This brand new Turkish telenovela will be broadcast on Thursdays and Fridays at 18H30 from 8th April, 2021 on SABC 3.
The Red Room is an important series that tells women’s stories at a time when the world is waking up to the challenges faced by those living oppressed lives in a patriarchal system. The stories play out in a therapist’s office in Istanbul. Vulnerable women, men and children pass through to get treatment and handle their traumas and problems. At the same time we witness personal dramas involving the main cast of characters, and see how their relationships develop while they help those in need of their clinical support. The series is based on the real experiences of an Istanbul doctor and writer Gülseren Budayicioglu.
“Thematically the show deals with the idea of confronting past trauma to be able to come into one’s full potential life, it depicts woman dramatically dealing with past abuse to want to live again. All of the fictional characters dramatized stories are based on real life characters. This show will go out twice a week and it is meant to connect with the present South Africa we live in where so many women live with abuse in their daily lives – here in The Red Room we see dramatic stories of hope and recovery,” explains Pat van Heerden: Channel Head SABC 3 Bouquet.
The episodes are built around harrowing stories of the patients, while at the centre of the drama is the team of therapists in the clinic, and their own personal issues. These stories will be familiar to women, men and even children around the world and will open the eyes of many more.
“The Red Room is about reaching out as a real Public Service Broadcaster to show a program about overcoming violence and trauma in a community through therapy,” Pat concludes.
Meet the therapists:
The Doctor
She owns the clinic and is the head therapist. A strong and confident woman, she is highly respected by her colleagues and her clients. She allows them to open up and talk about even their most traumatic experiences and troubling thoughts. Outside of her office though, we notice she is a quiet and earnest woman – and we soon learn that she has many personal troubles of her own. Her mystery is only heightened by the fact that we never learn her name – she is only referred to as “The Doctor.”
Dr. Piraye
She’s a therapist and a mom with two kids. She’s charismatic, attractive and confident. She is still in mourning for her husband though she doesn’t like to show it in public. In time she starts to show some romantic feelings towards her colleague Denis – but as it was his wife that took such good care of her husband in the latter stages of his life, she doesn’t dare to come between them.
Dr. Deniz
He’s a child therapist. His good looking even though he doesn’t put so much effort into his looks. He is very good with kids; his therapy room looks more like a kindergarten: Legos, teddy bears, kids’ drawings, colourful pillows are everywhere. But while he loves working with children, his wife is too focused on her career to provide him with a family at home. He is the only one who has known “The Doctor” for some time as they studied together at medical school.
Dr. Ayse
She’s a brilliant young psychiatrist who was always a star student and now works alongside her former tutor “The Doctor”. As well as being the rising star of the clinic, Ayse has heavy responsibilities at home, taking care of her family, with her mother suffering from a long term illness and her father having passed away when she was in high school.
Dr. Murat
Murat is a young attractive therapist. He’s used to being popular among women. He has a good relationship with his parents and sibling. He’s calm, social and kind. However he has never been the “best” at anything, he only managed to be average. He always brags about how he doesn’t believe in love, but this will change when he meets Piraye. Over, time his feelings – even only platonic – will help him to mature and even affect his skills as a doctor.
The Red Room features Binnur Kaya (The Doctor), Tülin Özen (Dr. Piraye), Burak Sevinç (Dr. Deniz), Meric Aral (Dr. Ayse) and Halit özgür Sarı (Dr. Murat).
Make sure to follow the traumatic stories of these women, men and children as well as the therapist and staff at the clinic whose lives are just as complicated as those of their patients, every Thursday and Friday on The Red Room at 18H30 on SABC 3.
