TV One's blog

Hunger For The Wild
Saturday 1 September, 7pm

Top chefs Steve Logan and Al Brown are back, travelling New Zealand highways and by-ways in Brownie’s Holden, tracking, chasing and catching wild game, fish and fowl to turn into some of the most mouth-watering dishes ever cooked in the wild, in series two of the award-winning adventure-cooking show, ‘Hunger For The Wild’ (tonight at 7pm on TV ONE).

As well as running one of New Zealand’s most successful up-market restaurants, Logan Brown, in downtown Wellington, the pair share a love for fishing, hunting and the great outdoors. ‘Hunger For The Wild’ sees them trading the comfort of their restaurant for life on the road. They head for the wild and, with the help of some great Kiwi characters, discover some of New Zealand’s finest and freshest foods – and bring viewers dishes of wild game and seasonal delicacies.
Series two takes Logie and Brownie to more spectacular corners of the country: an East Cape fishing reef, the Marlborough back country, Queen Charlotte Sound beach, the fast-flowing Tauranga-Taupo River, beautiful Otago Harbour, the Kapiti Coast, desolate Birdlings Flat on Banks Peninsula, the remote Chatham Islands, and a Hawkes Bay lake.

The boys drive to each location in Brownie’s prized 1964 EH Holden and shortly after arriving, decide who hunts for the main dish and who gathers the other ingredients. Going their separate ways, they hook up with local identities who help in their quest and along the way share their stories, their history and, in many cases, their favourite fishing and hunting spots.

Many colourful people feature in this series and for Al Brown, meeting them was a real highlight. “People who hunt and gather are generally in tune with the land, they’re down to earth, they have a good sense of humour and they give you time. I’ve made some good friends and had a heap of laughs.”

Each episode of ‘Hunger for the Wild’ finishes off with a meal cooked in a unique and beautiful location – simple fresh fare, delicious and unpretentious – and during the preparation, Logan and Brown offer plenty of cooking tips and food facts. For Steve Logan, the meal is a natural way to end each show: “It’s a chance for us to give back to the people who helped us, to sit around a table of beautiful food, to talk about the hunt and swap stories. I love it – it’s a big part of why we’re in the business. It’s a meal that could only be produced in one country and celebrates the very best of it – our beautiful land, our fresh produce and classic Kiwi characters.”

Episode one sees Logan and Brown take a road-trip round the North Island’s East Cape and, after receiving a divine tip, hook up with a keen fisherman to chase down the prized kingfish. The trip begins with a fuel-stop in Opotiki, where they stock up on supplies and set up a meal for the road, hot dogs cooked under the hood of the old Holden.

The hunt for kingfish takes Logan and Brown round the winding scenic coastline to Cape Runaway. Jim Kemp, expert reef-fisherman with a few tricks for luring in a kingfish, informs the boys they must catch some live bait before they can reel in a kingfish so the pair set to work. The end result sees Brownie cook an impressive dinner of macadamia-coated kingfish on the beach.

Series one of ‘Hunger For The Wild’ won the Air New Zealand Screen Awards Best Factual Series for 2007.

Photo: Jim Kemp, Brownie and Logie with their kingfish for the cook-up.

1 vs 100
Saturday 1 September, 8.35pm

‘1 vs 100’ is a new Australian game show (tonight at 8.35pm on TV ONE) that pits one contestant (The Player) against 100 strangers, who are also contestants (The Mob). With a potential grand prize of one million dollars, it is a classic match-up in the vein of “David and Goliath”.

During the game, host Eddie McGuire asks the player and the mob multiple-choice questions. If any mob member or the player answers incorrectly, they’re immediately eliminated from the game. The object of the game is for the player to try and eliminate every member of the mob and be the last person standing at the end of the game. Plus, the more members of the mob they knock out, the more money they could possibly win.

Players will be asked if they want the “Money or the Mob”, giving them the option to leave with their winnings or continue the game and risk their total bank. Each question is worth an escalating sum of money. If the player successfully eliminates all 100 members of the mob, the player wins $1 million.

Diana: Last Days Of A Princess
Saturday 1 September, 10.35pm

August 1997: Princess Diana is once more dominating headlines. Embracing romance and basking in luxury, her jet-set lifestyle is the stuff of fantasies. One year after her divorce from Prince Charles, she is living life to the full, under the constant glare of publicity, in the company of Dodi Al Fayed. As the paparazzi chase the promise of instant riches, Diana seeks an elusive sense of freedom. She has finally regained some control of her life and has an optimistic plan for her future – to escape the parochial concerns of the court of Queen Elizabeth and become a ‘princess for the world’. Tragically, one night in Paris, events spiral out of control.

Ten years after the fatal crash that stunned the world, ‘Diana: Last Day Of A Princess’ uses interviews and drama to capture for the first time the final days of one of the 20th-century’s greatest icons (tonight at 10.35pm on TV ONE).
Director Richard Dale says, “the sudden, tragic death of Diana, in August 1997 was, for my generation, our John F. Kennedy moment. Millions today recall where they were when they heard the almost unbelievable news coming from Paris – that the most famous woman in the world was dead.

He believes such was her fame that, for many, it seemed impossible she should be gone – “and 10 years on, it is her unrivalled role as a style and social icon, surpassing even the likes of Monroe, Garbo and Dietrich, that will make the anniversary of that late summer night resonate around the world.”

‘Diana: Last Days Of A Princess’ was made to mark this anniversary. Dale says it is a meticulously researched portrayal of Diana’s final summer, using a cinematic approach to drama. In 1997 Diana appeared to reclaim some control of her life, he says, “it is this new emotional drive, with its tragic pathos that provides the guiding force for ['Diana: Last Days Of A Princess']. Filmed interviews with friends and acquaintances sit alongside the testimony of those who were there at the time. We have also had access to key people who, while declining to face a camera, have given vital clues to some of Diana’s enduring ambiguities.

“The method was to first secure the documentary element of the film, then use this to enrich the dramatic recreations of her life,” he says.

Tonight, ‘Diana: Last Days Of A Princess’ sees a cinematic portrayal of Diana’s last summer. It moves beyond tales of secret agents and conspiracies to reveal the motives, the men and the mysterious secrets of her unconventional behaviour. Every dramatic scene is underpinned by meticulous research, including the Metropolitan Police report and an array of interviews with those close to the princess.

Sunday Theatre: Emma
Sunday 2 September, 8.30pm

‘Sunday Theatre’ this week sees the final of TV ONE’s winter season of one-off adaptations of classic Jane Austen novels, with ‘Emma’ (tonight at 8.30pm).

‘Emma’ tells the story of a young woman (Gwyneth Paltrow) in 19th-century England, who plays the town matchmaker by meddling in other people’s affairs. While attempting to match her friend (Toni Collette) with Reverend Elton (Alan Cumming), Emma’s plan starts to face complications, until she finally discovers the one person she truly loves.

Spooks
Monday 3 September, 8.30pm

MI5 supremo Harry Pearce (Peter Firth) is put on the spot in tonight’s episode of ‘Spooks’, when his burgeoning friendship with MI5 desk officer Ruth Evershed (Nicola Walker) is used against him (at 8.30pm on TV ONE).

Following a Joint Intelligence Committee meeting, Harry questions the report on a fire at Cotterdam Prison, where seven terror suspects were killed. Harry suspects a cover-up and tasks his team with finding out the truth.
Ruth is troubled after she witnesses a man committing suicide and wonders if he was trying to give her a coded message by handing her a marked £10 note. Her enquiries into the suicide lead her to a grocery shop, where she exchanges the marked £10 note for a disc. However, as she leaves the shop she is followed all the way back to Thames House and, upon arrival, is arrested. Oliver Mace (Tim McInnerny, ‘Blackadder’), Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee and Harry’s friend and adversary, explains that the man who committed suicide was a special branch officer who had evidence that Ruth was colluding with the Cotterdam terrorists, and that she killed him when he threatened to expose her.

The disc, which Ruth hopes will prove her innocence, turns out to be blank and CCTV footage of the suicide has been tampered with. Meanwhile, the team realises Ruth has been set up and tries to prove her innocence. Adam (Rupert Penry-Jones) discovers that the deaths were faked and that Mace is responsible. Mace owns up to Harry and threatens him: if he will not support the ongoing cover-up of the torture of suspected terrorists, he will take Ruth down.

Peter Firth, who has seen cast members come and go, is the longest-serving member of the ‘Spooks’ team. He believes his character’s longevity is due to a combination of resilience, dedication and also to give some consistency to the storyline. “But, then, the beauty of ‘Spooks is that you never know what – or who – is round the corner. As soon as the scripts arrive, I check to see if I’ve made it to the end,” he says.

“Nothing seems to change Harry. He’s a rock. But bringing in new characters means that the dynamics shift around him. The series just gets better and better. Not because of the cast changes, but because it has found its style. It has a confidence now, which it has earned.”

Firth says this week’s episode is the best for Harry in the new series. “I don’t want to give too much away, but it’s the end of the road for one of the regulars. And it is utterly devastating for Harry. Of course, Harry being Harry, we don’t learn a whole lot more about his personal life – but we do discover a bit more about him as a person.”

He says the Harry/Ruth relationship is one of those things that was never originally scripted but it emerged and became part of the actual storyline. “We seem to have created that romance. Obviously it has started to be scripted now and, yes, it does develop in this series, but you’ll have to wait to find out if Harry, or Ruth, gets their heart broken.”

Watch ‘Spooks’ tonight at 8.30pm on TV ONE to see how MI5 supremo Harry Pearce (Firth) deals with the pressure from Mace (McInnerny) to support a cover-up operation regarding the torture of suspected terrorists.

The Rich List
Tuesday 4 September, 8.30pm

Tonight sees the series final of ‘The Rich List’. Host Jason Gunn will be asking ‘Is it on the list?’ in an attempt to give away up to $100,000 (at 8.30pm on TV ONE).

‘The Rich List’ is the quiz show that sees contestants use knowledge and strategy to complete lists that can win them money. The show pairs complete strangers together as a team to fill in answers on a series of lists. West Aucklander John Wenger and Ruakaka’s Kara Peni, are the contestants who have won the most money so far, taking $90,000 over three Rich List attempts.
Watch ‘The Rich List’ tonight to see if this week’s carry-over champs can top that figure.

Castaway
Tuesday 4 September, 9.30pm

‘Castaway’ wraps up tonight, starting at 9.30pm on TV ONE. The initial eviction sees several castaways sent home, while the remaining group reflect on what it is about their island home they appreciate the most. With just five castaways left, presenter Danny Wallace explains that the final day will see individuals cast off one by one until only the winner remains.

THIS WEEK ON 20/20
Thursday 30 August, 9.30pm

Don’t miss 20/20 – the best of New Zealand and international Current Affairs presented by Miriama Kamo with reporters Pete Cronshaw, Paul Hobbs and Hadyn Jones.

This Week on 20/20
TAKEN ON TRUST:
It’s been called the hidden epidemic, with one million prescriptions for anti-depressants dished out to New Zealanders last year. Amongst the numbers is the story of one woman who has spent more than half her life on Aropax, and decided it’s time to quit so she can have a family. But it won’t be easy. 20/20′s Pete Cronshaw follows her through her journey, and her amazing video diary reveals her struggle, and her triumph.

GIVING, GIVING, GONE:
We all like to think if we came into a pile of money, we’d give some of it away. But would you really? 20/20 talks to a modest millionaire, a multi-millionaire, and a man who hasn’t yet cracked the million dollar mark, and finds three people determined to give all their wealth away.

TRASH TO CASH:
Is there anything parents won’t do to give their children a better life? 20/20 meets two incredible examples who have spent their lives funding their children through higher education, one can at a time. They talk of their struggles as they transform others trash into cash, and their pride, in the incredible achievements of their children.

MARITAL MOVES:
For many newlyweds, just getting through their first wedding dance without a misstep poses a challenge. But an increasing number, spurred on possibly by the Dancing with the Stars trend, are choosing to go for carefully choreographed, fully staged productions. And not content with shining at their wedding, they’re posting them online, where millions are watching, and judging. 20/20 catches up with the stars of the most popular video – and finds out what they’re planning next.

The best of New Zealand and international current affairs. 20/20 – with reporters Miriama Kamo, Pete Cronshaw, Paul Hobbs and Hadyn Jones. Judged Best Current Affairs Report (Team Award) and Best Current Affairs Reporter (Hayden Jones) at the 2006 Qantas Television Awards.

THIS WEEK ON SUNDAY
Sunday 2 September, 7.30pm

Don’t miss SUNDAY – award-winning current affairs programme – with some of New Zealand’s best reporters: Cameron Bennett, Janet McIntyre, John Hudson, Mark Crysell and Ian Sinclair.

On this week’s programme:
Operation Allsorts
It was one of New Zealand’s biggest fraud cases and left a trail of destroyed or broken lives. This was a crime that deliberately targeted the weakest and most vulnerable members of our community. We identify the perpetrators, examine how it was committed, and reveal how they almost got away with it. Cameron Bennett has the story.

Who’s your Daddy?
For infertile couples and single women it has successfully given them the one thing they most desperately crave. But it has also raised an ethical dilemma. Millions of children have been conceived as a result of sperm donation and now an increasing number of them want to know the identity of their biological father. But what about the rights of the sperm donor who might have fathered forty children and wants to remain anonymous? It’s legal to share information in Australia but knowing who your father is has a downside. There’s been a decline in the number of men willing to donate. Primetime investigates.

Holy Grail
It could well be one of the biggest breakthroughs in the quest for a cure for cancer. Two Australian scientists have made an important discovery. While it is a long way from being hailed as a potential cure, it has been the cause of excitement in the medical community. If the discovery lives up to its promise, then luck will have played a big part, as well as a heartfelt promise to a dying colleague. An Australian Story report.

SUNDAY – Where there’s a story, we’ll find it.

The first programme commissioned for the TVNZ Ondemand service, That Guy’s Rugby World Cup, goes live on Wednesday, September 5, at tvnzondemand.co.nz with edited highlights screening on TV ONE’s ‘Breakfast’ programme.

That Guy’s Rugby World Cup is a seven-episode, 15-minute sports comedy show produced and directed by Leigh Hart (aka That Guy) that will follow the Rugby World Cup.

That Guy’s Rugby World Cup will canvas the games, the teams, the history of the sport and the latest results from the action in France. Leigh Hart will be joined by Matt Johnson, Jason Hoyte and a panel that changes each week, and will include rugby greats, legendary sports commentators and entertaining enthusiasts.

The production team say its distance from France and lack of rights to footage from the games will make That Guy’s Rugby World Cup the must-see Rugby World Cup show.

“The last thing you want to be is too close to the action” explains Hart. “That’s why we have chosen to host the show from a hotel room in Auckland rather than get caught up in all the hype and excitement over in France.”

“It would be difficult to cover this event with any real credibility if we were actually over there,” adds Johnson. “You wouldn’t see the wood for the trees, so to speak.”

Hoyte agrees: “Too many rugby shows nowadays are dominated by footage of the games. We prefer to analyze teams and form without rugby footage. It’s less distracting.”

TVNZ Head of Emerging Business Jason Paris says the launch of That Guy’s Rugby World Cup marks a new stage in the development of TVNZ Ondemand.

“The public response to TVNZ Ondemand has been terrific. Viewers enjoy having the ability to watch TV ONE and TV2 programming at their convenience, and to gain access to video from the TVNZ archives, as well as exclusive behind-the-scenes material from programmes such as ‘Shortland Street’ and ‘ONE News’.

“Commissioning new programmes designed specifically for TVNZ Ondemand is a natural extension of the site, and another way TVNZ is delivering on our strategy ‘Inspiring New Zealanders on every screen’. That Guy’s Rugby World Cup has the potential to become an instant online classic.”

That Guy’s Rugby World Cup will be available in full at tvnzondemand.co.nz each Wednesday morning. Edited highlights will screen on TV ONE’s ‘Breakfast’ programme that day and the series will be repeated on TVNZ 6 once the new digital channel launches on Sunday, September 30.

TVNZ News and Current Affairs will bring viewers expert coverage of the 2007 Rugby World Cup throughout the day. Special Rugby World Cup segments will screen on ‘Breakfast’, ‘ONE News Midday’, ‘ONE News 6pm’, ‘Close Up’ and ‘ONE News Tonight’, and online at tvnz.co.nz, keyword: Rugby World Cup. Andrew Saville and Tony Veitch will front ONE News’ coverage of the Cup, and will be joined by some of the world’s greatest rugby experts for pre and post-match analysis.