A new Afrikaans sitcom, ’Ou Toppies’, explores the lives of four strangers who become “family” after meeting in a retirement home.
The show stars Tobie Cronje, Amos Ketlele-Chalale, Ian Roberts, Simon Bruinders and Heidi Mollentze.
Four elderly men from different backgrounds find themselves living under the same roof. They now need to accept the inevitable and each other and find the fun in ageing.
Boetus (Tobie Cronje) is an ex-actor who moves into a small retirement home, the only building left on land owned by a conglomerate which would love to bulldoze it and develop an estate.
He is forced to rub shoulders with ex-musician/hustler, Jabu Chili, an ex-army commander, George De Bruin, a former food and beverage manager, Alvin Adonis, and a gorgeous, retired doctor, Gloria.
The seniors repeatedly find themselves in tricky situations.
They inevitably compete every chance they get, to the frustration of Gloria (Heidi Mollentze) whose affections are at the top of their bucket list.
But ultimately they must rely on their different strengths and each other to get by.
In the process they become unlikely friends, sharing the ups and downs of retirement and ageing, proving that it is not the end of the line but the start of an adventure.
Nomsa Buthelezi-Shezi stars as Nhlanhla and Sans Moonsamy as Vikesh, a couple working a the home.
“Ou Toppies” starts on SABC2 on February 8 at 7.30pm.