The Office Getting South African Treatment

BBC Studios and the African streamer Showmax have struck up a deal for a South African adaptation of the hit comedy format The Office.

The Showmax original will be produced locally by Rapid Blue, part of BBC Studios’ international family of production companies. The adaptation will launch on both Showmax and kykNET, DStv’s Afrikaans channel.

The South African edition of The Office, which is still untitled, will be its 14th adaption and will be filmed primarily in Afrikaans. Production will begin in 2025.

“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,” said Nicola van Niekerk, Showmax’s acting head of content.

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

“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,” added van Niekerk. “So we know our audience is going to be as excited to see our hyperlocal version as we are to make it.”