Tali’s Baby Diary starts shooting

What is happeninnngggg?!

Shooting is finally underway in Cape Town on Tali’s Baby Diary, the long-awaited sequel to the first ever Showmax Original. Talibabes is due – yes, that kind of due – in March 2021. 

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Tali’s Wedding Diary set a new record for first-day views on Showmax when it launched in December 2017. The hilarious mockumentary stars Julia Anastasopoulos as Tali Shapiro, a self-obsessed Joburg princess who’s just moved to Cape Town and is filming the build-up to her wedding to her property-agent fiance Darren (Anton Taylor). 

Before turning Tali into South Africa’s most famous bridezilla, Julia was best known as YouTube phenomenon SuzelleDIY, who now has more than 30m views and counting. 

So what’s the story?

In Tali’s Baby Diary, an unexpected pregnancy forces Tali into a desperate pivot from Insta-influencer to wholesome momfluencer, as Darren (Anton Taylor) and Rael (Comics’ Choice nominee Glen Biderman-Pam, the genius behind the viral My Octopus Teacher spoof My Kreepy Teacher) navigate the choppy waters of the Cape Town property game. But as the nine-month clock ticks down, Tali and the boys are forced to face the bigger questions about life, love and parenthood.

Tali’s Wedding Diary was the most-awarded comedy at the 2019 South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs), where it took home five awards, including Best Comedy, Best Director (Ari Kruger) and Best Actress. This made Showmax the first streaming service to win at the SAFTAs. 

The mockumentary was inspired by Julia’s own wedding to Ari, who co-created and directed both Tali’s Wedding Diary and SuzelleDIY. Their shared sense of humour was part of what brought them together, so they had lots to laugh at in the build-up to their big day. 

Similarly, Tali’s Baby Diary is inspired by the birth of Julia and Ari’s daughter in 2018. “We thought there was so much comedic material in getting married, but it doesn’t come close to preparing to have a baby,” says Julia. “Having a baby in today’s world of insta-perfection has offered us so much wonderful comedic material.”

Tali’s squad

For Tali’s Baby Diary, they’ve rounded up all your Season 1 favourites, including Lara Toselli (A Boere-Krismis, Swaaibraai) as her frenemy Gabi; two-time Fleur du Cap winner Guy De Lancey (Troy: Fall Of A City, The Pervert Laura) as her dad, Les; and Fleur du Cap Best Actress winner and SAFTA nominee Kate Normington (Those Who Can’t) as her mom, Michelle, who is about to have a mid-life crisis at the thought of becoming a grandmother.   

Julia and Ari have also added a host of famous faces, including Coconut Kelz and Danny K; stand-up comics Kate Pinchuck, Kurt Schoonraad and Tracy Klass; and SAFTA winners Deon Lotz (Skoonheid, Trackers), Schalk Bezuidenhout (Kanarie, Hotel) and Siv Ngesi (Knuckle City and the upcoming Showmax Originals Blood Psalms and DAM), not to mention rising star Shamilla Miller (The Girl From St Agnes, Blood & Water) and a few real South African momfluencers and Insta personalities.  

“Fans have been asking for a second season since Tali’s Wedding Diary first aired,” says Candice Fangueiro, Showmax’s head of content, who welcomed a baby of her own earlier this year. “I think we all need a laugh after the year we’ve had, so we can’t wait to have Tali back on Showmax in early 2021 as our first renewal.”

Other upcoming Showmax Originals include the reality series Lebo M: Coming Home, due 2 December 2020, as well as Jahmil X.T. Qubeka’s ancient Africa series Blood Psalms, a co-production with Canal+ International; the small-town psychological thriller DAM; the Cape Flats neo-noir murder mystery Skemerdans; and Uthando Lodumo, a reality series about controversial celebrity couple Babes Wodumo and Mampintsha, all expected in 2021.