'Oubaas' and 'Hilda' reunites on-screen as Pierre van Pletzen joins Annelisa Weiland in kykNET's Suidooster

Thinus Ferreira

It's an on-screen reunion for actors Annelisa Weiland and Pierre van Pletzen, with Van Pletzen who is joining kykNET's (DStv 144) Afrikaans weekday soap Suidooster.

Anneliza Weiland and Pierre van Pletzen played the iconic duo Hilda and Oubaas for decades in SABC2's now-cancelled Afrikaans weekday soap 7de Laan until first Van Pletzen and later Weiland, were let go as the Danie Odendaal Productions show got rid of the older characters and actors.

Weiland joined the cast of Suidooster in 2019 as a new character.

Now Van Pletzen is joining the show, also as a new character called Willie, from the episode to be shown on 2 April.

"This time the dynamic is different between us since Pierre's character is a lot different from Oubaas and Kate is also very different to Hilda," Weiland says in a supplied quote.

Willie is a retired train driver who was or still is involved in illegal diamond trading.

Van Pletzen's return not only reunites him with Weiland but also with Ingrid Paulus who is a director on Suidooster and who played the character of Vanessa Meintjies on 7de Laan.

"It wasn't strange to work with Annelisa and Ingrid again, although I haven't seen much of them the past decade," says Van Pletzen in a supplied quote.

"The three of us have come a long way from 7de Laan - 17 years to be exact. The same with Neil Rattray, the head of sound at Suidooster."

Pierre van Pletzen abruptly drops out of Comedy Central Africa and Showmax's Comedy Central Roast of AKA without any reason.

Pierre van Pletzen on Thursday abruptly dropped out of Comedy Central Africa (DStv 122) and Showmax's Comedy Central Roast of AKA as a panellist without a reason, hours before the show was recorded on Thursday night at the Teatro at Montecasino in Johannesburg.

No reason was given with Viacom Africa citing "unforeseen circumstances" that wasn't explained.

It left the Comedy Central Roast of AKA  (real name Kiernan Forbes) with one less panellist on stage at the sold-out show that will be broadcast on 11 March on Comedy Central, with an uncensored version that will become available on 12 March on MultiChoice's video streaming service Showmax.

Pierre van Pletzen was originally announced to form part of the panellists including Nigeria's Davido, Moshe Ndiki as well as Papa Penny, Joey Rasdien, Moonchild Sanelly and also including Mark Fish, Nina Hastie and Francois van Coke, with Pearl Thusi as the roastmaster.

"However, due to unforeseen circumstances, Pierre van Pletzen is unable to participate in the panel of the Comedy Central Roast of AKA," Viacom Africa said in a statement received on Thursday night before the start of the recording of the show.

Viacom Africa's Comedy Central Roast of AKA adds Davido, Moshe Ndiki and Pierre van Pletzen as Roast panellists.

Viacom Africa's Comedy Central Roast of AKA on Comedy Central (DStv 121) has added Davido, Moshe Ndiki and Pierre van Pletzen as roaster panellists, in addition to the already announced Papa Penny, Joey Rasdien, Moonchild Sanelly as well as Mark Fish, Nina Hastie and Francois van Coke.

Viacom International Media Networks Africa (VIMN Africa) announced the third set of roasters who will be taking on the notorious rapper when the Comedy Central Roast of AKA is recorded on 21 February at The Teatro at Montecasino, Johannesburg with Pearl Thusi as the roastmaster.

The Comedy Central Roast of AKA (real name Kiernan Forbes) will be broadcast on Comedy Central, with the uncensored version going to MultiChoice's Showmax video streaming service.

 The Comedy Central Roast of AKA will be broadcast on Comedy Central on 11 March 2019, with an extended and uncut version that will be released a day later on Showmax on 12 March.

Davido (real name David Adedeji Adeleke) is the first Nigerian to ever join the Africa/South African version of Comedy Central Roast.

"At VIMN Africa we continuously evolve and innovate content to create unique and engaging experiences for our audiences that drive culture," says Alex Okosi, the executive vice president and managing director at VIMN Africa.

"In a continental first, this Comedy Central Roast now transcends boundaries by welcoming Africa's international star, Davido, to the panel."

"This is going to be a hilarious night," says Davido. "I'm ready, Africa are you ready? This is a Roast so nothing is off limits."

Moshe Ndiki says "This wil lbe a platform for me to query aspects of how AKA believes he is the first guy to invent blond hair in December, he might as well have pioneered the passion gap for coloured folk. I mean, he is the first coloured guy on Earth according to his tweets".

Pierre van Pletzen says "It feels wonderful to be part of the Comedy Central Roast of AKA, whom I'd like to address as the non-humble infamously popular rapper, about a few things; his no-show at performances, his knowledge of geography and since he says he loves soccer, I would like to ask if he's practising is technique by kicking fans off the stage?"

Filming starts on new Afrikaans kykNET comedy, Mense, Mense, set for broadcast from April - but why add yet another lazy, reduplication show title?

Filming has started on a new Afrikaans comedy for kykNET (DStv 144), lazily-badly entitled Mense, Mense, and set for broadcast on M-Net's Afrikaans pay-TV channel from Monday 9 April at 20:30.

The comedy produced by Nouvanaand Films and set in Johannesburg, revolves around a group of friends who are sharing their professional and personal lives as they live, work and interact together within the same building.

The Mense, Mense "cast cast" includes the singer Bobby van Jaarsveld and actors Crystal-Donna Roberts, Solomon Cupido, as well as Sandra Prinsloo as the building's landlord; in addition to Lea Vivier as well as Reynardt Slabbert.

kykNET says "Mense, Mense exposes the see-saw journey of friendship, relationships and adulthood, but above all the unbreakable love between strangers who become family".

Pierre van Pletzen is the director.

With Mense, Mense it is interesting that kykNET continues not to appear willing to put in the work and time to develop apt, original Afrikaans show titles, and struggles to use the rich, existing Afrikaans lexicon to find words to not just properly define programmes, but to indicate to viewers what they are about.

The repetitive and generic Mense, Mense joins the kykNET schedule that already has, and suffers from, reduplication like Parlement, Parlement that doesn't tell viewers not familiar with shows what they are.

There's also a problematic and lazy "Op Die" ["On the"] title trend on kykNET with show titles called Oppi Kassie [On the Box] and Oppie Stoep [On the Stoep], and even Op Die Spel.

Ideally no TV channel should ever have, or allow, even two show titles that are remotely close to each other in name.

American TV channel executives told The Hollywood Reporter back in 2012 about the topic of picking and assigning TV show names, that "You've got to have something that makes people say, 'I want to check that out'. It has to be catchy, and it has to frame for the audience the context of the show".

An Australian showrunner in 2010 about the same subject, told The Sydney Morning Herald that "unless you're expressing yourself properly with the title, you're most unlikely to succeed".

If kykNET orders some Steri-Stumpies for whoever all are responsible, and make them brainstorm for half an hour, surely better titles idea can be dreamt up than Mense, Mense.

7de Laan's 'Oubaas' gets a makeover as actor-director Pierre van Pletzen resurfaces on kykNET soap Getroud met Rugby as a new character.

The tousled side-hair are gone. So is the moustache. 

Oubaas got a big makeover and looks strikingly different - as the actor and director Pierre van Pletzen is getting ready to make his appearance as a brand-new character in kykNET's (DStv 144) Afrikaans soap Getroud met Rugby from early 2018.

After he got unceremoniously fired in June by Danie Odendaal Productions producing the SABC's Afrikaans weekday soap 7de Laan on SABC2, Pierre van Pletzen was snapped up for his acting and directing services by several TV productions doing shows for rival pay-TV broadcaster M-Net's Afrikaans language kykNET channel.

This year Pierre van Pletzen started appearing in kykNET's comedy Phil 101 and the reality show Die Ooms se Band on VIA (DStv 147) while the number of his 7de Laan scenes earlier this year dramatically got downsized and dwindled until he got his marching orders.

Some of the other older 7de Laan actors who were also abruptly changed from permanent to on-call status, remain with the show.

Now the widely respected and veteran artist Pierre van Pletzen has found new professional life both on-screen and off - just like during his heydey on 7de Laan when he was allowed to do more than one job at the same production before the rules were unilaterally changed due to SABC mandated orders.

From 15 January Pierre van Pletzen will make his first appearance on-screen on kykNET's Afrikaans soap Getroud met Rugby as a new character.

The clean-shaven character - complete with gold chain around the neck - is light years removed from the curmudgeonly, bumbling, old-man jersey wearing caretaker of The Heights where Pierre played a character decades older than his real age.

Pierre van Pletzen - who said that he won't set a foot back on the 7de Laan set just after an awkward press statement from the show that said it was looking forward to the character returning in the future when the news of his exit was announced - told Beeld newspaper last week that he is shocked about the latest in absentia twist for the Oubaas character.

It has now been revealed in 7de Laan through other characters, that Oubaas has secretly been carrying on an extra-marital affair with another woman for years, something that Pierre van Pletzen said is a "slap in the face of Oubaas, for the public, and for me as an actor".

"Why would you suddenly change the most dependable character, who loved his wife for 17 and a half years, who praised her and ate her bad food, in a philanderer?"  

Besides his on-screen role in Getroud met Rugby, Pierre van Pletzen is also heading up the directing team at the new kykNET comedy, Die Kasteel (The Castle) with Josh Rous and Andre Odendaal. 

Episodes of Die Kasteel is currently being recorded at Sasani Studios in Johannesburg in front of a live studio audience as part of a 26-episode first season order.

Die Kasteel, also starting in January 2018 on kykNET is produced by Rous House Productions.

Starring Dorette Potgieter and Hannes Muller as former beauty queen Tina-Marie and her husband Eckard, a high society couple decides to turn their "castle" - their mansion in the posh suburb of Waterkloof - into a boutique hotel due to financial problems, where "Fawlty Towers" type shenanigans ensue as they try to run an accomodation establishment.

Oubaas out at 7de Laan as actor Pierre van Pletzen is leaving the SABC2 soap; character won't get divorced or die, says producers.

Oubaas is out at 7de Laan with actor Pierre van Pletzen who played the iconic character for 17 years, leaving the Danie Odendaal Productions weekday soap in early August after he was unceremoniously fired by the production company after years of loyal service.

The producers of the weekday Afrikaans soap told TVwithThinus that the character of Septimus van Zyl, known as Oubaas ("Old Boss") that lives in a flat in Hillside Heights in the fictional Hillside suburb in Johannesburg and who is married to Hilda (Annelisa Weiland) is being written out of the show but that the character won't get divorced or die.

The extremely well-liked and highly regarded Pierre van Pletzen (65) who also used to be one of the directors of the soap until 2016 when he was prevented from continuing in a dual on-set role due to newly enforced SABC rules, will leave the soap and film his last scene on 14 August.

Since the soap films episodes some months in advance, the final scenes with Oubaas, known for his mixed metaphors, will only be broadcast on SABC2 in the latter part of 2017 during the 19th season.

The veteran actor, director and musician Pierre van Pletzen is one of the last remaining original actors and characters left who has been with the soap since its inception on SABC2 in 2000 - but now he has been fired as well.

The production company said "as of 14 August Pierre van Pletzen won't form part of the 7de Laan cast" and that "on his exit he won't be killed nor divorced from Hilda. We don't have immediate plans for his character but the possibility always exists for him to come and visit for a story arc."

The production company gave no reasons for why Pierre van Pletzen was let go.

"Pierre has been a valuable part of 7de Laan for many years. His contribution is highly appreciated.We will not be saying goodbye to Pierre as he will be visiting from time to time."

Meanwhile the bulk of the South Africa's viewers and even the local TV fraternity are completely unaware of the extremely hard-working Pierre van Pletzen's unofficial South African and Afrikaans television "Guinness Book of Records"-like achievement.

This month Pierre van Pletzen became the first artist to appear on three different and competing TV channels simultaneously, starring in three different Afrikaans shows, in different roles.

He's the first and so far only person to appear on SABC2, the Afrikaans lifestyle channel VIA (DStv 147) and the Afrikaans entertainment channel kykNET (DStv 144) at the same time in first-run productions.

Besides his role in the Afrikaans soap 7de Laan on SABC2, the veteran performer can also be seen as a bumbling university academic in the new Afrikaans comedy Phil 101 on kykNET and as himself in the new Afrikaans reality music series, Die Ooms se Band on VIA setting up a new band called Harrebaard with Frank Opperman.

The more on-screen appearances and more work in different shows Pierre van Pletzen did the past few months besides just 7de Laan are in fact a direct result of what happened behind the scenes at the soap.

While the SABC's now fired Hlaudi Motsoeneng in 2016 as chief operating officer (COO) kept publicly touting how he's creating a better dispensation for artists and actors, behind the scenes the public broadcaster made things much worse and more difficult for creatives and production companies.

The SABC ordered shows like 7de Laan to end the practice of "double dipping" where people could fulfill and be paid for more than one role. Pierre van Pletzen subsequently lost the directing part of his job at Danie Odendaal Productions that abruptly saw his income halved.

On orders from the SABC to broadly "revitalise" the soap, the older character actors like Pierre van Pletzen, Anneliza Weiland and Annelize van der Ryst (Matrone) in 7de Laan also saw their contracts being changed from permanent to so-called "on call" actors that also had a negative impact.

According to insiders, the multi-tasking and skilled Pierre van Pletzen, known among his colleagues for often taking catnaps on sets in-between filming, won't struggle to find new work opportunities and will likely be snapped up for new acting and directing work at other Afrikaans soaps and productions.