Lost Grail with Alice Roberts
Channel: HISTORY (DStv 186)
TX Time: 20h15
Genre: Documentary, History, Religion
Join Alice Roberts on an adventure across Britain as she decodes the truth behind its Holy Grail legends, linking Arthurian lore, sacred relics and the Knights Templar.
From the Isle of Wight to Glastonbury, Oxford, London and Scotland, she'll meet passionate locals, unearth legends of sacred vessels and ancient cauldrons and investigate Arthur's grave where the trail takes an interesting turn.
Her quest culminates at the mysterious Rosslyn Chapel and with a controversial archaeological find.
Her investigations begin on the Isle of Wight with the story of Joseph of Arimathea, before heading to Glastonbury to explore claims that he buried the Grail beneath the Tor.
Experts assess the tale's historical credibility, while research in Oxford reveals that the Grail link emerged later in literature and became tied to King Arthur.
In Wales, Alice uncovers related myths of sacred vessels, then follows the trail through London and the Knights Templar to Scotland's Rosslyn Chapel, where a mysterious wooden bowl was found.
Ultimately Alice finds peace among Templar ruins, revealing that the Grail's true power may lie in personal discovery... not physical proof.
Hotel Portofino
Channel: BBC Brit (DStv 120)
TX Time: 20h00
Genre: Drama, Period Drama
A historical drama about a British family who establish a hotel for upper class travellers on the magical Italian Riviera during the Roaring '20s.
The Hotel has only been open a few weeks, but already the problems are mounting for its co-proprietor and moving spirit, Bella Ainsworth (Natascha McElhone).
She's short of staff and ready money; her guests, including the imperious Lady Latchmere (Anna Chancellor), are demanding and hard-to-please.
She's being targeted by a scheming and corrupt local politician, Signor Danioni, who threatens to drag her into the red-hot political cauldron of Mussolini's Italy.
The Hotel demands all of Bella's resources, energy, and focus, but she's being pulled in other directions, as she tries to coax her wounded son, Lucian, and her widowed daughter, Alice, towards health and happiness in the traumatic aftermath of World War 1.
Then there's Bella's aristocratic but caddish husband, Cecil, who's obsessed with arranging an advantageous marriage for Lucian to secure the future of the Ainsworth family's estate back in England, and with finding the money to pay for his dilettante lifestyle.
Over the course of several weeks in the summer of 1926, Bella will discover exactly how far he's prepared to go to secure his wealth and status.
Set in the breathtakingly beautiful resort of Portofino, Hotel Portofino is a story of personal awakening at a time of global upheaval and of the liberating influence of Italy's enchanting culture, climate, and cuisine on British innocents abroad.
In the series premiere: Expat hotel proprietor, Bella Ainsworth, has more immediate worries than her son's prospective marriage; she's unexpectedly fallen prey to blackmail threats from a scheming local politician.
Mnakwethu Happily Ever After? 4
Channel: Mzansi Wethu (DStv 163)
TX Time: 19h30
Genre: Docu-Reality
The show delves into the world of polygamy, showcasing the challenges faced by married men and their multiple chosen partners as they navigate the delicate balance between multiple wives.
This season, polygamists Dulas and Qondanisa, who were introduced in Season 1, are joined by Ntshangase, bringing his own family challenges to the forefront.
The reality show is a spin-off of the Mnakwethu, where Musa Mseleku (known from Uthando neS'thembu) helps husbands seek permission from their wives to take additional wives.
Mnakwethu Happily Ever After? explores life after these decisions and examines how the introduction of new wives impacts existing relationships.
From Dulas navigating the drama between his wives Zinhle Shozi and Zinhle Mhlongo, to Qondanisa balancing relationships with wives Sthokozile Mchunu and Samantha Mazibuko, and Ntshangase managing his life with wives Phindile Magudulela and Nonjabulo Hadebe, tensions will run high as these families strive to find unity.
In Season 4, the show delves into whether these families can find harmony amidst the complexities of polygamy.
For instance, Qondanisa's wife MaMchunu is currently separated from him but not divorced and the family wants her back because she was financially providing for them.
And for Ntshangase, Phindile wants to leave him if he continues with the polygamy idea and her family is angry about Ntshangase betraying their daughter and want her to leave the marriage.
Guy's Grocery Games 39
Channel: Food Network (DStv 175)
TX Time: 17h00
Genre: Reality Competition, Food
Guy Fieri sends four talented chefs running through the aisles in a high-stakes, high skills, grocery store cooking competition.
From students to grannies to celebrities, the competition is always fierce.
Each episode sees the chefs hit by real-world challenges like finding workarounds when all the essential ingredients are suddenly "out-of-stock," or having to create a masterpiece when they can only cook with "5 items or less" or on a $10 budget.
In the end, the food does the talking, as the last chef standing has the chance to make some serious cash.
In the Season 39 premiere, "Dessert Deception": Guy divides six savoury chefs up into teams of three as they work alone in 10-minute shifts to create a winning plate of food.
The first shift chefs are given a grocery list featuring breakfast sandwich ingredients, but in a surprise twist, the chefs must use those ingredients to make dessert.
At the 10-minute mark, the first shift chefs go into soundproof boxes, where they can communicate the dish's dessert secret non-verbally by holding up quick doodles.
Ultimately, the team that creates the best dessert will go on a relay shopping spree worth up to $15,000.