The Best TV for Your Holidays, on DStv

From BBM: The Special to Ek, Hy & Jy
Greens & Gold, Madu, Mpondoland, The Gilded Age & #Uncut: Uthando Nes’thembu

It is raw, unhinged and everything we wanted to see bakithi. #UthandoNesthembuUncut is landing with all the right things. 🤭

Si phakathi come Friday 5 December at 20:00. https://t.co/Xf2Cvgyem3 pic.twitter.com/iFIFVxlJNn

— Mzansi Magic (@Mzansimagic) December 1, 2025

#UNCUT: UTHANDO NES’THEMBU

Mzansi Magic (DStv Channel 161) | 8 PM on Fridays from 5 December

South Africa was introduced to Musa Mseleku and his four wives, MaCele, MaYeni, MaNgwabe and MaKhumalo, in May 2017 when the first season of Uthando neS’thembu premiered on Mzansi Magic. Eight seasons later, viewers have witnessed their journey of transformation and growth, including the addition of wife number five, MaKhwela.

Now Mzansi Magic is taking viewers behind the scenes of their favourite polygamous family with a six-episode special, #Uncut: Uthando neS’thembu.

Produced by Mseleku’s production company, Thanx Ma Productions and Rawkraft Media, each episode will focus on one major storyline – from MaYeni’s emotional confessions to Musa and MaKhumalo’s increasingly strained relationship, from the rising tension between the wives to Musa’s struggle to preserve his family.

CRICKET: PROTEAS VS INDIA ODI

SuperSport Cricket (DStv Channel 212) | From 9:50 AM on Saturday, 6 December

SOCCER: CARLING CUP FINAL – PIRATES VS. GALLANTS

SuperSport PSL (DStv Channel 202) |  From 5:55 PM on Saturday, 6 December

HARRY POTTER: WIZARDS OF BAKING S2

Food Network (DStv Channel 175) | 2 PM on Saturdays from 6 December

James and Oliver Phelps – Fred and George Weasley in the Harry Potter films – bring their exceptional charm and behind-the-scenes anecdotes as hosts of this most magical series, where pairs of professional bakers create spellbinding edible showpieces on the sets where the Harry Potter films were made.

James and Oliver will be joined by culinary judges Carla Hall and Jozef Youssef – and special guests Warwick Davis (Professor Flitwick), Afshan Azad (Padma Patil) and Devon Murray (Seamus Finnigan), who will help in evaluating the competitors’ showpieces and also share their own Harry Potter stories.

The debut season was a massive success, pulling in 40% more viewers than the channel’s average and spiking viewership by 172% on Christmas Day.

In their four-star S1 review, The Guardian says, “This Hogwarts-themed cake show is sheer magic … A chocolate stallion-head Patronus anyone? Gryffindor scarf knitted out of icing? Or popcorn and mousse-filled snitches? These contestants’ culinary feats are utter wizardry.”

THE REAL HOUSEWIVES ULTIMATE GIRLS TRIP – AFRICA

Showmax Original | Fridays
Mzansi Magic (DStv Channel 161) | 5:30 PMon Saturdays from 6 December

The first season, featuring South African Housewives, broke records on Showmax post-relaunch for seven-day views and was one of their top ten most-streamed titles of 2024.

Now, an all-African cast of Housewives from Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa takes the drama all the way to Brazil.

Think the energy of Nairobi, the glam of Lagos, and the bold charm of Mzansi, all coming together for the ultimate cultural crossover.

THREE WISER MEN AND A BOY

Universal TV (DStv Channel 117) | 12 noon on Saturday, 6 December

The sequel to 2022’s award-winning Three Wise Men and A Baby, Three Wiser Men and a Boy reunites three of Hallmark’s most popular leading men – Paul Campbell, Andrew Walker and Tyler Hines – as the Brenner brothers.

Five years after the first film, Luke’s adopted son Thomas is preparing to act in a Christmas musical. When the director steps down, the brothers step in to make Thomas’s stage dreams come true. In true Brenner brother fashion, they are all in for a Christmas they will never forget.

As Thomas, Miles Marthaller (Young Will in Stranger Things S5) won a 2025 Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Movie: Youth Artist. Also look out for Margaret Colin (Veep) as the brothers’ mother, Barbara, who has a new boyfriend.

Decider says the cast has “lovely chemistry” in “a story that’s warm, witty and fun.”

ABU DHABI F1 GRAND PRIX

SuperSport | Sunday, 7 December

MPONDOLAND

Mzansi Magic  (DStv Channel 161) | 8 PM on Sundays from 7 December

A reluctant leader with a natural talent for cultivating lush, green marijuana fields is forced to rise and lead his village against a powerful outsider determined to seize the riches of their land.

SAFTA nominee Thembekile Komani (Knuckle City) stars as Mkhondwana, opposite four-time SAFTA winner Tina Jaxa (Intersexions) as Pele-Pele, a ruthless pharmaceutical magnate.

Mzansi Magic’s first isiMpondo language series, Mpondoland is directed by SAFTA winners Nthabi Tau (Outlaws) and Nthabiseng Mokoena (Gomora, The Wife) for Origins Pictures.

CRICKET: PROTEAS VS INDIA T20

SuperSport Cricket (DStv Channel 212) | From 3:20 PM on Tuesday, 9 December

UEFA CUP: INTER MILAN VS LIVERPOOL

SuperSport Football (DStv Channel 205) | From 4:55 PM on Tuesday, 9 December

CRICKET: PROTEAS VS INDIA T20

SuperSport Cricket (DStv Channel 212) | From 3:20 PM on Thursday, 11 December

THE GILDED AGE S3

M-Net (DStv Channel 101) | 9 PM on Thursdays from 11 December

Season 3 of The Gilded Age picks up in March 1883, as the ambitious Russell family and their old‑money neighbours, the van Rhijns and the Brooks, face shifting fortunes and social upheaval. In an age where status reigns, does romance stand a chance?

Emmy winners Christine Baranski (The Good Fight) and Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City) co-star with Emmy nominee Carrie Coon (The White Lotus) as Agnes van Rhijn, Ada Brook and Bertha Russell, respectively.

Created and written by Julian Fellowes (Downton Abbey), The Gilded Age won an Emmy for its production design and has been nominated for six more, including Outstanding Drama Series, Lead Actress (Coon) and Supporting Actress (Baranski). HBO has already ordered Season 4.

THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS IN WONDERLAND

M-Net Movies 1 (DStv Channel 104) | 12:05 PM on Saturday, 13 December
Stream from Sunday, 14 December on Showmax

The Queen of Hearts has outlawed Christmas because she didn’t receive the gift she asked for. Years later, Father Christmas finally unearths her lost letter and travels to the whimsical world of Wonderland. With the help of curious young Alice, can Christmas be saved?

Gerard Butler (300) voices St Nick, with Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) as the Queen of Hearts.

In their five-star review, Common Sense Media recommends the animated movie for ages 5+. As they say, “Delightful and inventive, this Christmas animation is an enchanting throwback in both style and story… Full of heart and plenty of ho-ho-ho moments.. this is a don’t-miss holiday event.”

CRICKET: PROTEAS VS INDIA T20

SuperSport Cricket (DStv Channel 212) | From 3:20 PM on Sunday, 14 December

BIG BROTHER MZANSI: THE SPECIAL

Mzansi Magic (DStv Channel 161) | From 5 PM on Sunday, 14 December

Hosted by Smash Afrika, Big Brother Mzansi: The Special will gather all your faves from the two previous seasons under one roof. For the first time in Big Brother Mzansi history,  they’ll confront the past, spill secrets, and settle scores, while catching up on ‘life after the house.’

In March 2025, Big Brother Mzansi’s finaledrew a record-breaking 3.8 million live viewers across Mzansi Magic and Mzansi Wethu. 293m votes were cast, with Sweet Guluva emerging triumphant.

Season 6 starts in January 2026.

MAN & THE MIC S1

Mzansi Wethu (DStv Channel 163) | 6 PM on Sundays from 14 December

Each episode of Man & The Mic spotlights one of South Africa’s top male singers as they lay bare the trials, tribulations, failures, pain and triumphs that have forged their sound.

S1’s stellar lineup includes SAMA winners Kuli Chana, Kwesta and Zwai Bala.

Man & The Mic blends studio performances with diary-like revelations and heartfelt conversations with family and friends.

GREENS & GOLD

SuperSport Golf (DStv channel 213) | 5 PM on Sundays from 14 December

From T&W, the makers of the iEmmy-nominated Chasing the Sun, Greens & Gold follows Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace, Charl Schwartzel and Dean Burmester through the 2025 LIV Golf season — from the driving range to the locker room, from team chats to biltong runs in Adelaide.

Traditionally, golf is one of the loneliest sports in the world – it’s just you, your caddie, and the course. But in the team format of LIV Golf, these four South African players get to do it together.

Greens & Gold offers a rare look into how Stinger GC prepares, competes, and celebrates as a unit.

“It shows that it’s not always just about teeing off and off you go. There’s a lot going on behind the scenes and all of that has an impact on how you play. I think fans will enjoy seeing that side of it,” says Louis Oosthuizen, Stinger GC captain.

DIE KWIKSILVERS

M-Net (DStv Channel 101) | 8 PM on Sunday, 14 December
Stream from Monday, 15 December on Showmax

80-something widow Elsabe road trips across the Karoo with three elderly friends to experience a meteor shower in Sutherland. They have only three days to get there – and her overprotective son is hot on their tail.

Screen legend Lida Botha (Die Kantoor) stars as Elsabe, with Silwerskerm winner Jacques Bessenger (Koek, Donkerbos) as her son. SAFTA winner June van Merch, Susanne Beyers and Theresa Sedras co-star.

Directed by rising star Jordy Sank through Sanktuary Films, the kykNET movie set a then- record for the most successful local box office performance by an Afrikaans film since Covid and won several awards, including the Audience Prize at Silwerskerm.

MADU

National Geographic (DStv 181, StarTimes 220) | 9 PM on Sunday, 14 December

When a video of a young Nigerian boy dancing ballet barefoot in the streets of Lagos captured the world’s imagination by going viral online, his grace and determination became a global symbol of possibility.

Madu is a documentary feature about that dancer, Anthony Madu, following the 12-year-old as he leaves his home in Nigeria to study at one of the most prestigious ballet schools in the world, Elmhurst Ballet School, in Birmingham, England. Anthony, who has barely been out of his neighborhood in Lagos, finds himself thrust into a foreign new world where his wildest dream is suddenly within reach.

Directed by 2025 International Documentary Association Award winner Joel Kachi Benson (Mothers of Chibok) and Oscar nominee Matthew Ogens (Audible), Madu was named Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary at the 2025 News and Documentary Emmys.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfpB6ba8oA4

SUPERKITTIES: SU-PURR WILD S3

Disney Junior (DStv Channel 309) | 3 PM weekdays from 15 December

Ginny, Sparks, Buddy and Bitsy are on a mission to make their town of Kittydale a more caring and “pawesome” place.

Get ready for new adventures, fun, and hero action with our favourite superhero kittens as things get “Su-Purr Wild” when they travel into the Kittydale Wild Jungle to adventure with their wildcat friend, Willa, and new jungle critters.

Superkitties has been nominated for three Children’s and Family Emmys. Common Sense Media recommends the “purr-fectly cute” series for ages 3+.

LET’S GO 50-50

Moja Love (DStv Channel 157) | 10 PM on Mondays from 15 December

Let’s Go 50/50 helps couples find balance in their relationships when it comes to love, money, chores, sex, and parenting.

With guidance and honest conversations, the show empowers partners to overcome power struggles and build harmony in their homes.

CRICKET: PROTEAS VS INDIA T20

SuperSport Cricket (DStv Channel 212) | From 3:20PM on Wednesday, 17 December

TASK

M-Net (DStv Channel 101) | 9 PM on Wednesdays from 17 December

Four-time Oscar nominee Mark Ruffalo plays Tom, a former priest turned FBI agent. He’s heading up a task force trying to put an end to a string of violent robberies. Emmy nominee Tom Pelphrey (Ozark) co-stars as Robbie, a garbage collector who is stealing drug money from a local motorcycle gang.

The stacked cast includes South African star Thuso Mbedu, BAFTA nominee Emilia Jones (CODA), Jamie McShane (Wednesday, 1923), Alison Oliver (Saltburn) and Fabien Frankel (Ser Criston Cole in House of the Dragon).

Created by Emmy nominee Brad Ingelsby (Mare of Easttown), the HBO crime series topped the Most Popular TV chart on IMDb, where it has an 8/10 rating. Already renewed for a second season, Task has a 96% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with The Wall Street Journal calling it “perhaps the best crime thriller of the year.”

SHOWTRIAL S2

M-Net (DStv Channel 101) | 8 PM on Fridays from 19 December

When high-profile climate activist Marcus Calderwood is left for dead in a violent hit-and-run, he uses his dying moments to apparently identify his killer: a serving policeman. But who is this unnamed “Officer X”? Was Marcus’ death a careless accident or cold-blooded murder? As public outrage reaches fever-pitch, Showtrial questions if a fair trial is possible when tensions are riding so high, and if the truth is ever clear-cut.

The five-part series stars BAFTA winner Adeel Akhtar (Sweet Tooth, Four Lions, The Big Sick), who was nominated in the Leading Actor-Male category at the 2025 Royal Television Awards as Sam Malik. Also look out for Screen Actors Guild nominee Joe Dempsie (Game of Thrones, Skins) and 2025 Black Reel nominee Tracy Ifeachor (The Pitt).

From the makers of Line of Duty and Vigil, Season 2 has an 88% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with The Guardian calling it “tense and twisty.” The first instalment of the BBC anthology series was nominated for BAFTA and International Emmy Awards.

CRICKET: PROTEAS VS INDIA T20

SuperSport Cricket (DStv Channel 212) | From 3:20 PM on Friday, 19 December

RUGBY:
LIONS VS STORMERS
BULLS VS. SHARKS

SuperSport Rugby (DStv Channel 231) | Saturday, 20 December

THE KING OF KINGS | DIE KONING VAN KONINGS

kykNET (DStv Channel 144) | 8 PM on 25 December 2025
Stream from Sunday, 21 December on Showmax

A father tells his son the greatest story ever told. What begins as a bedtime tale becomes a life-changing journey. Through vivid imagination, the boy walks alongside Jesus, witnessing His miracles, facing His trials, and understanding His ultimate sacrifice. The King of Kings invites us to rediscover the enduring power of hope, love, and redemption through the eyes of a child.

Emmy nominee Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron in Star Wars) voices Jesus. Also listen out for Oscar winners Ben Kingsley, Forest Whitaker, and Kenneth Branagh, not to mention Mark Hamill (aka Luke Skywalker in Star Wars), Pierce Brosnan (aka James Bond), and Uma Thurman (The Bride in Kill Bill).

Among other accolades, The King of Kings was named Feature Film of the Year at the 2025 Gospel Music Association’s Dove Awards as well as the 2025 Korea Animation Awards. It opened at #2 at the US box office, with the best opening weekend of all time for a biblical animation.

AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS

SuperSport (DStv Channels 202 & 222) | From Sunday, 21 December

DEAR SANTA

M-Net (DStv Channel 101) | 8 PM on Sunday, 21 December
Stream on Showmax from Monday, 22 December

When a young boy mails his Christmas wish list to Santa with one crucial spelling error, a devilish Jack Black arrives to wreak havoc on the holidays.

From the Farrelly brothers, the Oscar-winning minds behind Dumb & Dumber, Dear Santa also features Emmy winner Keegan-Michael Key (Key & Peele), Brianne Howey (Georgia in Ginnie & Georgia) and 18-time Grammy nominee Post Malone.

ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

BBC Brit (DStv channel 120) | 8 PM on Monday, 22 December

The Skeldale family is ready for a special Christmas – and Jimmy’s first birthday in Darrowby. With help from Mrs Hall’s plan, they’ll make it perfect, despite some unexpected news.

All Creatures Great and Small is based on the bestselling novels by James Herriot about a rural English vet who discovers that treating animals is as much about treating their owners.

Last year, the family favourite lost out to Showmax Original Spinners in the Best Foreign TV Series at the Shanghai International TV Festival’s Magnolia Awards.

DEATH IN PARADISE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

BBC Brit (DStv channel 120) | 8 PM on Thursday, 25 December

The office Christmas party of a lifetime takes a dark turn when four co-workers wake up with a hangover from hell to find a stranger shot dead in the pool of their villa.

DI Mervin Wilson (Don Gilet) and the team identify the murder weapon, but they’re left baffled when they find that it was locked in a drawer when the shooting took place, thousands of miles away from the crime scene … in the UK!

Credited with helping to kickstart the cosy crime trend, Death In Paradise was nominated for a TV Times Award for Favourite Returning Drama.

EK, HY & JY

kykNET (DStv Channel 144) | 8 PM on Tuesdays from 30 December

Ek, Hy en Jy tells the story of Soefie, who has always put her younger sister Katrien’s needs before her own, since their parents’ death 16 years ago. Soefie’s pilot boyfriend, Nicolaas, wants her to move with him to Hong Kong. The difficult decision is further complicated when she is confronted with a love from her past, Nicolaas’s brother, Jakes.

Reandi Grey (Diepe Waters, Boer Soek ’n Vrou) is Soefie, André Lötter (Binnelanders, Getroud Met Rugby) is Nicolaas, and Bobby van Jaarsveld (Liefling, Spoorloos: Die eiland) is Jakes.

They’re supported by an all-star ensemble that includes Brümilda van Rensburg (Egoli, Lui maar op, Belinda), Blyde Smit (Troukoors, Spoorloos: Losprys), Neil Sharim (Bakgat), Johan Scholtz (Getroud met rugby, Reënboogrant), and child star Dawian van der Westhuizen (Hen).

ROYAL VARIETY PERFORMANCE

M-Net (DStv Channel 101) | Wednesday, 31 December

Johannes Radebe will end 2025 at the magnificent Royal Albert Hall in London, performing for members of the Royal Family and over 150 million TV viewers around the world.

The South African dancer is one of the highlights of The Royal Variety Performance annual New Year’s Eve fundraiser, the world’s longest-running entertainment show. Radebe will showcase a glittering extract from the award-winning musical Kinky Boots.

Other highlights include:

• Grammy winner Laufey
•  Grammy nominee Jessie J
•  Britain’s Got Talent winner Harry Moulding
• America’s Got Talent winners Adrian Stoica and his border collie, Hurricane
• Opera star Katherine Jenkins
• Musical extravaganzas from the casts of Les Misérables and Paddington The Musical
• Sir Bob Geldof, Grammy nominee Midge Ure and special guests from the Live Aid musical Just For One Day
• A guest appearance from Stephen Fry

KRONE

kykNET (DStv Channel 101) | 10 PM on Wednesday, 31 December

Recorded on 30 August 2025 at the Loftus Stadium in Pretoria, Krone 2025 will usher in the new year with performances from the likes of Kurt Darren, Juanita du Plessis, Bobby van Jaarsveld, Brendan Peyper, Bernice West, Karen Zoid, Leah, Refentse, and Snotkop.

EVERYTHING COMING TO DSTV IN DECEMBER

See the full schedule:
www.dstv.com/en-za/explore/tv-guide

Miss an episode? No problem: binge on DStv Stream and Catch Up.