BY MUNYA VOMO
Given that Anele Mdoda replaced Noeleen Maholwana-Sangqu’s talk show with her own, that came with a lot of pressure.
After years of contemplating and then planning, Mdoda bit the bullet and replaced the ‘3’ in 3Talk with ‘real’ to give us Real Talk. The question on everyone’s lips was if the show would live up to its name. We know Mdoda as an outspoken person – either live on radio or on social media.
In fact, to prove this, Tol A$$ Mo and a bunch of Mdoda’s colleagues at her radio show conspired to prank her during a live broadcast. One colleague started an argument and swore into the microphone. An agitated Mdoda pounced on him and they struggled for the mic until she was told that it was all for MTV’s prank show YouGotGot. While she may have been relieved that it was all fun and games, Mdoda proved that she can’t be walked over and she brings the same attitude to Real Talk.
As we anticipate the second season, let’s look at some of the highlights of the debut season. After taking over the 3Talk slot, there was no doubt that people would compare the two and, as you may have noticed, there are several differences. Shot against the magnificent background of the majestic Steyn City, Real Talk sets the tone of affluence, if not aspiration for it.
The people that appear on the show are usually success stories. One of her biggest interviews must have been with Kelly Khumalo. Mdoda asked questions about all the things the public were dying to hear about, from Khumalo’s experience of raising Jub Jub’s child to the death of Senzo Meyiwa.
Watching it was a cringe-worthy experience, and it must have been even harder to conduct the interview with a straight face. Khumalo, like most celebrities, chooses who she wants to open up to and it takes skill as an interviewer to get that right.
With all that said, two things about this show need to change. Firstly, if at all possible SABC needs to figure out how to plug this one as a live show. If they can make LiveAMP live on a Friday night then surely they can do the same with Real Talk. It would be great for the show to be interactive. We would love to hear what viewers think about a particular subject while the show is on air. This new season will see Mdoda speak to several personalities, including Trevor Noah, Pearl Thusi and Blair Underwood.
Secondly, can we move it from 4pm to a later time slot when most people are home? This is a show that has a lot of potential to grow if broadcast at the right time. All the episodes are available on YouTube, but that’s not enough for a country that’s going to war for data prices.
Real Talk airs at 4pm every weekday on SABC3.