The Ganges with Sue Perkins
Channel: BBC Earth (DStv 184)
TX Time: 20h00
Genre: Documentary Series, Travel
The Ganges is like no other river on Earth. It brings life to hundreds of millions of people across India.
For a billion Hindus, it's the immortal Mother Goddess who will wash away a lifetime of sins.
But India is changing, taking its place as one of the world's great superpowers and the future of the Ganges hangs in the balance.
In this three-part series, Sue Perkins goes on an extraordinary journey spanning over 1,500 miles, from the Ganges source high in the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal.
She travels through some of the most extraordinary, chaotic and exciting places on Earth, exploring the lives and landscapes of modern India at this crucial point in its history.
The story of the Ganges is the story of modern India.
In the series premiere: Sue begins her epic journey in the highest mountains on Earth.
She treks to the source of the Ganges River, meeting hermits and the wise and wandering holy people that call this sacred landscape home.
It's been a tough year for Sue since her father died, and walking where millions of pilgrims have walked before has a profound effect on her.
As winter approaches and the pilgrim season ends, Sue moves 20km downstream to the little town of Gangotri, joining the local pageantry festivities.
160 miles downstream Sue arrives in Rishikesh, a town that has long been the gateway to the land of the gods and drawn holy men and seekers of truth since time immemorial.
Now it's an all-you-can-eat buffet of Eastern mysticism.
Fifty years after the Beatles passed through, there are dozens of Ashrams now in Rishikesh.
They're a sort of health spa for the soul, places where you can meditate, receive spiritual guidance and detox from the modern world.
More and more Westerners are being drawn to these quiet places and Sue books a short stay to try and understand why.
Sue then arrives at the holy city of Haridwar, where the Ganges finally leaves the mountains and flows into the plains.
Sue meets a Holy Man turned business guru who now runs one of India's fastest growing consumer goods companies - packaging Hinduism for the masses.
Together they tour his compound on an armed golf buggy and Sue discovers what happens to spirituality when it enters the commercial world.
To complete this first leg of her journey Sue attends the nightly Ganga Aarti ceremony on the banks of the Ganges in Haridwar.
There are no tourists here, just normal, everyday people, who come to praise a sacred river and the Goddess that lives in her.
Moonbase 8
Channel: M-Net (DStv 101)
TX Time: 22h30
Genre: Comedy
This six-episode series is a workplace comedy that follows three sub-par astronauts living at NASA's Moon Base Simulator with high hopes of being chosen to travel to the moon.
Set in the isolated desert of Winslow, Arizona at NASA's Moon Base Simulator, Moonbase 8 follows eager astronauts Skip, Rook and their leader Cap as they attempt to qualify for their first lunar mission.
While working vigorously to complete their training, a series of unexpected circumstances forces the astronauts to question their own mental sanity, trust in each other and whether or not they're cut out for space travel.
The series stars Fred Armisen (Saturday Night Live), Tim Heidecker (Tim and Eric) and John C. Reilly (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story).
In the series premiere, "Dry": Stationed at NASA's Moon Base Simulator in Winslow, Arizona, three dedicated astronauts (and one football champion) attempt to qualify for their first lunar mission.
When the team is faced with a water shortage, an unorthodox solution leads to unintended consequences.
Chopped Sweets 2
Channel: Food Network (DStv 175)
TX Time: 19h00
Genre: Reality Competition, Food
A cooking competition that's all about skill, speed and ingenuity, where four sugar-savvy chefs compete before a panel of expert judges.
Round by round, the chefs take a basket of mystery ingredients, with limited time and a different theme each time, and turn it into an extraordinary dessert suitable for any sweet tooth.
Then, they must survive the culinary criticisms of the judges as they are evaluated on taste, presentation and imagination.
Host Scott Conant leads the high-energy, high-pressure and high-sugar competition, and in the end, only one chef will make the cut and win the grand prize of $10,000.
In the Season 2 premiere, "Bake the Bizarre!": The competing chefs take on truly bizarre ingredients and must stay cool under pressure to create outstanding desserts.
An oddball traditional Japanese sweet meets a very large egg in the first basket.
In the second basket, weird ice cream is a treat compared to a certain animal's feet...
In round three, the finalists have to make a pretty panna cotta and some strange candy sing.
Beachfront Bargain Hunt 20
Channel: HGTV (DStv 177)
TX Time: 20h35
Genre: Reality
An all-new season of the show that documents the journeys of everyday people as they search for their dream 'home away from home' without breaking the bank.
Each episode features families touring a number of affordable properties before selecting the one they feel best fits their budget and wish list.
In the Season 20 premiere, "First Home on Emerald Isle": North Carolina newlyweds have been renting on Emerald Isle for several years.
Now that they're married, they're looking to purchase a home together and have even put in a few offers on different properties.
All of the deals fell through, unfortunately, so they're starting from scratch and hope to finally find the perfect house near the beach.
In the second episode of the weekly double bill, "Sharing Experiences in Panama City Beach": Young parents search for the perfect vacation condo in Panama City Beach, Florida, to accommodate their family.
He grew up going to the beach in the Philippines and hopes to provide the same experience for their two daughters.