Ruda Landman | WhaleTales Blog by Chris von Ulmenstein

Today Derek Watts, the well-known, respected, and loved Carte Blanche TV presenter, passed away. He was 74 years old. He was a presenter for 35 years.

News 24 writes, quoting his long-standing fellow presenter Ruda Landman:

‘Carte Blanche started in 1988, and although it was a difficult and tumultuous year, the changes were inspiring and filled with hope. We were always live in the studio, and I was always relaxed with him next to me. Nothing could faze him. Nothing caught him off guard and unaware’.

‘He was always ready. His jokes always caught me off guard. We were different personalities, meaning the show had a wider range and reached more of our viewers in their hearts, ‘she said.

Last year, Watts was diagnosed with skin cancer that then spread to his lungs’.

I met Watts in 2020 when he investigated the story about the misleading marketing of the SA Butler Academy, brave former student of the Butler Academy Lin Yang having alerted the Carte Blanche producers to the shenanigans of the Butler Academy.

As I had written about the misleading marketing of the Butler Academy on this Blog in 2013, Ms Lin, a past student, and I were interviewed. As it was during Covid, the interview with me was filmed at my home in Camps Bay.

Derek struck me as a kind and gentle person, making me feel relaxed before and during the interview. The Carte Blanche program highlighted the lack of credibility of the SA Butler Academy and its owners.