“I read this week that Jan Wilkens had died. To those not born in the 1900s, the name will mean very little. But to some of us he was the inspiration for afternoons spent round-housing plywood tomato boxes and grappling with the family labrador. A barrel-chested man, he was probably no more than a touch over six foot, but to kids like me he seemed a giant. I’d watch him wrestle all manner of rogues on television, convinced he’d beaten them to within an inch of their lives. Ah, yes… The innocence of an evening spent watching grown men slapping the s*&t out of each other. RIP Jan.” – John Webb, Executive Producer
Football School Fallout
It was founded in 1994 to train budding football stars from underprivileged backgrounds. But today, is a proud legacy under threat from controversial new owners? At a high school dedicated to the beautiful game, lessons started weeks late, staff face retrenchment or massive salary cuts, and learners say they’re not getting enough to eat. What’s gone wrong behind the doors of this elite academy? Carte Blanche investigates.
Producer: Kate Barry | Presenter: Govan Whittles
Glenharvie Down
Once a thriving mining community on the West Rand, now the target of vandalism, crime and zama zama turf wars. A community is under siege: an execution in broad daylight; a farmer ambushed and his home burned down; residents sheltering inside as running gun battles erupt in the streets. One man is rallying the community to fight back – but is he fighting a losing battle?
Producer: Graham Coetzer | Presenter: Lourensa Eckard
House of Pain
By day, they’re ordinary professionals. By night, villains, heroes and champions. In Cape Town’s northern suburbs, men and women in face paint and leather battle it out in front of a roaring crowd. It looks like theatre; it feels like sport: it’s South Africa’s unknown wrestling scene. Is it sport, performance art, or delusion? Why would adult professionals risk serious injury for a side gig? Is wrestling a bizarre pastime, or a serious athletic pursuit fighting for legitimacy? Carte Blanche enters the ring.
Producer: Sinethemba Nogude | Presenter: Erin Bates
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