Orkney Snork Nie
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Orkney Snork Nie was a popular Afrikaans sitcom, originally broadcast by the SABC in South Africa between 1989 and 1992. The name translates directly into Orkney Doesn't Snore, but the message being conveyed in Afrikaans is that the town isn't sleepy, there's always something happening. The series was written and directed by Willie Esterhuizen who was also involved in other popular South African series and movies. The series consists of three seasons, with two movies also produced (see below for more details). As of 2006, the series is being rebroadcast on the DStv channel KykNet.
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[edit] Plot
The show was based in the mining town of Orkney, near the city of Johannesburg, and followed the exploits of an Afrikaner family named Van Tonder, a common Afrikaans surname.
The head of the household, Hendrik, worked on the mines and his wife, Maggie, was a housewife. They had four children (listed from oldest to youngest): Bennie, Ouboet, Hester and Wimpie. Neels (nicknamed Ouboet) was a car mechanic. He and his wife, Yolanda (nicknamed Yollie), had a little baby of their own, named Hendrik after his grandfather. Hester (nicknamed Hess) and Wimpie (called Wimps by his girlfriend) were both at school. The character of Bennie was rarely seen as he joined the army in the first season of the series. Wimpie had an on and off relationship with a girl named Sonja, and a best friend named Koert.
From time to time other family members, such as grandfathers and grandmothers would stay with the family and cause all sorts of mischief. Later the family also adopted two orphans, a young Afrikaner girl named Riekie and a coloured boy named Neelsie.
[edit] History
Esterhuizen had played around with the idea since the early 1980's, but the SABC rejected the proposal for five years claiming it was "in bad taste". The series was finally given the go-ahead in 1987, but only after it was laboriously rewritten several times, and even then the SABC held the view that very few Afrikaners would associate with the series.
In May 1989 the first season of 13 episodes was finally broadcast. It was received extremely well, and led to two more seasons, the second being broadcast from August 1990 and the third and final one starting in April 1992.
The success of the TV series, which occupied a top ten spot on ratings for most of its run and held the number one spot for weeks on end, lead to two movies also being produced. Both were extremely successful at the South African box office.
[edit] Controversy
Although the series was one of South Africas best loved and most successful series at the time of its original screening, a small but vocal minority had criticism of the show. Some of those opposed to it felt that the show contained too many English words and slang, so harming the Afrikaans language. Compared to most modern Afrikaans TV shows, this claim now seems almost laughable.
A second group felt that the pressence of Neelsie, the coloured orphan adopted by the family, was inappropriate. It must be remembered that part of the show was broadcast at a time when South Africa was still very much an Apartheid state.
Criticism against the show represented a tiny percentage of viewers though, and it was well received by the vast majority of South Africans.
[edit] Cast
| Role | Actor |
|---|---|
| Hendrik van Tonder | Zack du Plessis |
| Maggie van Tonder | Annette Engelbrecht |
| Bennie van Tonder | Charl van Heyningen |
| Ouboet van Tonder | Frank Opperman |
| Yolanda "Yollie" van Tonder | Sally Campher |
| Wimpie "Wimps" van Tonder | Anrich Herbst |
| Hester "Hess" van Tonder | Clara Joubert |
| Oupa | Jacques Loots |
| Ouma Gous | Dulsie van den Bergh |
| Oom Hans | Danie Smuts |
| Koert | |
| Spike Potas | Pierre van Pletzen |
| Sonja Conradie | Carien Wandrag |
| Riekie van Zyl | Bernice du Plessis |
| Neelsie van Zyl | Eugene Martin |
[edit] Movies
In later years two movies were released based on the television sitcom. Many of the same actors were involved in the movies, though Ouboet was played by Marcel van Heerden in the first one since Frank Opperman was playing the lead role in another South African series The Big Time. The films were:
- Orkney Snork Nie (Die Movie), tagline "Dis Lekker By Die See" (translation: It's Fun At The Sea), released 1992
- Orkney Snork Nie 2, tagline "Nog 'n Movie" (translation: Another Movie), released 1993
