13 years, 13 seasons and 3000 episodes.
The production invited us to celebrate the occasion with the cast and crew at a flashy shindig exactly a week ago and I hit the party for us:
It was held at fancy pants Stark Studios in Randburg, where the soapie's filmed. They're the flashiest studios I've been to...
... this is one of the "casual" relaxation areas where the cast and crew hang out in between filming.
And this... it's either supposed to be a fish pond or a swimming pool but it's neither. You can't dive - too shallow - but according to Dr. Gustav Kemp a.k.a. Stefan Ludik, the cast are known to pile into it at parties.
Nadia Valvekens (Pippa) and Hans Strydom (At) having a squeeze at the fact that they're the only two original remaining cast members who've been with Binnelanders since the start.
Binnelanders Head Writer Mitzi Booysen, who's been with the show since before them already. Mitzi was part of the founding team and told me:
She was the only writer then and now they have a team of 12 to 13 people. Seven to eight scriptwriters (based in Joziburg and Cape Town) and five writers who work at Stark, headed up by Mitzi.
Whenever I see Stefan Ludik I think of how he went from Big Brother to a successful TV career and it turns out Big Brother gave him a musical career too.
He's been off Binnelanders for a couple of years now and his main focus is music, performing live shows, recording etc. He told me that the reason he'd entered Big Brother in the first place was because he wanted a platform for his music so it achieved what he wanted it to.
Of course I didn't tell him how I badmouthed him during BB but rather asked about his acting and discovered that he's currently guesting on Isidingo.
The shindig represented a goodbye milestone for Brümilda van Rensburg (Jana) who's leaving the show. She makes her final appearance this Monday (21 May).
Yours Truly with Nadia and Binnelanders' publicist Ernst Swart who I've known for ages. Ernst used to write for TV Plus, which is how I got to know him.
The party also echoed a goodbye for Nadia, who's leaving the show too. She makes her final appearances in late August/beginning of September.
I discovered she has the most remarkable skill of looking hotter and hotter at a party. You know how people start to look iffy, rundown and in need of a shower as the night goes on - not Nadia, she gets fresher and hotter.
The proof was on the dance floor: *
please hear a track of your choice as you browse these pics*
Reynardt Hugo (Dr. Tertius Jonker)
Clint Brink (Dr. Steve Abrahams)
Lea Vivier (Lika)
Ramey Short (Dr. Quinton Meyer)
Binnelanders production assistant Sivuyisiwe Qunta who had the Best Do of the Night.
Binnelanders Final Sound Mixer Eric McKechnie, who has to be the hardest working person on set. He arrives at
04h00 and works until 18h30.
He describes his job as bullsh*tting the audience because he's responsible for all of the sound on the show that creates ambience and the sense of the Binneland world e.g. if someone puts down a glass, he adds the sound effect, if a scene takes place in a restaurant, he adds the restaurant sounds from recordings that he's made in real life.
It takes him 12 to 13 hours to final mix an episode.
Zak Hendrikz (Eben Nel), who seemed as taken with Nadia as I was - I noticed him following her round the dancefloor a
lot.
A screengrab from the new Binnelanders opening theme which debuts tonight.
To relive the 13 seasons of Binnelanders, check out the TVSA Show Page for it - it's the bomb. It gives a brilliant overview of the show over the years. You'll find it here:
Binnelanders TVSA Show Page.