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Guest Blog: FlashBack – When Big Brother Africa 1 Housemates Visited Ghana

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L-R... Bruna, Sammi & Cherise in Accra (May, 2004)
L-R... Bruna, Sammi & Cherise in Accra (May, 2004)

Today, 7th September, marks exactly 20 years the grand finale of the first edition of Big Brother Africa was held in Johannesburg, South Africa. The show, which began on May 25 in 2003 and lasted for 106 days, was produced by Endemol for Electronic Media Network, also known as “Em-Net” (stylised as “M-Net”).

Big Brother Africa 1 (BBA1) was the first in the world to have housemates of different nationality from one continent, viz. Cherise (Zambia), Mwisho (Tanzania), Tapuwa (Zimbabwe), Warona (Botswana), Gaetano (Uganda) and Stefan (Namibia).

The rest were Bayo (Nigeria), Abby (South Africa), Sammi (Ghana), Alex (Kenya), Zein (Malawi) and Bruna (Angola).

Broadcast 24 hours a day on M-Net’s defunct channel 37 on DStv – Africa’s premier satellite TV provider, the show brought a mix of voyeurism and entertainment which captivated the show’s diverse audiences – an estimated 32 million TV viewers across Africa.

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The house saw betrayals, trust, intelligence, intrigue, love, emotional attachment and detachment at their peaks. The good and bad habits exhibited by the housemates during their sojourn in the house provided useful lessons to the viewers.

The BBA1 was a novelty to scads of people on the African continent at the time, especially the “shower hour” where some of the housemates were seen on live TV bathing completely naked (exclusively shown via the live feed on DStv).

These live TV nude images offended a section of the public in some African countries who deemed it as an affront to “public decency” and also described it as the “vilest spectacle” ever on television in Africa.

In Zambia, for instances, a petition was started to get the show off Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) TV – the state broadcaster which was airing the daily highlights of the show.

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Sam Nujoma, the then President of Namibia, also tried to stop the state-owned Namibia Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) TV from airing it but to no avail. Some folks were of the view that the President’s “dislike” for the show may have been born out of the fact that the Namibian housemate, Stefan was not a “black” Namibian and so he should not have been Namibia’s representative in the pan-African contest (there are “white citizens” in Namibia, just like in South Africa and Zimbabwe).

The “immoral show”, as BBA1 was referred to by some religious groups, also came under sharp criticism in Malawi and was subsequently banned by the Malawian Parliament through a parliamentary vote. Two weeks later, a high court in Malawi overturned it, arguing that the Parliament acted out of its jurisdiction. For this reason, the highlight broadcast of BBA1 was immediately restored on TV Malawi, much to the delight of the show’s ardent viewers in Malawi.

Carl Fischer (aka “Mr. Big Brother”), the white South African who imported the Big Brother franchise to Africa from the Netherlands – where the TV format was created, was famously quoted as saying, “If (the show) didn’t generate any controversy, the project would be a failure.”

The maiden edition of Big Brother Africa went down in the annals of television history in Africa as the highest-rated TV show. Due to its success, BBA1 was later telecast in the USA on “Africa Channel” (which is distinct from the “Africa Channel” in the UK), making it the first non-American edition of Big Brother to be broadcast in America.

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BBA1 Housemates in Ghana

Two months after the end of BBA1 in 2003, Metro TV (then owned by Talal Fatal), in collaboration with No.1 Records, organised a trip for some of the housemates to Ghana dubbed “November to Remember”.

During their short stay in the country, the 5 housemates featured in music videos to Tala Fatal’s Eboni Band music project.

BBA1 winner, Cherise appeared in “We Are the Children” with the Tema SOS children. Bayo and Mwisho were in “Money Can’t Buy Love” – sung by Knii Lante. Kwesi Pee’s “Odo Fakye Me” starred Abby and Gaetano.

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The same visuals for “Odo Fakye Me” were rehashed for the music video of the song’s English version, “Forgive and Forget” vocally performed by 2 Face Idibia from Nigeria. The original “Forgive and Forget” was composed and sung by Talal Fatal himself.

Apart from all these, a music extravaganza was organised to honour the visiting former BBA1 housemates at the Accra International Conference Centre, with performances from seasoned comedian/satirist KSM; magician Christopher Voncujovi; and Ghanaian music acts like Batman (Samini), Kwesi Pee, et al.

The housemates were also involved in a string of activities put together by Talal Fatal and his team from Metro TV and No.1 Records, with supports from Boomerang Night, Joy Soap, Novotel Hotel (now Accra City Hotels), Joy FM, Vibe FM (which later became Live FM and now Original FM) and Atlantis Radio.

Angolan housemate Bruna, who couldn’t join her fellow BBA1 housemates for that memorable trip to Ghana in November 2003, might have heard about the warm reception her colleagues had gotten during their visit. And so when she (Bruna) decided to launch her self-titled music album “BRUNA” (her second album) in West Africa in May 2004, she chose no other nation but Ghana for that cause.

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Accompanied by Cherise, who was on her second visit to Ghana, Bruna and her team had two days of exhilarating nights in Accra, with Ghanaian BBA1 housemate Sammi B acting as a host and ‘tour guide’. Bruna’s visit to Ghana culminated in a big party at the Boomerang Nightclub in Accra.

Life Just After BBA1

Whereas housemates like Zein Dudha (Malawi), Alex Holi (Kenya), Bayo Okoh (Nigeria) and Mwisho Mwampamba (Tanzania) gradually faded into oblivion after the show, the other housemates leveraged on the Big Brother brand to launch new careers, especially in showbiz.

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Immediately after BBA1, Cherise Makubale aka “Tumba” (the winner from Zambia) travelled extensively across Africa as a Goodwill Ambassador and engaged in numerous charity works. She also got the chance to meet Nelson Mandela and some other dignitaries in the various countries that she visited on the continent.

Her foundation, “Cherise Makubale Foundation” (CMF), a non-profit organisation, supports orphans and vulnerable children in Zambia. Currently, the Zambian philanthropist is resident in the UK with her British husband and Zambian mother.

Ghana’s Samuel Kwame Bampoe aka Sammi B was already a popular broadcaster at Joy FM/Adom FM (and a budding musician) before travelling to South Africa to take part in the continental reality show. However, the Ghanaian housemate became a household name in Ghana and across the continent afterwards. On his return, Sammi got ‘juicy’ offers to work with radio stations in Kenya and elsewhere.

He also hosted “233 For Ghana” which aired on DStv’s Channel O for a couple of months in 2004. The TV show, produced by Abraham Ohene-Djan and his OM Studios team, placed a huge spotlight on Ghana’s music/entertainment sector at the time. For once, the rest of Africa got to see what our compatriots were doing here in Ghana on the showbiz scene. According to a source at MultiChoice, Channel O agreed to broadcast this half-hour Ghanaian TV show solely because of Sammi – the show’s presenter.

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Despite the fact that he didn’t win, Gaetano Kagwa was accorded a “national hero” status in Uganda. His name was bandied around the entire country to the extent that it reportedly triggered the president, Yoweri Museveni (who is still the president and has been ruling the nation since 1986) to ask one of his aides, “Aaaaaaaahhhh… Who is this “Geee-Ta-No”? Is it a name of a new political party?? Or a rebel leader in the making???

The Ugandan president was then told that Gaetano was the Ugandan representative in the BBA1 show, an explanation which ‘allayed’ his fears. Gaetano was later invited by the president for a tête-à-tête, helicopter ride and presidential dinner.

When M-Net (the organisers of Big Brother Africa) were scouting for a new host for “Studio 53” magazine TV show in 2005, following the exit of the show’s inaugural presenter – the late Alyce Chavunduka (a renowned Zimbabwean media practitioner), Uganda’s Gaetano was one of the folks brought in to steer the affairs of the show. The suave Ugandan gentleman subsequently rose to become a formidable and famous media personality in the East Africa sub-region, presenting shows on the radio and TV.

Gaetano wasn’t the only former BBA1 housemate employed by M-Net after the reality show. Tapuwa Mhere from Zimbabwe was equally given the chance to be a part of the “Magic Family” (M-Net – “Where Magic Lives”). She worked in the television production department of the South African pay-TV network.

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“Tap”, as she’s dearly called, was part of the M-Net team that handled the first ever “Big Brother Nigeria” (BBN), which was held in Lagos from March 5 to June 6 in 2006. BBN was rebooted and rebranded in 2017 as “Big Brother Naija”, after an 11-year hiatus.

South African housemate, Abby Platjees followed her Big Brother Africa “sweetheart” Gaetano to Uganda after the show and fell in love with East Africa. She would later make Tanzania her new home, establishing herself as an entrepreneur and media personality in the East African state. 

For the obvious reasons, Bruna Tatiana Estevão, whom many BBA1 viewers had acclaimed as the “most beautiful” female housemate in the house, was a cynosure of all eyes in Angola where men hovered around her like stubborn flies.

The Angolan musician/model set the ‘unpopular’ record of being the first ever housemate to be evicted from the Big Brother Africa house, an incident which stemmed from the fact that most voters in Angola (a lusophone/Portuguese-speaking country) and some other part of Africa had misconstrued the voting system.

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From the show’s commencement in 2003, till its 4th season (Big Brother Africa 4: The Revolution) in 2009, the public voted for the housemates they wanted to “evict” and not to “keep” in the house. Unfortunately, a section of the voting public misunderstood it, and as a result of this, the people of Angola, likewise other ‘ignoramuses’ in other part of Africa, voted massively for Bruna, thinking they were rather keeping her in the house.

Gaetano’s trip to the Big Brother UK house was the “prize” for the best cocktail contest which Bruna had won. But because of her eviction, which happened just some few days to the UK trip, it was passed on to Gaetano who had placed second in the cocktail contest.

The Big Brother housemate swap was a “twist” designed to liven up the season 4 of the UK version, which was also being screened at the same time as the African version in 2003. The UK’s housemate, Cameron Stout (the eventual winner of that season of Big Brother UK) also got the chance to spend some days in the BBA1 house in South Africa.

Just like Bruna, Stefan Ludik returned to Namibia as a “celebrity”. To date, the “white” Namibian is one of the country’s most celebrated musicians and actors. He’s appeared in a series of Afrikaans-language TV shows produced in Namibia and Mzansi (South Africa).

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Botswana’s Warona Setshwaelo, who was one of the last housemates to be evicted from the house, also became a celeb in her natal country and continued with her acting/video editing career. She currently resides in Montreal, Canada where she still plies her trade as an actress/video editor.

By Eugene Selorm Owusu

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MX24 Partners with Innova DDB Ghana to broadcast new TV show series “Marketing Mavericks”

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MX24, a leader in innovative media broadcasting, is thrilled to announce its new partnership with Innova DDB Ghana, a frontrunner in marketing and advertising, to launch a ground breaking TV show series, Marketing Mavericks. This series is set to air quarterly, starting Tuesday 25th June at 5pm, 2024, exclusively on MX24. Viewers will be able to watch the show on television and also stream online on both Innova DDB Ghana and MX24’s Facebook, X-space, YouTube platforms as well as MX24’s new 24/7 Internet Protocol TV platform.

Marketing Mavericks debuted in 2023 as Innova DDB Ghana’s flagship thought leadership program. The series features interactive panel discussions led by industry experts, covering a wide range of marketing communication topics. These discussions are designed to ignite engaging conversations both online and offline, delving into key industry matters, highlighting best practices, and exploring evolving trends within the marketing communications space.

Under the agreement signed between both parties, Innova DDB Ghana will handle the production and content creation, including the development of the moderator’s script guide and the selection of panelists. The show will broadcast from MX24’s furnished studio space, equipped with state-of-the-art lighting and equipment to ensure a high-quality production.

Antoine Mensah, Head of Operations at MX24, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration: “We are excited to partner with Innova DDB Ghana on Marketing Mavericks. This series not only aligns with our commitment to provide dynamic and educational content but also enhances our portfolio of innovative programming.”

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Dr. Kenneth Hammond-Aryee, Chief Operating Officer of Innova DDB Ghana, added, “This partnership with MX24 is a significant milestone for Marketing Mavericks. By harnessing the power of this platform, we are committed to driving meaningful conversations, fostering innovation, and pushing the boundaries of marketing communications with creative excellence. Our goal is to inspire and empower our audience with actionable insights and bold ideas that will shape the future of our industry.”

Marketing Mavericks will offer sponsorship opportunities, allowing businesses to feature their brand-related adverts during the show. This collaboration is expected to create a significant impact on the marketing communication and media landscape in Ghana.

The show will air four times a year, with each episode offering fresh insights into the marketing communication industry. For more information on Marketing Mavericks and other programming, please visit [MX24’s website] and follow @mx24gh on social media.

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NOTICE TO DESIST FROM UNLAWFUL COMMENTARY, BROADCAST OR RE-BROADCAST OF UEFA EUROS 2024 MATCHES

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MultiChoice Ghana Limited wishes to remind all broadcasters and the general public that SuperSport International has the exclusive Pay TV broadcast rights to broadcast UEFA European Football Championship matches (informally referred to as “Euros 2024”) on DStv and GOtv platforms across Sub-Saharan Africa.

No person, media station or event organizer without accreditation from the rights owner is permitted to undertake a public screening, live or delayed broadcast or re-broadcast on any free to air, pay TV channel or social media platform, or carryout radio commentary of these matches. 

Any violation of the foregoing will be met with exemplary civil and criminal sanctions available under the law.

Thank you for your cooperation.

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Alex Okyere

Managing Director, 

MultiChoice Ghana.

 

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MultiChoice nails streaming piracy operation Waka TV

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MultiChoice

Following an arrest, investigations are under way into the “thousands of individuals connected to the Waka TV pirate network”.

MultiChoice Group and its technology security subsidiary Irdeto have succeeded in nailing a pirate internet streaming service with the help of Western Cape police investigators.

In a statement on Wednesday, MultiChoice described the dismantling of the pirate steaming operation, called Waka TV, as “a significant victory in the fight against internet streaming piracy”.

The broadcaster said it was involved in a “meticulously planned raid” on 31 May, which led to the arrest of a “key suspect involved in one of the most extensive pirate operations in Africa”.

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“This operation represents a major milestone in our relentless commitment to protecting MultiChoice Group’s content and the integrity of our broadcasting services,” it said.

It added that Irdeto made a “substantial investment” to investigate and identify the main suspect involved in the piracy network.

“The suspect, who is believed to have managed several pirate customers and resellers, was detained,” it said, adding that Waka TV “illegally distributed live TV channels, including several DStv channels, movies and series. The disruption caused by this raid is a significant blow to the illegal streaming industry in Africa.

“MultiChoice is working actively with the police as investigations continue into the thousands of individuals connected to the Waka TV pirate network. Resellers supporting the pirate operation are also under investigation. This collaborative effort aims to dismantle the entire network and bring all perpetrators to justice.”

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More arrests imminent

It said the arrested suspect – it did not name the individual – appeared in court on 3 June and is facing charges of fraud and contravention of sections 2 to 8 of the Cybercrime Act. “Additional charges are being considered in consultation with the senior public prosecutor.”

The broadcaster said the Western Cape cybercrime unit will thoroughly analyse all the equipment seized during the raid. “This comprehensive analysis is expected to provide additional insights into the extent of the pirate network, and more arrests are imminent,” it said.

“MultiChoice Group would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the cybercrime unit and the Western Cape provincial commercial crime investigation unit for their outstanding support and professionalism throughout this operation. Their efforts have been crucial in achieving this significant breakthrough.”  — © 2024 NewsCentral Media

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It’s a “Jollof Rice Battle” in the Latest Episode of Cooking With GameChangers

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 Who will win the Ultimate GameChanger title on this episode? Watch Cooking With GameChangers to find out!
As always, the kitchen is on fire, and the story revolves around two Seguns competing for the GameChanger title. Who is your money on?
In this episode, Segun Bankole of Sovereign Trust Insurance and Segun Dada of CAPSA compete in a cook-off to make the best Jollof rice, Chicken/Fish and Cole Slaw.
Segun Bankole is a top insurance executive. He is the DGM Sales, Corporate Communications, and Investor Relations Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc, a top insurance company in Nigeria.
Segun Dada is a technology executive with extensive experience in energy, finance, and media. He is a co-founder at CAPSA, an alternative finance marketplace that enables SMEs with its digital invoice financing solution.
Our judges, M.I Abaga, Kaffy, and Captain Toba, are ready to bring their A-game to crown the best man. Our vivacious host, Daniel Etim-Effiong, is back making sure the kitchen is fun as always.
Learn more about these GameChangers as we delve into their daily lives before they compete in the kitchen for the title of “Ultimate GameChanger”.
Watch a-day-in-the-life of Segun Bankole of Sovereign Trust Insurance – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spOmb8UQOzs&list=PLH_-OcY4pX3GoR_WSsKTwzbP7WRcHJc_O&index=2&pp=iAQB
Cooking with GameChangers follows a-day-in-the-life of a top corporate executive and entrepreneur who end up in the Cooking with GameChangers kitchen for a cook-off supervised/judged by celebrity host, Daniel Etim-Effiong and judges M.I Abaga, Kaffy, and Captain Toba.
Cooking with GameChangers is a spinoff of Nigeria’s most syndicated talk show, “Binging With GameChangers” which garners over 60 million monthly viewers and airs on TV stations nationwide.
Subscribe on YouTube: @B2GNetwork
Watch the show every weekend on TV stations nationwide.
See the show schedule below:
SATURDAYS:
NTA Network: Saturdays at 10.30 AM Silverbird: Saturdays at 1.30 PM Views Channel: Saturdays 6:30 PM; Repeat: Mondays at 9:30 PM; Wednesdays at 9 PM
SUNDAYS:
Africa Magic Family: Sundays at 3.30 PM: Repeat: Wednesdays at 1.30 PM TVC: Sundays at 5.30 PM NTA2: Sundays at 5.30 PM; Repeat: Mondays 9 AM Wazobia Max: Sundays at 5.30 PM; Repeat Mondays at 7 PM Wazobia TV: Sundays at 5.30 PM; Repeat: Mondays at 7 PM
Follow the show:
LinkedIn: @CookingwithGameChangers
Cooking with GameChangers is proudly supported by Power Oil, 2Sure and Aquafina.
Media Partners: BellaNaija, Pulse.ng and Ameyaw Debrah.
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Yes To Impossible : New Documentary Tells Media Visionary Nolo Letele’s Story

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Harnessing the power of possibility to help Africa claim its space in the global broadcasting industry is the subject of Yes To Impossible: The Nolo Letele Story, a documentary about the life of former MultiChoice Group Executive Chairperson Nolo Letele. 

Coming to DStv from 13 June at 7pm on Akwaaba Magic (DStv Channel 150), the documentary shows how growing up in an era where the spirit of independence was sweeping across Africa shaped Letele’s vision for the continent to have its own voice and how he worked tirelessly to realise that vision. 

To speak of the growth of the African broadcast media industry is to speak of the result of Nolo’s endeavours, passion for African storytelling and relentless commitment to excellence.

After studying electronic engineering at the University of Southampton, and later becoming a chartered engineer, Nolo Letele applied for jobs in South Africa – only to find there were hardly any jobs for a black electronics graduate back in 1974. He ended up working for Lesotho National Broadcasting Service, a small radio station and subsequently played a major role in starting the first TV station in Lesotho in conjunction with M-Net in 1988. 

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Having established his credentials, he was then asked to join M-Net in 1990 he describes it as “being thrown in the deep end” by then-Naspers CEO Koos Bekker to help build DStv into the juggernaut it is today. In spite of South Africa’s image during those apartheid years, Letele succeeded in pioneering MultiChoice’s expansion into the rest of Africa, and in 1995 went on to serve in Ghana as West African regional general manager. He returned home when he was appointed chief executive of MultiChoice South Africa a few years later. 

In 1999, he was appointed as MultiChoice Group chief executive until 2010, when he was appointed executive chair of the MultiChoice South Africa Holdings board, a position he held for 11 years. He became a non-executive director of MultiChoice Group Limited after the company was spun out of Naspers and listed independently on the JSE.

Letele received several awards during his tenure at MultiChoice, including a Lifetime Africa Achievement Prize for Media Development in Africa; the Naspers Phil Weber Award; and the Black Business Executive Circle Chairman’s Award.

“I’m proud to have helped connect Africa to the world and give the continent a voice,” says Letele. “MultiChoice’s reach is unparalleled in Africa and it has given the people of Africa the opportunity to tell their own stories in their own languages. We have grown industries, created jobs and contributed meaningfully to economic growth across the continent – it’s something I hold very dear as the realization of a vision I had over 35 years ago when I joined a small Pay-TV business in South Africa”.

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Yes To Impossible: The Nolo Letele Story premieres on 13 June at 21:00 on Akwaaba Magic (DStv Channel 150), with repeats across all channels in the following days and will also be available on DStv Catch Up, DStv Stream and Showmax. 

For more information, visit the Akwaaba Magic Website and join the conversation on TwitterInstagram, TikTok and Facebook with #YesToTheImpossible.

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23 Days Until House of the Dragon Returns!

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The eight-episode second season of HBO Original drama series House of the Dragon debuts in the US on Sunday 16 June – and will be available on M-Net (DStv Channel 101) Express from the US at 3am on Monday 17 June and make its prime-time premiere at 9pm on the same day. The series will also be available on Showmax. 

 

Viewers can get ready for the dragons to soar as the official trailer for the brand-new season has been released.

 

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Logline: Based on George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood,” the series, set 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones,” tells the story of House Targaryen.
Season two returning cast: Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Eve Best, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel, Ewan Mitchell, Tom Glynn-Carney, Sonoya Mizuno, and Rhys Ifans. Additional returning cast includes Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Phia Saban, Jefferson Hall, and Matthew Needham.
Season two new cast: Abubakar Salim as Alyn of Hull, Gayle Rankin as Alys Rivers, Freddie Fox as Ser Gwayne Hightower, Simon Russell Beale as Ser Simon Strong, Clinton Liberty as Addam of Hull, Jamie Kenna as Ser Alfred Broome, Kieran Bew as Hugh, Tom Bennett as Ulf, Tom Taylor as Lord Cregan Stark, and Vincent Regan as Ser Rickard Thorne.
Season two credits: Co-Creator/Executive Producer, George R.R. Martin; Co-Creator/Showrunner/Executive Producer, Ryan Condal; Executive Producers Sara Hess, Alan Taylor, Melissa Bernstein, Kevin de la Noy, Loni Peristere, Vince Gerardis. Based on George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood.”

 

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