 (2019)
Set in the fictional police and anti-corruption
unit, AC-12, this series is a cat-and-mouse thriller that takes a probing look
into modern policing and corruption. Winner of the Royal Television Society for
Best Drama Series.
(Yannick Bisson plays
William Murdoch)
Murdoch Mysteries
12 (Second quarter 2019)
Set in Toronto at the dawn of the 20th century,
this drama series explores the intriguing world of William Murdoch (Yannick
Bisson), a methodical and dashing detective who pioneers innovative techniques
to solve some of the city's most gruesome murders.
Poldark 5
(Third quarter 2019)
The fifth and final season of this much loved
British historical period drama. Poldark,
set in the late 18th century, is based on the novels of the same title by
Winston Graham with Aidan Turner in the lead role.
Shetland 4
(2019)
Award-winning crime writer Ann Cleeves'
best-selling detective series returns for a fourth season. Set in the remote
Scottish Shetland Islands, the series stars Douglas Henshall as Dr Jimmy Perez,
facing a gripping new mystery.
(Brenda Blethyn
as DCI Vera Stanhope)
Vera 9
(First quarter 2019)
The multi-award-winning Brenda Blethyn returns as
the unorthodox but brilliant detective DCI Vera Stanhope, investigating more
chilling crimes only she can solve.
Victoria 3
(First quarter 2019)
Series three of this popular drama returns, filled
with romance, political crises and family drama. This fascinating part of
history will recount the next chapter in Queen Victoria’s life.
ENTERTAINMENT
Dancing on Ice
(2019)
Twelve celebrities strap on their skates to take on
the toughest challenge of their careers. With their professional partners, the
novice skaters will perform challenging dance routines to win the approval of a
panel of judges and the public vote.
The Voice UK 2019
(January 2019)
Global music legends and coaches Jennifer Hudson,
Tom Jones, will.i.am and Olly Murs will be back for another season to uncover
the best vocal talent Britain has to offer. Once again, this show will be
broadcast a mere 24 hours after its UK transmission.
The Voice Kids
(2019)
Presented by Emma Willis, the programme is a junior
version of The Voice UK with coaches
will.i.am, Danny Jones and Pixie Lott.
ROYAL SEASON
Inside Balmoral
(November 2018)
Exploring the history of Balmoral, a 50,000-acre
estate twice the size of the city of Manchester, which stretches across the
Scottish Highlands. Cameras explore the impact that events behind its walls
have had on the current owner, Queen Elizabeth II.
Prince Charles:
The Man Who Will Be King (November 2018)
The Man Who Will Be King
reveals the man behind the public persona. Thanks to five years of
unprecedented access to HRH Prince Charles, we hear about his passion for
charitable causes and learn about the future king’s hopes and aspirations.
(Her Majesty,
Queen Elizabeth)
Queen of the
World (November 2018)
Meghan Markle, or the Duchess of Sussex as she is
now titled, is set to appear in her first major Royal documentary since her
marriage to Prince Harry, talking about the Queen and the Commonwealth.
Interviews have also been given by Prince Charles, Prince William, Princess
Anne and the Countess of Wessex. Queen of the World will offer a unique
insight into Her Majesty's role as a figure on the global stage and the baton
she is passing to the younger members of the family as they continue her
passion for the Commonwealth.
The Real Camilla (November 2018)
A documentary following a year in the life of
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. Family, friends and the people who know her best
talk candidly about Britain’s most private royal and the woman who one day will
be queen.
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