The Zoo

Dinner Date, Seven, 9.30pm
Join Host Manu Feidel as Simone, is a guest at three men’s house for dinner, to see who she is most compatable with. Think MKR with love and laughs.

Australia’s Got Talent, Seven, 7.30pm
After surviving gruelling auditions and intense semifinals, the country’s greatest undiscovered talent remain to perform for the nation and prove that they should win the $250,000 prize and be crowned the winner for 2011. In a show chock-full of talent, who will you vote for and who will blow away judges Dannii Minogue, Kyle Sandilands and Brian McFadden?

Top Gear, Nine, 8.30pm
James May is out on track with the Aston Martin Virage and puts it up against the Aston Martin DBS and Aston Martin DB9. Jeremy is out on the track in the McLaren MP4-12C supercar, while petrolhead comedian Ross Noble is the star in the reasonably priced car.

The Confessions, SBS, 10pm
In August 2009, Virginia governor Tom Kaine granted conditional pardons to four Navy men who had served 12 years in prison for a Norfolk rape and murder. What happened to convince these innocent men to confess to this heinous crime?

The Zoo, Gem, 7pm
Takes viewers behind the scenes at Auckland Zoo, providing great stories about the animals and their keepers.

A swag of changes from GEM.

Sunday Mar 6 at 10.45pm will be Primetime Crime, instead of Birds of a Feather. The movie Chisum follows at 11.40pm.

Wed Mar 9 – its on, its off, its on again – the extra episode of The Zoo at 7.30pm. But only for one week. That is followed by As Time Goes By, instead of The Golden Girls. The Zoo is normally on Monday – Friday 7pm as well as Mondays at 7.30pm.

At 8.30, the movie is Presumed Innocent, instead of Fracture.

Moving to Friday March 11, at 9.30 will be an encore of Harry’s Law. Harry’s Law premieres on Nine Sunday March 6 at 9.30pm, the encore on GEM will be in HD and will be ongoing at this stage. It replaces the second episode of the Mentalist that was scheduled for Fridays at 9.30pm.

Sunday March 13, at 11.10pm is first run Biography – Serial Killers, followed by the movie Dodge City at midnight.

Wednesday March 16, the series return of Trouble in Paradise will air at 8.30pm.

Hear the incredible stories of travellers who’ve been subjected to terrifying experiences while on holidays in different parts of the world. They escaped with their lives, but it could easily happen to any one of us. Tonight, Aussie chef and his Polish fiancée celebrate their engagement but are brutally bashed by thugs and pursued by corrupt police.

This replaces the first run premiere of Gordon’s Great Escape – a show already promoted by some media as one to watch on GEM. No word on where Gordon’s Great Escape will now land, but its out of GEM’s schedule for now.

GEM have changed their minds about those double episodes of The Zoo on Tuesday and Wednesday nights next week.

Instead, on Tuesday March 8 at 7.30 is a series called Houses from Hell. How Clean is Your House is out.

And on Wednesday March 9, programming just goes back to what it was – with As Time Goes By at 7.30 and The Golden Girls at 8pm.

The Australian version of The Zoo returns to Seven at 3pm weekdays from March 14. The Zoo on GEM is the NZ version, and is rating quite well for them.

GEM have added more episodes of first run The Zoo to their line up.

In addition to Monday to Friday 7pm and Monday 7.30pm, there will also be new episodes of The Zoo at 7.30pm Tuesday and 7.30pm Wednesday from next week (March 1&2).

The extra Tuesday episode replaces Neighbours At War, while the Wednesday extra episode pushes As Time Goes by to 8pm, and Golden Girls out (it is still on Thursday night 8pm though).

At 8 episodes per week plus replays/repeats, The Zoo is now the most played show on GEM.

As expected, Seven are encoring the first three episodes of My Kitchen Rules.

If you missed out, or simply want to view them again, all three episodes will air together on Sunday afternoon (Feb 6) from 2.30pm. No guarantees though of regular encores.

A change to 3pm weekdays from Tuesday Feb 8, with The Zoo replacing Nurses. Seven’s The Zoo is the Australian version, while The Zoo airing on GEM at 7pm weeknights and 7.30pm Mondays is the New Zealand version of the show.

And (and very obviously!) the season return of Criminal Minds and the season premiere of City Homicide will now occur next Wednesday Feb 9, due to cyclone Yasi coverage on Wed 2.

Here are the details for that “The Zoo” special, airing on Seven at 7.30pm Wednesday November 24.

THE ZOO returns to Seven for a very special event featuring footage of an elephant birth unlike anything that’s been seen before.

Hosted by Melissa Doyle, the special takes us on an emotional journey from the days before the September birth of baby Ongard at Melbourne Zoo through to the mother’s difficult and anxious three day labour. The incredible footage of Ongard’s birth is some of the best vision of an elephant birth ever filmed with mother Kulab delivering Ongard right in front of our cameras.

“It’s a baby boom! There is nothing cuter than the sight of a huge wobbly newborn elephant. And now Melbourne welcomes another one to the family,” Melissa Doyle said. “The footage we have captured of the birth of little Ongard is breathtaking – it will make you cry, cheer and marvel at Mother Nature.”

THE ZOO – AUSTRALIA’S BIGGEST BABY also features other recent elephant births at both Melbourne and Taronga Zoos including the first female baby elephant born in Sydney only last week. Featuring some of the most endearing and funny vision of baby elephants at play, it is a rare insight into their relationships, their methods of communication and their private world.

Ongard is the second elephant birth at Melbourne Zoo following his half sister Mali who was born in January and are the first two elephant births in the zoo’s 148 year history.

Sydney’s Taronga Zoo now has two male baby elephants and a newborn female baby elephant following a relaxed and easy birth in early November.
Melissa adds, “It really is incredible that we have seen so many healthy elephant calves born in Australia of late. Aside from the joy they bring, we can’t lose sight of how important Australia’s breeding program is.”

THE ZOO – AUSTRALIA’S BIGGEST BABY 7.30pm WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24 2010 On Seven.

Some changes to the final week of ratings for Seven.

Wednesday Nov 24, at 7.30pm, will be a one hour premiere special of The Zoo.

Looks like Seven will try and go out of the ratings year with a bang with three free to air movie premieres over the final weekend for the ratings year.

At 8.30pm, Friday Nov 26, after the final Better Homes and Gardens for the year, is the FTA premiere of the fourth Indiana Jones movie – Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of The Crystal Skull. That is followed by Disturbia at 11.05pm.

On Saturday, Nov 27, at 6.30pm is the family movie FTA premiere of Wall-E. That is followed by The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian at 8.40pm – also a FTA premiere.

Saturday November 27 is also the same night that Nine will air the final Hey Hey It’s Saturday for the year – and perhaps forever – which will be followed by Nine’s GTV party special – Lights, Camera, Party! - which celebrates the last night of Nine using the Television City Studios at GTV9 in Richmond, Melbourne. During summer, Nine moves studios to Docklands, offices to Bourke St.

Should be a big night – expect a lot of clips of times gone by.

Nine’s new channel GEM, replacing 9HD officially launches Sept 26. Programming was supposed to air from midday Sept 24, but that is no longer due to technical issues. GEM starts broadcasting from 6am Sunday Sept 26.

Here is the first full day of programming from GEM:

Sunday Sept 26
6.00am Movie: Kim (1950)
8.30 Movie: Spring and Port Wine
10.30 Movie: Thousands Cheer (1943)
1.05pm Movie: Life With Farmer (1947)
3.55 Movie: The Jazz Singer (1980)
6.00 The New Adventures of Old Christine
6.30 Wife Swap USA
7.30 Random Acts of Kindness (new)
8.30 Movie: The Bodyguard (1992)
11.10 The New Adventures of Old Christine
11.40 Wife Swap USA
12.40 Random Acts of Kindness replay
1.40 Movie: The Bodyguard

GEM replaces 9HD and can be seen on channel 90 (80 in eastern state regional areas) from Midday Sept 24.

See what’s on GEM for the rest of the first week here: http://www.throng.com.au/new-adventures-old-christine/first-look-tv-guide-gem

The first week of programming for GEM has been released. Like GO, GEM will offer repeats of prime time shows late night – which is great to help avoiding PVR conflicts earlier in the night. The Ellen Degeneres show will be on GEM at 5pm weekdays in HD, 4 hours after it airs on Nine. The mornings feature a simulcast of Today from 5.30am – 9am.

In going through the guide, for a HD channel, it is somewhat disappointing to see the number of shows not in HD. The inclusion of Today in the mornings – which is made in HD – would have to have been done to make sure Nine meets its daily HD requirements. Numerous older shows, movies, and even recent programs are not in HD.

Nevertheless, GEM will offer more alternative viewing and represents now 1 of 14 digital free to air channels we have the option to watch. Ratings will be interesting considering GEM is HD only and HD penetration is about 60%.

Like when GO began, there is NO Home Shopping on GEM. Let’s hope they keep it that way, as the late night / early morning repeats will give people some options when they would usually have nothing but Home Shopping or sport to chose from on free to air TV.

Here is the summary.

Prime Time.

Sunday Sept 26.
6.00 The New Adventures of Old Christine HD
6.30 Wife Swap USA
7.30 Random Acts of Kindness NEW
8.30 Movie: The Bodyguard
11.10 The New Adventures of Old Christine HD
11.40 Wife Swap USA
12.40 Random Acts of Kindness reply
1.40 Movie: The Bodyguard

Monday – Friday 6.00 – 7.30pm
6.00 The New Adventures of Old Christine HD
6.30 Friends
7.00 The Zoo

Monday Sept 27
7.30 60 Minutes (not clear whether this is exactly the same as Nine on Sunday)
8.30 Movie: The Fugitive.
11.15 Friends
11.45 Old Christine HD
12.15 60 Minutes
1.15 Movie: The Fugitive

Tuesday September 28
7.30 Secret Millionaire USA
8.30 Cold Case
9.30 Movie: Mystic River HD
12.15 Friends
12.40 Old Christine HD
1.05 Secret Millionaire USA
2.00 Movie: Mystic River

Wednesday September 29 HD night!
7.30 Who Do You Think You Are? HD
8.30 CSI HD
9.30 The Big C NEW – Pilot HD
10.00 Weeds NEW HD
10.30 Secret Diary of a Call Girl HD
11.00 Friends
11.30 Old Christine HD
12.00 Who Do You Think You Are? HD
1.00 CSI HD
2.00 The Big C NEW – Pilot HD
2.30 Weeds NEW HD
3.00 Secret Diary of a Call Girl HD

Thursday September 30
7.30 How Clean is Your House?
8.00 Neighbours at War
8.30 Marco Pierre White’s Chopping Block
9.30 The F Word
10.30 Amazing Medical Stories
11.30 Friends
12.00 Old Christine
12.30 Marco Pierre White’s Chopping Block
1.30 How Clean is Your House?
2.00 Neighbours at War
2.30 The F Word
3.30 Amazing Medical Stories

Friday October 1
7.30 Getaway Encore
8.30 Holiday Showdown
9.30 movie: Gangs of New York HD
12.50 Friends
1.15 Old Christine HD
1.40 Holiday Showdown
2.35 Movie: Follow the Boys

Saturday October 2
6.00 Old Christine HD
6.30 Deadly Surf
7.00 Animal Emergency
7.30 A Year With the Royal Family
8.30 Movie: Being Julia HD
10.45 Movie: The Jazz Singer
1.00 Old Christine
1.30 Movie: Being Julia HD

Daytime – Weekdays.
5.30 Today HD
9.00 Alive and Cooking
9.30 The Zoo
10.00 Old Christine HD
10.30 Friends
11.00 The Alice
12.00 Old Midday Movie
2.00 Varies – usually a replay from previous night.
3.00 McLeods Daughters
4.00 Sea Patrol
5.00 The Ellen Degneres Show HD

Weekend day times at this stage mostly made up of old movies.

Programming information TV Tonight. Subject to change.

7:30pm – Monday, June 7 on Seven

This week on THE ZOO, a Pygmy Hippo is on the move at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo

Monifa the Pygmy Hippo had a shaky start to life. After round the clock care from keepers helped her to survive, it’s time for her to move to Melbourne. The staff will miss Monifa terribly.

Melbourne Zoo Keepers are thrilled when Binjai the Sumatran Tiger’s four cubs are born but just a few weeks later vets have to call in an Animal Neurologist. Two of the tiger cubs are having problems.

A beautiful gannet needs an operation to remove a fish hook from its stomach. Can it survive the anaesthetic and recover enough to be released?

A meerkat needs urgent dental treatment but catching him up isn’t going to be easy.

THE ZOO is presented and narrated by MELISSA DOYLE, and follows behind the scenes action at Australia’s top zoos.