Production on Die Kantoor, a South African adaptation of iconic show, The Office, is officially underway.
The show will premiere on Showmax and kykNET in early 2026 and Bennie Fourie will be writing and directing. The ensemble cast includes Albert Pretorius, Schalk Bezuidenhout, Lida Botha, Carl Beukes, Ilse Oppelt and more. Pretorius will start as the office manager.
kykNET will give audiences the first look with a preview episode airing at 20:00 on Sunday, 18 January 2026, and it will be followed by a Showmax double-bill premiere on Tuesday, 20 January 2026. This will also marked the 14th international remake of the globally beloved show.
Leading the project is SAFTA and Silwerskerm winner Bennie Fourie who serves as head writer and director. Fourie, known for co-creating the SAFTA-winning TV comedy Hotel and starring in Magda Louw. He says taking on The Office is a career milestone.
“It’s a massive honour to be able to make the show,” he says. “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.”
Rather than a direct translation, Fourie has reimagined the series through a uniquely South African lens. The story shifts from a paper company to Deluxe Processed Meats, a polony producer, an industry choice filled with comedic potential.
“South Africa is a proud meat-consuming nation,” he explains. “From biltong to droëwors to steak, many South Africans find identity in the meat we eat. But polony is not on that list. It’s just so flippen pink.”
In “Die Kantoor”, tensions run high as staff face pressure from head office Deluxe Meats, which specialises in premium cuts, and uncertainty after a BBBEE business consortium acquires a major stake in the company.
2025 Fleur du Cap winner Albert Pretorius leads the ensemble as Flip, an eager office manager who believes the documentary crew will capture his rise to greatness. The cast also features SAFTA winner Schalk Bezuidenhout, screen veteran Lida Botha, Carl Beukes, Silwerskerm winner Ilse Oppelt, Daniah de Villiers, Mehboob Bawa, presenter Sipumziwe Lucwaba, and newcomer Gert du Plessis.
Rapid Blue, part of BBC Studios is producing the Showmax Original. BBC Studios will handle global sales. The Office was created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. The American version of the show won five Emmys, including Outstanding Comedy Series, and was the most streamed show in the world in 2020. It also recently got a spinoff show called The Paper which is also available on Showmax.
Die Kantoor is set to bring local flavour and plenty of polony-driven chaos to TV.
