Die Boekklub is an Afrikaans-language South African drama series that originally aired on kykNET from 2016 to 2021. It was created by Quenting Krog and Louis Pretorius and chronicles the personal lives of members of a book club, including actors Armand Aucamp, Christia Visser and Jana Cilliers. It is set and partly filmed in Merweville in the Karoo, and has been a driver of tourism in the town.[1][2]
In Merweville, a quiet, unassuming dorp, the warmth of community is kept alive through more than just hospitality, it thrives in a book club that has endured for 25 years. Started by the late Bettie, a woman who believed deeply in the power of stories, the club continues to bring together a group of passionate readers led by Bettie's close friends and her grandson, a Cape Town writer, Tom Niemandt. Their reading choices spark conversations, reveal hidden tensions, and uncover unexpected adventures in their everyday lives.[1]
Cast
Armand Aucamp as Tom Niemandt, a writer from Cape Town that moves to Merweville to concentrate on his writing and run the bed and breakfast left to him by his grandmother, Bettie.
Christia Visser as Lillie Human, a photographer and granddaughter of Jan and Anna
Jana Cilliers as Anna Uys, a herbalist, wife of Jan and grandmother of Lillie
Paul du Toit as Gert Grobler, butcher of Merweville and widower
Arno Marais as Herman Mouton, friend of Tom's in Cape Town and partner of Altus
Stian Bam as Altus, a farmer that comes out as gay and develops a relationship with Herman
Nicole Holm as Hanli Oberholzer, a farmer's wife
Lee-Ann van Rooi as Gerwin Goliath, a schoolteacher
June van Merch as Sofia Matthews, co-runs the bed and breakfast with Tom
De Klerk Oelofse as Louwrens, a local cop
Anrich Herbst as Johan
Tessa Denton as Isabel, a doctor and Tom's girlfriend after Lillie moves to Euroe
Antoinette Kellermann as Gertruida
Pierre van Pletzen as Piet Smit
Pietie Beyers as John, friend of Tom
Nicole Fortuin as Julia
Margit Meyer-Rödenbeck as Vera Klopper
Broadcast
The series was first broadcast by kykNET, an Afrikaans television channel, in 2016.[3] The series made a surprise return in 2021 for a third season, which was set in the future, in 2024.[4]
Reception
The first season garnered critical acclaim and won two South African Film and Television Awards in 2017 for Best Achievement in Scriptwriting and Best Supporting Actress in a TV drama (Cilliers).[5]
In a 2020 column in the Daily Maverick, Oscar van Heerden addressed the second season, praising the characters and writing, concluding that it is a "marvellous series."[1]
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