Karakter S1

Hosted by TV and radio legend Rian van Heerden, Karakter sets out to find South Africa’s true “characters”, those who live by their own rules and take life by the horns. “A lot of the time, all that is known about these people are rumours and lies and other people’s opinions and perceptions,” says van Heerden. “In Karakter, we talk to them directly and they set the record straight.”

In each episode, van Heerden sets out to meet these eccentric people through the eyes and experiences of the people in their community – who have a lot to say – and then meet the person face-to-face to hear their side of the story. 

Van Heerden’s guests include a former nudist who’s marrying herself, a preacher-cum-crocodile farmer, a man riding a three-wheeled motorcycle with a coffin hitched to it, a wrestling legend who visits schools with his anti-bullying campaigns, and drag artist Manila von Teez, who helps Van Heerden get into “character” himself.