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‘Die Kantoor’: Q&A with Albert Pretorius – the Rassie Erasmus of polony from SA’s ‘The Office’

More than two decades have passed since Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant introduced audiences to the brilliantly bleak mockumentary universe of The Office. The original British version is considered one of the best comedy series of all time, while the American adaptation claimed five Emmys, including Outstanding Comedy Series, and became the most-streamed show globally in 2020. This widespread appeal has spawned remakes for audiences worldwide, with the proudly South African version – Die Kantoor — marking the winning format’s 14th international adaptation. When and where to watch ‘Die Kantoor’ The first episode will preview on kykNET at 8pm this Sunday, 18 January, ahead of the Showmax double-bill premiere on Tuesday, 20 January, followed by an episode a week on both platforms. WATCH: First-look trailer The first-look trailer released this week gives South Africans a taste of 2025 Fleur du Cap and Woordfees winner Albert Pretorius (Niggies; Nêrens, Noord-Kaap) as Flip, the manager at polony distributors Deluxe Processed Meats. ‘Die Kantoor’: Schalk Bezuidenhout and more Schalk Bezuidenhout promises to spice things up in the Showmax Original ‘Die Kantoor’. Picture: Supplied In addition to Pretorius, the 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-fire Q&A with Albert Pretorius – Flip from ‘Die Kantoor’ The manager is an iconic role that earned both Ricky Gervais and Steve Carell their first Golden Globes. Did you feel the pressure? Yes, it’s a scary one; this is one of the dream ones. Very few people ever get to play a role this big. Tell us about Flip… Flip thinks of himself as the Rassie Erasmus of polony. In his mind, the documentary crew is making his Chasing the Sun, about how he’s taking this team to the next level. He grew up watching Leon Schuster, so he also loves Candid Camera pranks and is trying to bring those into the documentary, too. Albert Pretorius steps into the role of Flip in ‘Die Kantoor’. Picture: Supplied He’s grappling with what it means to be a man – an Afrikaans man – but he doesn’t realise that a lot of the qualities he aspires to are archaic. Or that he actually has very few of these qualities. That’s where the comedy lies, because he tries so bloody hard just to be liked. Isn’t that what cringe is? People trying their best by being the absolute worst. Were you a fan of ‘The Office’ before you started shooting? I watched the UK version in drama school at UCT and didn’t realise it was fake for the first 15 minutes. Then I was like, “You guys! Oh, wow! Okay, okay, this is genius.” I loved it so much that I refused to watch the American version at first. But that one carried me through Covid. They’re very different but both brilliant. Which did you prefer? I can’t say. I love the cringe of the UK one and the heart of the American one. Ricky Gervais (left) and Steve Carrel as David Brent in the British version of ‘The Office’ and Michael Scott in the US version, respectively. Pictures: Screengrabs/ YouTube I love Ricky Gervais: He’s the original, and it’s his brainchild. But there’s also something about Steve Carrel, and I think his relationship with Holly is one of the most beautiful romances in the history of TV. Which one is ‘Die Kantoor‘ closest to? We have our own sense of humour, so ours is different from both. It’s not quite the UK cringe or as over-the-top as the American humour. It’s something else again. Also binge the American version of The Office S1-S9 and its spin-off, The Paper, on Showmax.

2 hours ago

SA Rugby Player of the Year awards: All the nominees

Good luck trying to figure out who’ll walk away with the SA Rugby men’s player of the year award for 2025. The nominees are last year’s World Rugby player of the year, Malcolm Marx, Springbok flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Springbok loosehead prop Ox Nche, multiple award-winner Pieter-Steph du Toit and powerhouse Bok No 8 Jasper Wiese. The nominees, announced on Friday, were voted for by members of the media and national teams coaching staff. Du Toit, a former winner of both SA Rugby and World Rugby’s top awards, and Nche were on the shortlist last year too, and both were also nominated for the World Rugby award, while Feinberg-Mngomezulu, like the other four, was named in World Rugby’s 2025 Dream Team. Wiese equally had a stellar season for the Boks and has been nominated for the first time for the top award in South African rugby. In the category Young player of the year, Feinberg-Mngomezulu will be up against Bok team-mates Ethan Hooker, Canan Moodie and Zachary Porthen while the fifth nominee, Haashim Pead, played a key role for the Junior Boks in their World Rugby U20 Championship triumph. Pead has also been nominated in the category for Junior Springbok Player of the Year, along with SA U20 captain Riley Norton, and Cheswill Jooste, while the three nominees for the Springbok Sevens Men’s Player of the Year Award are Selvyn Davids, Shilton van Wyk and Impi Visser, all of whom were part of the Blitzboks squad that won the World Championship in Los Angeles in May. The winners will be announced in the coming weeks. All the nominees: SA Rugby Men’s Player of the Year• Pieter-Steph du Toit• Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu• Malcolm Marx• Ox Nche• Jasper Wiese SA Rugby Women’s Player of the Year• Byrhandré Dolf• Aseza Hele• Libbie Janse van Rensburg• Babalwa Latsha• Nadine Roos SA Rugby Young Player of the Year• Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Springboks / Stormers)• Ethan Hooker (Springboks / Sharks)• Canan Moodie (Springboks / Bulls)• Haashim Pead (Junior Springboks / Lions)• Zachary Porthen (Springboks / Stormers) Springbok Sevens Men’s Player of the Year• Selvyn Davids• Shilton van Wyk• Impi Visser Junior Springbok Player of the Year• Cheswill Jooste• Riley Norton• Haashim Pead Team of the Year• Junior Springboks• Springboks• Springbok Sevens Coach of the Year• Swys de Bruin (Springbok Women)• Rassie Erasmus (Springboks)• Kevin Foote (Junior Springboks)• Philip Snyman (Springbok Sevens) Currie Cup Premier Division Player of the Year• Donavan Don (Boland Kavaliers)• Gurshwin Wehr (Griquas)• George Whitehead (Griquas) Currie Cup First Division Player of the Year• Keagan Fortune (Valke)• Andrew Kota (Griffons)• Willem van den Hever (Griffons)

3 hours ago