Africa’s re-imagining of The Office

Venecia Valentine

Showmax has released the first trailer for Die Kantoor, the South African adaptation of the global hit The Office, licensed by BBC Studios. The series introduces a sharply local take on the mockumentary format, led by a boss who believes he is far more inspiring than he is.

When and where to watch

The series premieres on kykNET at 8pm on Sunday, 18 January. It then premieres as a double bill on Showmax on Tuesday, 20 January, followed by weekly episodes on both platforms.

Meet Flip, South Africa’s new office boss

At the centre of Die Kantoor is Albert Pretorius, the 2025 Fleur du Cap and Woordfees winner. He steps into one of television’s most recognisable roles as Flip, the manager of polony distributors Deluxe Processed Meats.

Flip sees himself as a visionary leader. In reality, he is deeply unaware of how others experience him.

“Flip thinks of himself as the Rassie Erasmus of polony,” Pretorius says. “In his mind, the documentary crew is filming his own Chasing the Sun.”

Big shoes, real pressure

The boss role in The Office franchise launched award-winning turns by Ricky Gervais and Steve Carell. Pretorius admits the weight of expectation was real.

“Yes, it’s a scary one. This is one of the dream roles. Very few people ever get to play a character this big.”

Cringe with a local edge

Pretorius describes Flip as a man trapped between outdated ideas of masculinity and a desperate need to be liked. Raised on Leon Schuster films, Flip is obsessed with candid-camera humour and tries to import pranks into the workplace, usually with disastrous results.

“He’s grappling with what it means to be an Afrikaans man,” Pretorius explains. “He does not realise the qualities he wants are archaic, or that he has very few of them. That’s where the comedy lives.”

He adds, “Cringe is people trying their best by being the absolute worst.”

Shock, then trust in the script

Pretorius says his first encounter with the material was confronting.

“They sent me one monologue without context and my reaction was, ‘We cannot say any of this.’”

Reading the full scripts changed his view.

“There is idiocy, but there is also heart and relatability. When Flip crosses a line, the show knows it. Someone reacts. The camera reacts. It is not there for shock alone.”

A lifelong fan of The Office

Pretorius first watched the original UK series while studying drama at the University of Cape Town.

“I thought it was real for the first 15 minutes. Then I realised how clever it was.”

He later embraced the US version during lockdown.

“They are very different. I love the cringe of the UK one and the heart of the American one.”

So where does Die Kantoor sit?

“We have our own humour. It is not quite UK cringe or American exaggeration. It is something else.”

An ensemble-driven workplace

True to the mockumentary format, actors stayed at their desks even when not in a scene.

“The cameras could catch them at any moment, so everyone stayed in character. It felt like a real office.”

Pretorius says viewers will notice the ensemble strength immediately.

“It is a look, a raised eyebrow, a quiet reaction. That is what sells it.”

The cast

• Albert Pretorius
• Schalk Bezuidenhout
• Lida Botha
• Carl Beukes
• Ilse Oppelt
• Daniah de Villiers
• Mehboob Bawa
• Sipumziwe Lucwaba
• Gert du Plessis