Catch the stars on HISTORY (DStv 186)

The HISTORY Channel Africa kicks off the year with a jam-packed schedule featuring some of the biggest Hollywood stars including Morgan Freeman, Laurence Fishburne, Tim Allen and fan favourite William Shatner. Music lovers can also look forward to brand-new and exclusive documentaries on rock icons like Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, Stevie Nicks and Ozzy Osbourne, as well as the late King of Reggae, Bob Marley.

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Laurence Fishburne kickstarts the year with History’s Greatest Mysteries on Sundays from January 24 at 19h25. Fishburne, an Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award winner, hosts and narrates the series with his inimitable deep, authoritative voice and effortless "cool" factor.

The self-proclaimed history buff, known for his love of a good mystery, gets to probe incredible discoveries and examine the greatest mysteries of the past in an attempt to change history as we know it. Each episode delves deeper into mysteries that have confounded many people for years, from the most famous ship disaster in history – the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 – to the biggest enigma in UFO history in the US, some 70 years later…

The month of May sees the return of history’s successful “Icons of Music”. Titles that focus on legendary artists include Paul McCartney: Wings of a Beatle, Bob Marley: Roots of a Man and Mick Jagger: A Knight to Remember. Each once-off special explores the rise in their music career and road to stardom and goes on to reveal how they changed the face of music forever. Their legacy continues today as some still produce music. In the case of the energetic 77-year-old Mick Jagger and his band, the Rolling Stones, they continue to fill the world’s biggest stadiums until COVID halted their plans. Icons also featuring include Ozzy Osbourne: Throne of Darkness who shows why at 72, he is the ultimate physical embodiment of rock and roll and the great Stevie Nicks: Wild at Heart, prolific frontwoman of Fleetwood Mac, who has also endeared herself to fans with her solo efforts.

Next up in July, it’s the return of Tim the Toolman! Aficionados of the 90s sitcom Home Improvement will get the chance to see affable co-stars Tim Allen and Richard Karn return to the small screen for Assembly Required in July. The duo will oversee a competition series that features builders from across the US as they work to fix and upgrade a myriad of household items. The show will not only focus on the competition but will explore the history of the items being built by the competitors.

Mysteries of a very different kind are also explored with the return of the seasoned William Shatner in a second season of The UnXplained in October. The first season attracted audiences worldwide who were drawn by Shatner’s signature style and the non-sensational way he explored the world’s most fascinating, strange and inexplicable secrecies. The iconic Star Trek captain and “most inquisitive man in Hollywood” explores how the seemingly impossible can actually happen. The new season continues with contributions from scientists, historians and first-hand witnesses. Watch this space!

Shatner will also feature in a special episode of the popular Ancient Aliens series in Ancient Aliens Meets William Shatner which is set to premiere in November. The special sees Shatner doing what he does best: exploring the controversial theory that extraterrestrials have been visiting earth for millions of years as he closely examines all the evidence, sacred texts and the decades of cover-ups around some of the most iconic alien encounters in history.

Morgan Freeman rounds off a star-studded year with Great Escapes With Morgan Freeman. The six-part series premiering in November will look at famous jailbreaks with dramatic recreations and dynamic storytelling. The show will reveal in detail history’s greatest convict escapes from some of the most notorious prisons in the world. Each episode will examine famous jailbreaks and historic escapes, unearthing every step of an inmate’s meticulous plan, the escape route and the intense manhunt that immediately followed.

“I’ve been inside the minds of prisoners in my acting career, and I’m looking forward to stepping inside the most notorious prisons in the world like Alcatraz, Sing Sing, Rikers Island and Leavenworth. Audiences will feel like they’re making the escapes themselves as I walk them into a virtual world and through the greatest escapes in history,” says Freeman.

Tune in all year to The HISTORY Channel Africa on DStv 186 to delve into the epic lives of your favourite musical icons and catch the crème de la crème of Hollywood as they navigate unsolved mysteries, great escapes and the history of household items that have changed the world.

The HISTORY Channel Africa is available on DStv Premium and DStv Compact Plus. To upgrade your package or to subscribe to DStv, click here.