South Africa’s ‘The Office’ Adaptation ‘Die Kantoor’ To Premiere on Showmax in January

Production is ongoing for the South African adaptation of global hit format The Office, licensed by BBC Studios. First announced in August 2024, the series, titled Die Kantoor, is being filmed primarily in Afrikaans. It will have a double-bill premiere on Showmax on 20 January, with a preview of the first episode airing on 18 January on MultiChoice’s Afrikaans linear channel kykNET.

The Office, created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, debuted over 20 years ago. The original British series has since been adapted across multiple territories, including the U.S., where it won five Emmys, as well as Australia, France, Canada, Chile, Israel, India, the Middle East, and Poland. The South African version will be its 14^th adaptation. 

SAFTA and Silwerskerm winner Bennie Fourie is the head writer and director. Fourie is the co-creator of SAFTA Best TV Comedy winner Hotel, and plays Baltus in the award-winning mockumentary Magda Louw. 

“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,” he says

For Die Kantoor, the office setting has shifted from a paper company to Deluxe Processed Meats, a polony manufacturer.

“South Africa is a proud meat-consuming nation,” says Fourie. “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.”

The staff are looked down upon by their head office, Deluxe Meats, which specialises in prime cuts, and no one feels safe in their positions, as a BBBEE business consortium recently bought a large part of the company.

Die Kantoor is led by 2025 Fleur du Cap winner Albert Pretorius (Niggies; Nêrens, Noord-Kaap) as Flip, the office manager. 

“Flip’s only been the manager for the last year but he’s excited to welcome the documentary crew,” says Fourie. “He feels like this is his Chasing the Sun; like his rise to greatness needs to be recorded.” 

The ensemble cast also 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. 

“Our very first Showmax Original was a mockumentary, Tali’s Wedding Diary, so reimagining the most iconic mockumentary of them all has been a full circle moment for us,” says Tracy-Ann van Rooyen, executive head of content at Showmax, part of MultiChoice, a CANAL+ company.

Rapid Blue, part of BBC Studios, is producing the Showmax Original, with BBC Studios handling global sales. Rapid Blue also produced Is’thunzi, which earned Thuso Mbedu two International Emmy nominations.

Looking for what else to watch on Showmax in 2026? See our What to Watch guide for what’s currently available to stream across platforms, updated weekly.

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