MORE than 20 years ago the world was introduced to the wonderfully bleak mockumentary world of The Office, created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. MetaCritic lists the British version as the best-reviewed comedy series of all time, while the American version won five Emmys, including Outstanding Comedy Series, and was the most-streamed show in the world in 2020 during Covid.
This universal appeal has seen the BAFTA- and Golden Globe-winning cult comedy remade for audiences around the world, including Australia, France, Canada, Chile, Israel, India, the Middle East, and Poland. The 14th international adaptation, Die Kantoor, stars 2025 Fleur du Cap winner Albert Pretorius (Niggies; Nêrens, Noord-Kaap) as Flip, the office manager at polony distributors Deluxe Processed Meats. It comes to kykNET (DStv channel 144) | 8pm on Sunday, 18 January, and to Showmax on Tuesdays from 20 January.
Inspired equally by Rassie Erasmus and Leon Schuster, Flip welcomes a documentary crew to record his rise to greatness … and his occasional pranks. He’s living his own Chasing The Sun. Everyone else is just trying to survive eight hours without throttling anyone.
The ensemble cast includes SAFTA winner Schalk Bezuidenhout (Kanarie, Hotel), screen legend Lida Botha (Die Kwiksilvers), Carl Beukes (Jozi, The Shakedown), Silwerskerm winner Ilse Oppelt (Oh Schuks I’m Gatvol, Fishy Fêshuns), Daniah de Villiers (Mia in Mia and the White Lion), Mehboob Bawa (Bhai in Bhai’s Cafe), former KFM presenter Sipumziwe Lucwaba, and newcomer Gert du Plessis.
Rapid Blue, part of BBC Studios, is producing, with SAFTA and Silwerskerm winner Bennie Fourie (Hotel) as head writer and director.
“It’s a massive honour to be able to make the show,” says Fourie. “When we started way back with Hotel, this was the type of show that we were trying to emulate. I don’t think we were ready to make it then but after 10 years of playing with the mockumentary genre, now is the perfect time for us to do this. Everything has really fallen into place and we’re extremely excited.”
Fourie is clear he’s not just translating The Office into Afrikaans to remake it shot-by-shot with local actors. Instead, he’s reimagined it from the ground up. “South Africa is not the UK and it’s not the US, and we really wanted to reflect that,” says Bennie.
This started by changing the office setting from a paper company to Deluxe Processed Meats, which specialises in polony.
“South Africa is a proud meat-consuming nation,” says Bennie. “From biltong to droëwors to steak, many South Africans find some of our identity in the meat we eat. But polony is not on that list. It’s just so flippen pink. When you’re standing around a braai, the last thing you want to say is that you are passionate about polony. Especially after that Listeriosis outbreak.”
- Re-watch The Office (US) S1-9 on Showmax while you wait for the local version.
