''The Dingleys'' is an early

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

family drama from 1977, following the

South African Broadcasting Corporation The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is the public broadcaster in South Africa, and provides 19 radio stations ( AM/ FM) as well as six television broadcasts to the general public. It is one of the largest of South Africa's state ...

introduction of television This is a list of when the first publicly announced television broadcasts occurred in the mentioned countries. Non-public field tests and closed circuit demonstrations are not included. This list should not be interpreted to mean the whole of ...

. Set in

Pietermaritzburg Pietermaritzburg (; Zulu: umGungundlovu) is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. Its Zulu name umGungundlovu ...

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...

(now

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...

), it centred on a fictional middle-class, white South African, English-speaking family, the Dingleys, who own a bookshop.Boer War on the box
Richard West, ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...

'', 9 April 1977, page 7 The series starred John Hussey, Vera Blacker, Sybel Coetzee and

Eckard Rabe Eckard Rabe is a former South African film, television and theatre actor. He is now a teacher at Parktown Boys' High School. He was born in 1948 in St Winifreds, Natal and grew up in Port Shepstone. He acted as the business tycoon and patriarch o ...

. It was directed by Bill Faure. Although some outdoor scenes were shot on location in Pietermaritzburg, most of the show was recorded on a set in the SABC's Johannesburg studios. Celia Motsie, who played the only black character in the series, was removed after she shared a table with white cast members in the SABC's whites-only canteen. It received mixed reviews from South African viewers, with the ''

Rand Daily Mail ''The Rand Daily Mail'' was a South African newspaper published from 1902 until it was controversially closed in 1985 after adopting an outspoken anti-apartheid stance in the midst of a massive clampdown on activists by the security forces. The ...

'' publishing complaints from readers under the heading "The Dingleys are dreadful", although others described it as "good clean fun", praising the sight of "a family sticking together - be it rather conservative and dull." The theme song, "Dingley's Bookshop", was performed by

Rabbitt Rabbitt were a South African rock band formed in 1972, evolving from a band called The Conglomeration, consisting of members Trevor Rabin, Duncan Faure, Ronnie Robot, and Neil Cloud. Their successes included making it to the top of the South A ...

, and featured on their album ''A Croak And A Grunt In The Night''. One of its members, Duncan Faure, was the brother of the programme's producer.''The White Tribes Revisited''
Richard West, Private Eye Productions, page 124

External links

Dingley's Bookshop - YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dingleys Pietermaritzburg South African drama television series South African Broadcasting Corporation television shows Television shows set in South Africa 1977 in South African television 1970s South African television series 1977 South African television series debuts