New to TVNZ+ in October

Which will be most anticipated: TVNZ’s run-up to the general election on November 7 or the return of My Kitchen Rules and Big Brother Australia?

TVNZ’s political coverage will be led by Jack Tame and Tova O’Brien, including an eponymous vodcast that Jack Tame and Tova O’Brien will host weekly from October 1.

Tame also will moderate the 1News: Leaders Debate (7.00, October 6) while O’Brien will oversee 1News: Multi-Party Debate a week later.

There also will be the 1News: Kaupapa Māori Debate (7.30, October 29), moderated by Te Karere presenter Scotty Morrison and Māori Affairs Correspondent Te Aniwa Hurihanganui.

Colin Fassnidge and Manu Feildel return to judge MKR (7.30, October 19) while also premiering simultaneously on TVNZ 2 (date to be advised) will be Big Brother Australia

Fans can expect it to be “bigger, bolder and more addictive than ever”. (Trailer here.)

Other highlights include the S2 premiere of lightweight whodunit Ludwig , which will stream the same time as its TVNZ 1 premiere (8.00, October 25)  and S1-3 of blue-chip Belfast police drama Blue Lights (October 3).

The former opens with master puzzle-settler John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor now a crime scene consultant and no longer having to masquerade as his still-missing twin brother — which means he can be more ‘Ludwig’ than ever: brilliant at solving puzzles but hopeless at everything else.

“Ludwig is as sharp as it is cuddly, its bobbly pullover concealing a script (by series creator Mark Brotherhood) that revels in wordplay and the infinite micro-horrors of social awkwardness,” was The Guardian’s verdict. (Trailer here.)

The Times said Sue Perkins’ Big Adventure: Paris to Istanbul (October 14) “is less maddening than expected thanks to Perkins giving it 100 per cent, even while blabbing on (constantly) about how she’s not travelling on the luxurious Orient Express.

“The queen of the have-a-go travelogue is on fire with the gags in Paris, as if buzzing hard on five double espressos.” (Trailer here.)

Bling, Hype & Heartbreak (October 22) is a NZ On Air-funded documentary about “the wild rise and fall of Trillionaire Thugs, a viral NFT project that pulled in celebrities, athletes, musicians and everyday Kiwis alike, with promises of wealth, status and access.”

Raniera “Ranz” Rewiri unpacks how the project exploded so quickly, why so many people bought into the hype, and what was left after the bubble burst.

Sporting highlights include Hilux NPC quarter-finals (October 9), semi-finals (October 15) and grand final (October 25) as well as  UFC 332 Silva vs Wang from Delta Centre in Salt Lake City, Utah (October 4) and UFC 333 Volkanovski vs. Evloev, from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi (October 25).

The main card events will be available only through a TVNZ+ Event Pass closer to their live staging.