…..SoSuterBill…..

 ……BY BILLY SUTER……

 A SOUTH African version of the hit British series, The Office, is in the works and will be created by African streamer Showmax and filmed primarily in Afirkaans.

The streaming service has announced that the series is expected to start production in 2025 and will also be shown on DStv’s KykNet. The Showmax Original will be produced locally by Rapid Blue, who are part of BBC Studios’ international family of production companies.

“It was more than 20 years ago that the world was introduced to the wonderfully bleak mockumentary world of The Office, created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. MetaCritic still 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,” says a Showmax spokesman. 

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 South African edition of The Office, which is still untitled, will be its 14th adaption.

“Our very first Showmax Original was a mockumentary, Tali’s Wedding Diary, so we’re delighted, just seven years later, to start reimagining the most iconic mockumentary of them all,” says Nicola van Niekerk, head of Premium Content and Co-Productions at MultiChoice.

Rapid Blue produced Is’thunzi, which earned Thuso Mbedu two International Emmy nominations, as well as formats such as Dancing With The Stars, The Bachelor, Family Feud, Got Talent, Shark Tank, Come Dine With Me and Homegrown Tastes South Africa, to name just a few. 

“We are proud to be producing the first African version of The Office for Showmax and kykNET,” says Rapid Blue managing director Ziyanda Ngcaba. “The format is globally recognised and adored by audiences all over the world.”

Showmax relaunched in February in partnership with Comcast’s NBCUniversal and Sky, and is now powered by the Peacock platform. “The relaunch slate included all nine seasons of the American version of The Office, which went straight into our top five international series on the platform for the month,” says Nicola. “So we know our audience is going to be as excited to see our hyperlocal version as we are to make it.”

Meanwhile, there is a good chance that Africa’s film industry is about to have its own global moment,” says  Nomsa Philiso, CEO of General Entertainment at MultiChoice Group, who reports that more African films and TV series are being broadcast globally than ever before. 

Philiso cited a string of breakthroughs for African content last year. For instance:

• Rise: The Siya Kolisi Story won the Audience Award at Tribeca

• Two Sides was nominated as Best Sports Documentary at the iEmmys

• Catch Me A Killer became the first South African series in competition at Series Mania and won a British Production Designer’s Guild award

• Wyfie was nominated at the Global Production Awards and for Best TV Series at Seoul

• Spinners became the first African series at Canneseries and beat the Emmy-winning final season of Succession to be named Best Foreign Series at Shanghai’s Magnolia Award

MultiChoice has also been taking African stories to the world through their sales arm, MultiChoice Studios, and partnerships with distributors like Abacus, AMC, Fremantle, StudioCanal and The Exchange, who are repping MIPAfrica’s opening film, The Fix. 

After Reyka opened the Monte-Carlo Television Festival and earned International Emmy nominations for Best Drama and Best Actress for Kim Engelbrecht in 2022, Fremantle sold the first series of the crime drama to over 150 territories, including BritBox North America, CANAL+, Channel4 (UK), HBO LatAm, and Sky Italia. Launched in February 2024, Season 2 moves the crime scenes from the cane fields to the Durban harbour, the largest port in Africa, with Fremantle again doing brisk sales. 

There are many more examples:

•The Real Housewives of Durban has now screened on the likes of hayu, Peacock and Bravo, the original home of the franchise

• In January 2024, Devil’s Peak sold to Tubi for North America

• In February 2024, Abacus sold Catch Me A Killer to the likes of Britbox North America, UKTV and SBS Australia

• In May 2024, Fremantle sold White Lies to the likes of Sundance Now in North America, with the Natalie Dormer-led crime drama reaching #3 on STAN in Australia and recently adding Channel4 (UK)

• In July, Spinners charted at #6 during its primetime run on CANAL+ in France, having also sold to the likes of Globo Brasil. Season 2 is currently in development. 

• Acorn TV has just sold Berlinale Series Market Selects title Recipes for Love and Murder to UKTV’s Alibi Channel – with the murder mystery now available in 95 countries, including in Japan on the NHK-owned Mystery Channel.

Philiso emphasised that while international reach is important, MultiChoice’s primary goal remains producing content for its core audience across Africa.“Like everyone else, Africans want to hear their own languages and see themselves reflected in what they watch,” she says. “On Showmax, 9/10 of the most watched shows since its relaunch in February have been local. It took a massive show like House of the Dragon to make a dent.”

MultiChoice is Africa’s largest content producer, with a presence in 50 of Africa’s 54 countries, telling stories in 45 languages. Recent highlights include Shaka iLembe, the most Googled TV series in South Africa last year, and Big Brother Naija, which generated 1.8 billion votes last year. East African content is also thriving, with Showmax Originals Pepeta and The Real Housewives of Nairobi taking home the Viewers’ Choice and Best TV Show prizes respectively at the 2024 Kalasha Awards.