Franschhoek owes its existence to a “diverse group of courageous individuals who, in extraordinary circumstances, left their pasts behind with the promise of a second chance at life and created a society far from their homes, friends and families.” It sounds almost like the basis of a good movie plot – and rather amazingly it is. In fact the preceding quote is paraphrased from the press release that sets the scene for the soon-to-be-hit BBC One series currently being filmed in the Franschhoek valley, called Outcasts.
Big names on set include Eric Mabius (Daniel Meade of Ugly Betty), Liam Cunningham (Clash of the Titans), Hermione Norris (Spooks), Daniel Mays (Ashes to Ashes), Amy Manson (Desperate Romantics) and Jamie Bamber (Battlestar Gallactica). Filmed on location in the valley, the series plays out on the planet Carpathia, in the town of Forthaven, which offers the displaced inhabitants of Earth a chance at redemption and all the inevitable human pitfalls of love, greed, lust, loss and longing. That same press release reads: “As they continue to work and live together they come to realise this is no ordinary [place].”
Ben Stephenson, of the BBC says: “Outcasts is a richly intelligent, character led drama full of big ideas about what it is to be human told through thrilling and surprising stories… with compelling characters and it is hugely exciting that this amazing cast is going to bring it to life.” It’s no wonder then that they’ve chosen the inspiring Franschhoek valley as their home-from-home. “The Franschhoek mountains offer us the epic locations that we wouldn’t find anywhere else,” says the Pearl Valley-based producer Radford Neville, who has the likes of Married, Single, Other and Wuthering Heights under his belt. Other notable names include directors Bharat Nalluri (Tsunami, Spooks, Hustle, Life On Mars) and Omar Madha (Spooks, Law & Order, Burn Up), Executive Producers Matthew Read (for the BBC) and Jane Featherstone, Simon Crawford Collins, Faith Penhale and Ben Richards of Kudos, the company that has produced a number of award-winning series such as Spooks, Hustle, Life On Mars and Ashes To Ashes.
The valley has accommodated the big names associated with the Outcasts production with little hype or fanfare. The well-known personalities, such as Mabius and Norris, have enjoyed the cosmopolitan nature of Franschhoek, which has allowed them to integrate themselves into the local community despite their fame. Like Forthaven, Franschhoek is no ordinary place and can truly claim to be the place to live, work and play from the famous to the outcasts.
Chris Hoffmann is at Topsi & Co, now called Cafe des Arts. Read all about him and his move (back) to Franschhoek in the September edition.
The Franschhoek SPCA Art Auction features a number of unique commissioned pieces created using wine barrel ends and available exclusively through the Franschhoek SPCA's online auction site. It's worth a visit - here.
Franschhoek owes its existence to a “diverse group of courageous individuals who, in extraordinary circumstances, left their pasts behind with the promise of a second chance at life and created a society far from their homes, friends and families.” It sounds almost like the basis of a good movie plot – and rather amazingly it is. In fact the preceding quote is paraphrased from the press release that sets the scene for the soon-to-be-hit BBC One series currently being filmed in the Franschhoek valley, called Outcasts.
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