Hartklop (Heartbeat) is a South African, Afrikaans-language medical drama television series which revolves around the staff and patients at the Beyers Naudé Academic Hospital, a state hospital in Johannesburg and the top training hospital in the country.
Six characters, each with their own story, have one thing in common: the Beyers Naudé Academic Hospital.
Of the six lead characters, three are interns.
Simoné Pretorius is Dr. Elani Breytenbach, who comes from a priviliged background in which her mother, a lawyer, will do anything for her daughter.
Her clinical associate is Dr. Veronica Pietersen (Renate Stuurman) and the consultant, or head of the department, is Dr. Suzanne de Jongh (Marlee van der Merwe).
Carla Classen is Dr. Karima Salie, who works in emergency and trauma and wants to leave her conservative background behind.
Karima and Elani were roommates at the University of Pretoria.
Dr. Louw van Onselen (David Louw) is the clinical associate and the head of the department is Dr. Daniel Strydom (Jacques Bessenger).
Dr. Fezile Nodada, played by Oros Mampofu, is a young man from the Eastern Cape who is caught between Western medicine and African traditions and wants to become a surgeon.
The clinical associate he works with is Dr. Jolene Joubert (Leandie du Randt).
The consultant of surgery is Prof. Gustav Coetzee (Dawid Minnaar) and Christel van den Bergh is Anke Dempsey, a highly skilled nurse in the emergency unit.
Guest cast include Christel van den Bergh, Arno Marais, Rika Sennett, Thulani Mtsweni, Susan Coetzer, Vusi Thanda, Esmeralda Bihl, Christo Davids, Elma Postma, Francois Jacobs and Bouwer Bosch.
The hospital scenes were filmed at the Solomon Stix Morewa Memorial Hospital and the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.
The medical storylines are all based on actual cases and a team of doctors acted as advisers.
Trained theatre sisters helped with the filming of the operating scenes to make them as realistic a possible.
Hartklop was created and Zoë Laband, who is also the head writer.
The series is produced by JP Potgieter for Quizzical Pictures, with executive producers Harriet Gavshon, Nicola van Niekerk and Wikus du Toit.
The directors are Harold Hölscher and Christo Davids.
Original music is by Dawie de Jager.