What’s new in DStv’s factual shows

Sharks, sharks and yes, you guessed it, more sharks! It’s the start of a month-long Sharkfest on National Geographic Wild (DStv channel 182) and Thor himself, Australian actor Chris Hemsworth, gets in the water in Chris Hemsworth: Shark Beach.

Travel shows are also on the menu with Michael Palin’s Travel, in which Michael looks back on how he became a TV globe-trotter. Nature Through Her Eyes takes the camera and turns it around on some of the world’s best female nature documentary filmmakers, and 2 charming veterinarians – doctors Hodges and Ferguson – helps man’s best friend and wild animals in Critter Fixers: Country Vets.

True-crime series The Mark of A Killer and True Convictions take you behind the crimes, analysing the psychology of serial killers, while Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi, a decorated Brooklyn homicide prosecutor, helps solve crimes that shook communities throughout the United States.

Looking for more factual entertainment? Check out a few of our top picks here. And for more snack-sized info on DStv’s biggest shows, check out #OhSnack on the DStv YouTube Channel.

The nature of things

Chris Hemsworth: Shark Beach

Australian actor, surfer and environmentalist Chris Hemsworth (Thor, The Avengers) is on a mission to investigate how we can live more harmoniously with sharks. He’ll be looking into the recent apparent rise in shark attacks in Australian waters, and he’ll join surfers, conservationists, shark advocates and marine biologists to explore what’s going on in Byron Bay, Australia – his home beach. Chris will dive with sharks and accompany a scientific team as they tag a great white shark and release it back into the ocean.

Watch on Saturday, 3 July on National Geographic Wild (DStv channel 182) at 18:00

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Critter Fixers: Country Vets S1

Vet show lovers, prepare to meet a couple of docs who’ll charm your socks off. Georgia-based vets Dr. Hodges and Dr. Ferguson are long-time friends who own and operate Critter Fixer Veterinary Hospital with the help of their compassionate and animal crazy staff. Operating in rural Georgia, they see everything from horses to hamsters, and they clearly adore them all. This series provides a fascinating and educational perspective on farm animals and their needs that the whole family can enjoy.

Watch from Friday, 2 July on National Geographic Wild (DStv channel 182) at 18:00

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Nature Through Her Eyes

Curiosity Channel’s Wildlife Wednesdays swings the camera around to introduce us to women making nature documentaries around the world. From 86-year-old Anne Innis Dagg – dubbed the Jane Goodall of Giraffes – to rising filmmaker Eshika Fyzee who’s just made her debut film on Himalayan bears, these artists and scientists speak candidly about their work, the different ways in which they photograph, write and film, the hurdles they have had to overcome as women in this field, and the expanded perspectives that they have brought to field work.

Watch on Wednesday, 7 July on Curiosity Channel (DStv channel 185) at 20:00

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Also don’t miss…

Mark your diary for Sharkfest for the rest of July

This Sharkfest, National Geographic Wild (DStv channel 182) will feature 20 brand-new premieres of 1-hour documentaries and series including the following 10 exciting shows:

Saturday, 10 July at 18:00 Rogue Shark: In October 2018, a small patch of water in the remote Whitsunday islands off Australia was rocked by a series of shark attacks. What was bringing humans and sharks into dangerous contact?

Sunday 11 July at 18:00 Sand Eating Shark: In Fernando do Noronha off the coast of Brazil, lemon sharks have mastered the art of catching sardines in the surf zone… with a little help from some unexpected friends.

Saturday, 17 July at 18:00 Shark Attack-Tics: Sharks come in 500 different shapes and sizes, all hunters in their own right. See Wobbegong sharks go tail-fishing, Epaulet sharks walk on land, Tiger sharks chew through metal and Reef Tips prowl in packs.

Sunday, 18 July at 18:00 Shark Gangs: Sharks are mostly seen as solitary hunters outside the “feeding frenzy”. But scientists have recently discovered a surprising new behaviour that shows how this apex predator likes to hang out in gangs.

Sunday, 18 July at 18:45 50 Shades of Sharks: This documentary uncovers seldom seen or explored aspects of sharks’ lives, revealing their fragile, delicate, ingenious, collaborative and even clumsy sides.

Saturday 24 July at 18:00 World's Most Dangerous Shark: The Oceanic Whitetip has attacked and eaten nearly 2,000 humans – more than the Great White, Tiger and Bull sharks combined. But is there an even deadlier manhunter out there?

Sunday, 25 July at 18:00 World's Biggest Bullshark: Marine Ecologist Dr. Neil Hammerschlag teams up with former Royal Marine Commando James Glancy and Evolutionary Biologist, Dr. Toby Daly-Engel to uncover how the recently caught female shark nicknamed Big Bull grew to be so huge.

Sunday, 25 July at 18:45 The Sharks of Hawaii: Cinematographer Paul Atkins explores the remote reefs of the Hawaiian archipelago and the world-famous beaches of Waikiki in search of the Hawaiian islands' 40 species of sharks to reveal some curious behaviour seen nowhere else on Earth.

Saturday, 31 July at 18:00 Shark Attack: The Paige Winter Story: Paige Winter was only 17 years old when she lost a leg and portion of her hand to a shark. Experts try to determine what kind of shark was responsible, while Paige advocates for shark conservation even as she works to overcome her fears.

Saturday, 31 July at 18:45 The Croc That Ate Jaws: Shark and croc experts Dr. Mike Heithaus and Dr. James Nifong analyse new evidence of clashes between sharks and crocs at sea.

Watch Saturdays-Sundays from Saturday, 3 July on National Geographic Wild (DStv channel 182) at 18:00

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2 to travel

Michael Palin's Travel S1

In this 4-episode documentary series, actor and comedian Michael Palin reveals how he became a TV globe-trotter as he looks back over his career in making travel shows, from Around The World In 80 Days (1989), which he did pretty much on a dare, to Michael Palin in North Korea (2018). Michael will take us inside his shows, share his travel diaries and some fascinating facts and memories. And Michael’s friends and colleagues – including Sir David Attenborough, Joanna Lumley and Simon Reeve – reflect on his influence on the genre.

Watch from Friday, 2 July on BBC Earth (DStv channel 184) at 19:00

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The Travel Show: Road To Recovery S1

The world is slowly opening up following international COVID-19 lockdowns. BBC’s travel team is on the road back home to explore England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – in an eco-friendly, all-electric version of the iconic British Morris van. In this 4-episode series, presenter Ade Adepitan will be finding out what awaits British holidaymakers at the seaside this year. Lucy Hedges tries out gadgets that claim to keep you safe and the team find out how Kent is putting social distancing into practice for holidaymakers.

Watch from Saturday, 3 July on BBC World News (DStv channel 400) at 15:30

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Something deadly

The Mark of A Killer S1 & S2

Some serial killers take souvenirs, some like to leave a kind of calling card – whether it’s to satisfy some uncontrollable impulse, to claim ownership over the victim and the crime scene, or to deliberately taunt the police. Each episode of this true crime series explores a different case involving a serial killer signature, from their post-mortem rituals to crime scene mementos. The detectives involved in the case give their first-hand accounts of the investigations, along with interviews with criminal psychology experts and people close to the victims.

Watch from Monday, 5 July on CBS Justice (DStv channel 170) at 19:00

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True Conviction S3

True Conviction explores how homicides are solved on the street and won in the courtroom. Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi, a decorated Brooklyn homicide prosecutor, travels across the country to reveal how the nation’s top prosecutors tackled their toughest cases. In S3, the town of Indiana, Pennsylvanian is rocked by the murder of Theresa Dalessio, and a loving immigrant family is devasted when a family member is murdered in her Boston apartment. Anna assists in analysing the cases and hopefully arresting the right person behind these heinous crimes. 
Watch from Thursday, 8 July on ID (DStv channel 171) at 21:00

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Midway (World War II Special)

By attacking Midway Atoll at the far western end of the Hawaiian chain during World War II, the Japanese hoped to lure the US Pacific Fleet into the open sea and destroy it, gaining an advantage. Instead, due to superb US intelligence and costly Japanese tactical errors, the attack marked the destruction of the Japanese Fleet and the end of Tokyo’s supremacy in the Pacific Ocean. This film portrays the momentous battle in a day-by-day account from start to finish.

Watch on Sunday, 4 July on History (DStv channel 186) at 21:05