DStv, a Sub-Saharan African direct-broadcast satellite provider, owned by MultiChoice, launches ‘Reyka’, an M-Net crime series. ‘Reyka’ cast the very talented South African-born actress Kim Engelbrecht as the series’ protagonist Reyka Gama, a no-nonsense criminal profiler alongside Iain Glen (Game of Thrones and Downton Abbey), who plays a farmer named Speelman, her antagonist.
To get an idea of the scope DStv goes for when commissioning a drama series, look no farther than Deon Meyer’s Trackers, co-produced with HBO’s sister channel Cinemax and ZDF in 2019. In the case of ‘Reyka,’ DStv took it a step further and assembled a team of some of the world’s most renowned television producers, including Serena Cullen of Serena Cullen Productions in the UK (Lady Chatterley’s Lover, Cold Feet), Harriet Gavshon of Emmy-nominated Quizzical Pictures in South Africa, and Rohan Dickson.
M-Net’s executive producers are Yolisa Phahle, Nkateko Mabaso, Allan Sperling, and Jan du Plessis, while Fremantle’s Julie Hodge is in charge of global distribution. ‘Reyka ‘has already created a stir on international stages, thanks to its ingenious plot and world-class acting, as evidenced by its world debut on June 18 at the 60th Monte-Carlo Television Festival, where it got excellent reviews from audiences and film critics alike.
“Reyka” Gama is a flawed yet brilliant criminal profiler, haunted by her past, tasked with investigating a succession of violent killings committed by a serial killer in the sugar cane fields of KwaZulu-Natal. Reyka was taken as a child by a farmer named Speelman, and while the ordeal has left her traumatized, it has also helped her get access to the brains of Africa’s most notorious criminals.
