The Sunday night Carte Blanche programme has become an institution for South African television viewers of all ages. The show, which has been on air for twenty-one years, has claimed a multitude of international awards for its outstanding investigative journalism achievements. In January 2010 this lauded M-Net brand takes to our screens with two new spinoff series - Carte Blanche Medical and Carte Blanche Consumer. The shows will air on Monday and Thursday nights respectively, from Monday, 18 January at 19h00 on M-Net.

Carte Blanche Executive Producer, George Mazarakis, says that extending the Carte Blanche brand was a natural progression for the show. “The scope of Carte Blanche has become enormous over the past two decades. Living in such a vibrant environment, there are so many levels as a country that we have to report on. The two new shows provide the opportunity for the entire Carte Blanche team to show off their skills. We’re also extremely excited to be able to have Bongani Bingwa and Devi Sankaree Govender anchor the shows. For Bongani, Carte Blanche Medical will bring a new dimension of journalistic endeavour, and Devi – who is known as the Rottweiler of the team – is the perfect fit for the Consumer programme.”

The weekly half-hour programme, Carte Blanche Consumer, is produced by the same team that has guided Carte Blanche through the past 21 years, and will assume the role of a consumer rights watchdog that demands accountability and exposes hidden agendas. It’s a show that will not only entertain, but also educate and inform viewers about their rights as South African consumers. Devi Sankaree Govender will anchor the Thursday night programme, ably joined by her co-presenters, Derek Watts; Bongani Bingwa; and Annika Larsen.

Carte Blanche Medical is also a half-hour show, and will strive to enlighten and empower viewers about medical and health-related issues. The series will throw the spotlight on trailblazing medical breakthroughs, both from South Africa and abroad, and will also delve deeper into the viewpoints of experts regarding new ways of treating medical and related conditions. Bongani Bingwa anchors Carte Blanche Medical, with Derek Watts; Devi Sankaree Govender; and Annika Larsen reporting from the field.

The Executive Producer for the two new shows, Astrid Ascar, says: “Carte Blanche has built up a loyal following of hundreds of thousands of viewers every Sunday night; they respond particularly to stories of a consumer rights nature and we are absolutely inundated with emails and telephone calls – Carte Blanche Consumer is a response to this demand. It’s a show for all viewers, and about the things that touch all viewers’ lives, and their pockets, every day. It will give them a voice and champion their rights as citizens, taxpayers and consumers, and it comes at just the right time from M-Net because of course the new Consumer Protection Act comes into effect in South Africa in 2010.”

Along with the new Consumer and Medical shows, the flagship Carte Blanche Sunday night show will remain on the M-Net schedule every Sunday night at 19h00.

Carte Blanche Medical premiers on M-Net at 19h00 on Monday, 18 January, followed by Carte Blanche Consumer on Thursday, 21 January.