Yabanci Damat
Encyclopedia
Yabancı Damat is a popular Turkish
TV series distributed by Erler Film
with 106 episode
s in total. It deals with the relationship between a young Greek man Niko and a Turkish girl Nazlı, and the problems (and especially the prejudices) encountered in an intercultural marriage. Its comedic tone and play on historic Greco-Turkish antagonism
made it a huge hit in both Turkey
and Greece
, as well as making stars out of the leading actors. The episodes are shot in Turkey and Greece. The music is Turkish and Greek.
The series ran from November 12, 2004 through June 15, 2007 on the Turkish channel Kanal D
Friday evenings at 20.00 hrs. The Greek channel Mega TV
broadcast it from July 4, 2005. The first season was shown on a daily basis at 23:00 hrs, the second season was shown every Monday at 21:00. The third season was split, half of the episodes where shown Saturdays of 2007 at 21:00 and the other half episodes are shown in 2008, every Saturday at 17:00. The series used to have great success, especially when the first season was shown. The ratings of the third season are very low, so the channel decided to move the series in the evening schedule.The Bulgarian channel bTV broadcasts it since August 29, 2009 daily at 17:00 hrs. with the title Brak s chujdenets (Marriage with a foreigner). The series were also dubbed into Arabic with the title Al-Gharib ("الغريب", The Stranger) and aired in March 2009 on MBC+ Drama
.
maker in Gaziantep
. Her grandfather Memik Dede is a Greco-Turkish War veteran
. Niko, whose parents are immigrants from Istanbul
, is the son of a wealthy Greek ship owner Stavro. Nazlı and Niko meet in Bodrum
, fall in love at first sight and decide to marry. The comedy starts when Niko goes to Gaziantep to ask for her father’s agreement to the marriage. Historical enmity between the two nations makes it very hard, and both families oppose the marriage in the beginning. Finally, Nazlı and Niko found a family and settle in Istanbul. They meaningfully name their son Ege ("Aegean
"), the sea between Turkey and Greece.
The families visit each other several times for various reasons and get so closer. Niko's spinster
aunt Katina gets married with a Turkish man, much exacerbating her mother Efthalia. Even the initial hatred between the older members of the families, Memik Dede and Efthalia, turns to a romantic affair.
On the other hand, Kadir, the son of Ökkeş, who is the business partner of Kahraman, marries Stella, the Greek secretary of Niko.
, Gaziantep
, Istanbul
in Turkey and on the Greek Island of Symi
and in Athens
.
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
TV series distributed by Erler Film
Erler Film
Erler Film is a Turkish movie production company established 1960 in Istanbul by the renowned Turkish film director and producer Türker İnanoğlu...
with 106 episode
Episode
An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. An episode is a part of a sequence of a body of work, akin to a chapter of a book. The term sometimes applies to works based on other forms of mass media as well, as in Star Wars...
s in total. It deals with the relationship between a young Greek man Niko and a Turkish girl Nazlı, and the problems (and especially the prejudices) encountered in an intercultural marriage. Its comedic tone and play on historic Greco-Turkish antagonism
Antagonism
Antagonism is hostility that results in active resistance, opposition, or contentiousness.Additionally, it may refer to:*Antagonism , where the involvement of multiple agents reduces their overall effect...
made it a huge hit in both Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
and Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, as well as making stars out of the leading actors. The episodes are shot in Turkey and Greece. The music is Turkish and Greek.
The series ran from November 12, 2004 through June 15, 2007 on the Turkish channel Kanal D
Kanal D
Kanal D is a nation-wide television channel in Turkey and part of Doğan Holding which is owned by the Turkish media tycoon Aydın Doğan.Kanal D also runs an international channel, Euro D which is available online....
Friday evenings at 20.00 hrs. The Greek channel Mega TV
Mega Channel
Mega Channel, also known as Mega TV or just Mega, is a major television network in Greece. Teletypos S.A. was founded in 1989 under the name Teletypos Television Programmes S.A...
broadcast it from July 4, 2005. The first season was shown on a daily basis at 23:00 hrs, the second season was shown every Monday at 21:00. The third season was split, half of the episodes where shown Saturdays of 2007 at 21:00 and the other half episodes are shown in 2008, every Saturday at 17:00. The series used to have great success, especially when the first season was shown. The ratings of the third season are very low, so the channel decided to move the series in the evening schedule.The Bulgarian channel bTV broadcasts it since August 29, 2009 daily at 17:00 hrs. with the title Brak s chujdenets (Marriage with a foreigner). The series were also dubbed into Arabic with the title Al-Gharib ("الغريب", The Stranger) and aired in March 2009 on MBC+ Drama
MBC+ Drama
MBC+ Drama is joint venture between OSN - Orbit Showtime Network and MBC Group. It is a relatively new, 24-hour Arabic channel that offers a range of Arabic drama and Turkish series "First on TV" to Orbit Showtime subscribers starting February 1, 2009....
.
Plot
Nazlı is the daughter of a conservative Turkish father Kahraman, who is a famous baklavaBaklava
Baklava is a rich, sweet pastry made of layers of filo pastry filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey. It is characteristic of the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire and much of central and southwest Asia....
maker in Gaziantep
Gaziantep
Gaziantep , Ottoman Turkish: Ayintab) previously and still informally called Antep; ʻayn tāb is a city in southeast Turkey and amongst the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. The city is located 185 kilometres northeast of Adana and 127 kilometres by road north of Aleppo, Syria...
. Her grandfather Memik Dede is a Greco-Turkish War veteran
Turkish Brigade
The Turkish Brigade was a Turkish Army Infantry Brigade that served under United Nations command during the Korean War between 1950 to 1953. Attached to the U.S...
. Niko, whose parents are immigrants from Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, is the son of a wealthy Greek ship owner Stavro. Nazlı and Niko meet in Bodrum
Bodrum
Bodrum is a port city in Muğla Province, in the southwestern Aegean Region of Turkey. It is located on the southern coast of Bodrum Peninsula, at a point that checks the entry into the Gulf of Gökova. The site was called Halicarnassus of Caria in ancient times and was famous for housing the...
, fall in love at first sight and decide to marry. The comedy starts when Niko goes to Gaziantep to ask for her father’s agreement to the marriage. Historical enmity between the two nations makes it very hard, and both families oppose the marriage in the beginning. Finally, Nazlı and Niko found a family and settle in Istanbul. They meaningfully name their son Ege ("Aegean
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
"), the sea between Turkey and Greece.
The families visit each other several times for various reasons and get so closer. Niko's spinster
Spinster
A spinster, or old maid, is an older, childless woman who has never been married.For a woman to be identified as a spinster, age is critical...
aunt Katina gets married with a Turkish man, much exacerbating her mother Efthalia. Even the initial hatred between the older members of the families, Memik Dede and Efthalia, turns to a romantic affair.
On the other hand, Kadir, the son of Ökkeş, who is the business partner of Kahraman, marries Stella, the Greek secretary of Niko.
Family of Nazlı
- Nehir ErdoğanNehir Erdogan-Biography:In 2005 she became famous in both Turkey and Greece for starring in the TV mini series Yabancı Damat , concerning the problems encountered in an intercultural marriage between a Greek man and a Turkish girl.She also starred in various Turkish movies, including Okul and Hababam Sınıfı...
- Nazlı - Erdal ÖzyağcılarErdal ÖzyagcilarErdal Özyağcılar is a Turkish actor. He has appeared in films, on the stage and on television.- Biography :Özyağcılar was born in 1948 in Bursa. He started his acting career in 1967, with the movie "Ölüm Tarlası" . He is a theater artist as well as a screen actor, who had roles in many plays,...
- Kahraman, father of Nazlı, a famous baklava maker in Gaziantep - Sumru Yavrucuk - Feride, mother of Nazlı
- Binnur KayaBinnur Kaya-Biography:Kaya graduated in theatre from Bilkent University in 1995. She went to İstanbul where she worked at the Ankara Sahnesi and Karatahta Child Theatres and then at the Bakırköy Municipal Theatre....
- Nazire, older sister of Nazlı - İlker Aksum - Ruşen, husband of Nazire
- Arif Erkin - Memik Dede, grandfather of Nazlı
- Ozan Uğurlu - Mustafacan, small brother of Nazlı
- Ege Uslu - Nazli and Niko's older son
Family of Niko
- Özgür ÇevikÖzgür ÇevikÖzgür Çevik is a Turkish singer and actor who gained fame and intense fan following as a result of having appeared in his country's version of the television pop music talent contest, Star Academy and, subsequently, as a variety performer and actor.A native of Ankara, his father was a soldier and...
- Niko (Nikos) - Mazlum Kiper - Stavro (Stavros), father of Niko
- Ayla Karaca - Eleni, mother of Niko
- Tülin Oral - Eftelya (Euthalia), grandmother of Niko
- Nilgün Belgün - Katina, aunt of Niko
- Ege Uslu - Nazlı and Niko's older son
Family of Kadir
- Engin Akyürek - Kadir, former lover of Nazlı
- Zeki AlasyaZeki AlasyaZeki Alasyam is a Turkish actor and director. Alasya is of Turkish Cypriot descent and is the cousin of Kıbrıslı Mehmed Kamil Pasha....
- Ökkeş, father of Kadir, business partner of Kahraman - Seray Gözler - Hayriye, mother of Kadir
- Asli Altaylar Aysel, Kadir's last wife
Minor roles
- Yeliz Akkaya - Esra Akman, Niko’s assistant
- Güzin Alkan - Döne, maid of Nazlı's family
- Natalia Doussopoulos - Anna, kadir’s girlfriend
- Binnaz Ergin - İkramiye, housekeeper of Nazlı's and Niko's house in IstanbulIstanbulIstanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
- Yılmaz Gruda - Celayir Usta, Ökkeş’s baklava master
- Ahmet Uz - Hikmet
- Şinasi Yurtsever - Hamit, husband of Döne
- Nazlı Tosunoğlu - Rabia, Ruşen's mother
- Kayra - İlayda - Talıa Songur Nazire's and Ruşen's daughters
Locations
The episodes are shot in BodrumBodrum
Bodrum is a port city in Muğla Province, in the southwestern Aegean Region of Turkey. It is located on the southern coast of Bodrum Peninsula, at a point that checks the entry into the Gulf of Gökova. The site was called Halicarnassus of Caria in ancient times and was famous for housing the...
, Gaziantep
Gaziantep
Gaziantep , Ottoman Turkish: Ayintab) previously and still informally called Antep; ʻayn tāb is a city in southeast Turkey and amongst the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. The city is located 185 kilometres northeast of Adana and 127 kilometres by road north of Aleppo, Syria...
, Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
in Turkey and on the Greek Island of Symi
Symi
Symi also transliterated Syme or Simi is a Greek island and municipality. It is mountainous and includes the harbor town of Symi and its adjacent upper town Ano Symi, as well as several smaller localities, beaches, and areas of significance in history and mythology...
and in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
.
Awards
- 2006 "Best TV series of the Year" award by the Turkish Association of Radio and Television Journalists along with two other TV series.
- 2004: "Best Supporting Actress" award by 1st Annual Primetime Beyaz Inci Awards
- 2004: "Best Actor" (nominated) by 1st Annual Primetime Beyaz Inci Awards
- 2004: "Best Actress" (nominated) by 1st Annual Primetime Beyaz Inci Awards
- 2004: "Best Music" by 1st Annual Primetime Beyaz Inci Awards
- 2004: "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" (nominated) by 1st Annual Primetime Beyaz Inci Awards
- 2004: "Best Director" by 1st Annual Primetime Beyaz Inci Awards