The Bantu Hour is a wholly scripted sketch and variety comedy show created by a comedy troupe comprised of stand-up comedians and professional actors, as well as TV creators with collective experiences in the production of both scripted and unscripted comedy content over the past decade, across multiple platforms.
Hosted by comedian Kagiso Lediga, and featuring the home-grown musician Hugh Masekela as the house bandleader and co-host, the show will star some of the most progressive local comedians and actors. It is 48 minutes of unadulterated social satire featuring archetypal South African characters.
The show will host a celebrity guest, a stand-up comedian, and a musical performance to close the show, but these elements will not necessarily always be presented according to convention. Comedians that will feature on The Bantu Hour are Celeste Ntuli, Trevor Gumbi, and Chris Forest, to mention but three.
“When we came with this concept, this really brought memories of days when we used to do the Pure Monate Show back then. The comedy features a myriad of comedians, so viewers are in for a treat. The inclusion and working with Bra Hugh was a dream come true for me. I have learnt so much from him and it is indeed an honour working with him,” says Lediga.
“While SABC has been at the forefront of providing our audiences with the best in sitcom, the channel was also very keen to provide sketch comedy shows to our viewers. We know that SABC2 audiences love good sketch comedy as was seen with the successes we had with the Ashifashabba, Desmond Dube and The Most Amazing Show years ago,” says Jacqueline Setai, SABC head of genre entertainment.
“The Bantu Hour is a great way to revive sketch comedy on SABC2 because it brings the best of South African comedy talent together, and also brings back the likes of Kagiso Lediga back to SABC after their ground-breaking The Pure Monate Show. Kagiso is the show host and does a fantastic job. Yet Kagiso also managed to bring the best of the comedic acting talent our country has to offer onto the show. What we also loved about the concept is that musical legend, Hugh Masekela, is a key part of the creative team and the band-leader on the show, giving the show a great mix of young and old talent. Viewers will also love how the show reflects and pokes fun at people – hence the name, The Bantu Hour,” Setai concludes.
The Bantu Hour airs from Saturday, 7 November at 21:00 on SABC2.