Season 1
Gabriël is a South African, Afrikaans-language television sitcom created and written by Hélène Truter and based on her radio play of the same name revolving around the scandal in a small rural town which arises when the local minister marries an English woman.
Sonderend is a typical rural village where the minister and his wife are more important than the mayor or the president. This is the backdrop against which the sitcom Gabriël plays out.
The story begins when Dominee Gabriël (a widower, played by Marcel van Heerden) attends a church conference and brings along his new wife, Delia (Jo da Silva).
Of course the community is shocked by this development, especially the spinster Eureka (Isadora Verwey), who struggles to accept the marriage. She harbours her own intimate cherished dreams of a life with the "doom".
To make matters worse, according to Eureka, Delia is an "unholy English woman" who is an alternative psychotherapist.
The comedy is built around the events that originate here and was written by Hélène Truter whose own father was a conservative minister.
Other familiar faces starring in the series are Tobie Cronje as Sakkie and Denise Newman as Patience. Newcomers include Quentin Krog as the Reverend's rebellious son Braam and Melt Sieberhagen as Johnny, the naive church organist.
Gabriël was nominated for eight awards at the second South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) in 2007, winning the Best Makeup and Hair in a TV Comedy award. The other nominees were as follows:
- Best TV Comedy
- Best Actress in a TV Comedy (Jo da Silva)
- Best Supporting Actress in a TV Comedy (Elize Cawood)
- Best Supporting Actress in a TV Comedy (Denise Newman)
- Best Supporting Actor in a TV Comedy (Ben Kruger)
- Best Writer/Writing Team in a TV Comedy (Hélène Truter)
- Best Art Direction in a TV Comedy (Naobi Noisette)
Gabriël was created and written by Hélène Truter. The series was produced by Peter Goldsmid and Maragret Goldsmid for Southern Exposure. Music was by Louis van Rensburg.