Secrets of the Penguins
Channel: National Geographic Channel (DStv 181 / StarSat 220)
TX Time: 18h00
Genre: Wildlife, Documentary Series
Executive produced by James Cameron, this latest installment in the "Secrets of" franchise takes viewers of all ages to the farthest corners of the world to witness penguin behaviours captured on film for the first time - showcasing the cute and fluffy flightless birds as they brave some of the most extreme environments on Earth.
The three-part series is narrated by Blake Lively.
While many documentaries have explored penguins, Secrets of the Penguins takes it to a whole new level.
The team of over 70 scientists and filmmakers embarked on a two-year, globe-spanning adventure - from the rocky beaches of Cape Town and the icy shores of South Georgia Island to the tropical Galapagos and Namibia's desert caves - capturing penguins like never before.
Pushing the boundaries of wildlife filmmaking, a three-person crew endured an astonishing 274 days filming on the Ekström Ice Shelf in Antarctica, home to a colony of 20,000 emperor penguins.
Facing one of the planet's harshest environments, they captured never-before-seen moments like a bonded pair of emperors practicing egg transfers with a snowball to hone their skills for the moment they would need to transfer a real egg, tenacious chicks navigating brash ice amid climate change, and young penguins using their beaks to hoist themselves out of a crevasse.
The series captures even more never-before-seen and rare moments in the wild.
For the first time, witness healthy "rockaroni" chicks - a rare hybrid of rockhopper and macaroni penguins - offering a fascinating glimpse into potential evolution and adaptation.
Other remarkable scenes include a brave rockhopper fending off a southern sea lion, the first-ever footage of a hidden cave colony of African penguins, and clever Galapagos penguins teaming up for a daring heist: stealing fish straight from pelican beaks and skillfully herding sardine bait balls.
In April 2024, Nat Geo unveiled breathtaking emperor penguin footage captured at the Ekström Ice Shelf in Antarctica for the series.
A television first, the crew recorded an astonishing sight: hundreds of emperor penguin chicks leaping from a 50-foot cliff into the icy ocean below, emerging unscathed.
The series will showcase the full spectacle of this remarkable behaviour, along with new footage that was not initially included in the viral video.
To date, the clip has garnered 74-million views on Nat Geo's TikTok account - its best-performing video ever - and has received over 165-million views across all of Nat Geo's social platforms.
Heart of the Emperors
The emperors are the largest and strongest penguins, living in the coldest and most extreme environment on Earth.
Embedded with an Antarctic colony, National Geographic Explorer Bertie Gregory encounters social skills never filmed before, discovering that bonds forged from birth between family, friends and strangers are the difference between life and death.
Survival of the Smartest
Millions of years ago, a group of penguins left the ice, riding powerful currents and arriving in strange new lands.
They reshaped traditions for deserts and tropics - and even to live among humans.
Tested to the extreme, they became perhaps the smartest of all penguins.
Bertie Gregory discovers the penguins' problem-solving, "talking" and enduring search for new worlds.
Rebels with a Cause
It takes a special type of courageous penguin to survive the fierce Southern Ocean, with its isolated, rocky outposts, and they are some of the most successful penguins on Earth.
Bertie follows the rockhoppers, gentoos and macaronis to discover a world of risk-takers, rebels and unconventional parents.
Andor 2
Channel: Disney+
TX Time: 00h01
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action
Andor is an original, 12-episode series from Lucasfilm which takes place five years prior to the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
The Andor series explores a new perspective from the Star Wars galaxy, focusing on Cassian Andor's journey to discover the difference he can make.
The series brings forward the tale of the burgeoning rebellion against the Empire and how people and planets became involved.
It's an era filled with danger, deception and intrigue where Cassian will embark on the path that is destined to turn him into a rebel hero.
Andor presents Star Wars from a different perspective, focusing on everyday people whose lives are affected by the Empire.
The decisions they make have real consequences, and the stakes for them - and the galaxy - couldn't be higher.
Diego Luna returns as Cassian Andor and is joined by cast members Genevieve O'Reilly, Stellan Skarsgård, Adria Arjona, Denise Gough, Kyle Soller and Fiona Shaw.
This season, the characters and their relationships will intensify as the horizon of war draws near and Cassian becomes a key player in the Rebel Alliance.
Everyone will be tested and, as the stakes rise, the betrayals, sacrifices and conflicting agendas will become profound.
Cook Clever, Waste Less with Prue and Rupy
Channel: BBC Lifestyle (DStv 174)
TX Time: 20h00
Genre: Food
Culinary legend and 'queen of leftovers' Prue Leith teams up with food expert Rupy Aujla to help British families tackle food waste and save money.
Every year in the UK people throw almost 14-billion pounds worth of food in the bin – it's bad for the planet and disastrous for our wallets.
But with creative meal-planning, genius food hacks and mouth-watering recipes – Prue and Rupy are going to teach our families to Cook Clever and Waste Less.
In the series premiere: This week fraught parents David & Nadya from Bristol are at their wits end.
Like many people in the UK their sons have food allergies and trying to cater to them is making mealtimes stressful, adding a hefty amount to the weekly shopping bill, and creating a lot of food waste.
Prue and Rupy have designed a cunning time and money saving food plan that's gluten and dairy free.
Recipes include an edible burrito bowl, a rich parsnip cake and a delicious smoothie that uses up banana skins.
In the second episode of the weekly double bill: This week we're in West Yorkshire where busy single mum Danielle wants to cook healthy vegan meals for her two girls, but all too often resorts to takeaways and frozen food.
Their food waste is out of control, not helped by her slavish devotion to best before dates.
Prue and Rupy's delicious vegan meal plan gets her batch-cooking simple tasty meals with no need for takeaways.
Recipes include a takeaway inspired BBQ corn ribs with homemade baked beans and slaw, a delicious spring Panzanella salad that uses up one of the UK's most wasted foods and a novel way to transform flat fizzy pop.
Father Brown
Channel: S3
TX Time: 21h00
Genre: Comedy-Drama, Period Drama, Police Procedural
A charismatic, crime-busting priest gets on his bike to solve crimes in an idyllic Cotswolds village.
Set in the 1950s in the heart of the beautiful English countryside, Mark Williams stars as Father Brown, the Catholic priest who also happens to have a particular talent for solving crimes, in this adaptation of GK Chesterton's novels.
Father Brown's world is quintessentially English: drawing rooms in large country houses, miles of countryside, village halls and secret gardens, as well as country fairs, railway stations and rural parish churches.
Many years spent hearing his parishioners' confessions have given him an uncanny insight into the origins of evil and the workings of the criminal mind.
Each episode sees the enigmatic priest investigate a crime in his own particular way.
Full of humour and compassion, but with a big dramatic twist each time, this series remains true to the period charm of the original character and setting while bringing a contemporary edge to the storytelling.
In the series premiere, "The Hammer of God": When an ungodly man is murdered at the unveiling of a new church clock, Father Brown must find the killer before an innocent woman is sent to the gallows.
Sea Lions of the Galapagos
Channel: Disney+
TX Time: 00h01
Genre: Wildlife, Documentary
In the heart of the Pacific Ocean lies a magical cluster of islands, home to a unique collection of castaways found nowhere else on Earth.
Narrated by Brendan Fraser, Sea Lions of the Galapagos dives underwater with Leo, a handsome sea lion pup who's learning how to navigate life alongside his mother, Luna.
Following swimming lessons, fishing expeditions and some growing up, Leo eventually leaves his mother's colony to find his own home - male sea lions must fight to earn the best spots, and only the strongest will become beachmasters.
Leo's lifelong quest is fraught with challenges and filled with new encounters with an array of creatures, from marine iguanas and racer snakes to yellow fin tuna and huge Galapagos sharks.
The archipelago is Leo's playground - overland and underwater - but he must stay vigilant to find his place in the world.
Guardians of the Galapagos
Channel: Disney+
TX Time: 00h01
Genre: Wildlife, Documentary
Guardians of the Galapagos goes behind the scenes with the crew of Sea Lions of the Galápagos to showcase not just the production of a film, but the world that inspired it.
In their quest to relay the story of a young sea lion pup named Leo, the team battles seasickness, searing heat and extreme diving conditions.
Their efforts, however, are rewarded, capturing rarely seen sea lion behaviours - from playful pups and surfing teenagers to adult bulls hunting gigantic yellowfin tuna.
Global challenges threaten the archipelago, including invasive species, pollution, illegal fishing and increasingly frequent El Niño events.
The film spotlights the growing community of champions - the true Guardians of the Galápagos - who work to protect the islands, supporting environmental campaigns, cleaning beaches, restoring corals and helping local children experience this magical place.