Royal Autopsy 2
Channel: HISTORY (DStv 186)
TX Time: 21h05
Genre: Documentary Series, History, Docu-Drama
Royal Autopsy returns for a second season to investigate the cause of death of four famous British monarchs,
These are George IV, who became one of the country's most obese and ridiculed monarchs; Mary Tudor, who died childless after experiencing phantom pregnancies; Henry IV, who suffered a mysterious skin condition during the later years of his reign; and Queen Anne, who endured no fewer than 17 pregnancies.
Professor Alice Roberts will bring together a blend of historical and medical expertise, and by using contemporaneous accounts and documents piece together how and why these monarchs died.
Each investigation follows an autopsy conducted by Home Office Pathologist Dr. Brett Lockyer which will use a unique combination of prosthetic bodies to reveal how each of the monarchs perished.
Further forensic analysis and toxicology testing is used to determine whether there is any evidence of foul play in each case.
Alice will then take her findings to the world's leading medicolegal experts and constitutional historians to determine how each ailment and affliction might have impacted the monarch's reign in their later years and in the run-up to their deaths, with the final dying days of these historic figures brought to life in vivid detail with scripted dramatic scenes.
In the Season 2 premiere, "King George IV": Alice explores possible reasons for the death of George IV, known for a life full of drink, drugs and debauchery.
Working with Brett, Alice is challenged to see which of his many ailments actually killed him.
She takes her findings to leading medical and historical experts for analysis, exploring the cause and symptoms of a wide range of conditions brought on by a life of outrageous excess.
A Carte Blanche Documentary: 30 Years of Democracy
Channel: M-Net (DStv 101)
TX Time: 19h00
Genre: Documentary, History
The story of South Africa and her people, from the moment democracy was attained, reflecting on the journey so far and imagining what the perfect destination looks like.
Thirty years after the country's first free, fair, democratic election in 1994, the Carte Blanche team travels across South Africa to meet people from all walks of life, sharing their realities, hearing their dreams and listening to their hopes for the future.
Rather than being a history of post-Apartheid South Africa or a political assessment of South Africa's destiny, 30 Years of Democracy seeks to gain an understanding of how South Africans have experienced the last 30 years living in this country, how it has shaped their identity and whether they believe their hopes, wants and needs will be realised in the future.
The history of SA is one of migration, displacement, belonging, exile and leaving home to seek new opportunities elsewhere.
It's also one of resilience and solidarity.
30 Years of Democracy focuses on the landscape and the different challenges experienced by people in their day to day lives in five of our main provinces.
Theirs are stories of laughter, loss, community, hope and fear - of a country often divided, but sometimes unexpectedly and joyfully united.
Amplified by commentary which creates historical context, these are the stories of South Africa, three decades into freedom.