Come Dine With Me South Africa will not be returning for a fourth season, BBC Worldwide announced this week. Despite its success – five million DStv viewers tuned in to the series over the course of three seasons – BBC Worldwide said it was looking for a “new format to produce locally in South Africa to air on its channels portfolio, as part of BBC Worldwide’s commitment to premium content in Africa”.
“Come Dine With Me South Africa was a huge hit for BBC Entertainment and we are very proud of the series. We feel the time is right to take this experience and seek new opportunities for a fresh, innovative local format for audiences to enjoy,” said Joel Churcher, VP and general manager Africa, BBC Worldwide. “We are committed to investing in the very best quality programming for our channels and are actively looking at all opportunities.”
The proposed “fresh, innovative format”, which is still to be announced, will be the second local production for BBC Worldwide in South Africa after Come Dine With Me South Africa, which recently won a SAFTA for Best International format.
In the meantime, BBC Worldwide continues to offer a fantastic slate of upcoming programming, including original commission Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook: Cosmopolitan Cook and the hugely popular BBC series Great British Bake Off.