Shh, the neighbors

West Flemish improvisation podcast

Shht de gebuurs is a West Flemish improvisation podcast about Nicole, Sabine, and Nadine,
three close friends who meet every Wednesday for a drink and a chat,
while their husbands are playing tennis. But not too loud, because, well... the neighbors.


Full of intrigue, gossip, and West Flemish clichés.
Created by vedetski (Bram Vuylsteker).

→ Listen on Spotify
→ Follow on Instagram

How it all began

Stijn Defoirdt, Katrijn Devlaminck, and I met while studying journalism at Artevelde University College in Ghent. We quickly hit it off, mainly because of our shared West Flemish roots: Stijn is from Torhout, Katrijn from Tielt, and I from Wervik. Not the same region, but the same kind of people. And the same fascination with middle-aged West Flemish women.

Every time we see each other, we automatically switch to West Flemish. That chatter started as a joke, became a habit, and eventually ended with the inevitable comment: "You guys really should make a podcast out of this."

A few microphones and several glasses of Prosecco later, shht de gebuurs was born. An improvisational podcast featuring Nicole, Sabine, and Nadine: three close friends from West Flanders who met years ago on the parents' council of their children's elementary school. Since then, they meet every Wednesday evening while their husbands are playing tennis. And as is often the case, this occasionally brings some intrigue to light.

Characters

Illustration of a silhouette of a person pointing a finger upwards, with a background of colored squares and circles and the text 'sint de geheim' in white, kapitta-line style.

Nicole

Nicole Pattyn (53) is the manager of Plus-Size Boutique Nicole. She is self-employed and certainly lets that slip from time to time. In addition to working day and night, she also enjoys drinking Picon Vin Blanc. Nicole's pride and joy is her daughter Charlotte, pronounced Sarlotje. She is currently still married to Dirk, but that won't last much longer...

Illustration of a hand with a raised middle finger covering a face with hair, with text in white letters: "shh de gehei" and the rest poorly visible.

Sabine

Sabine Desmedt (52) is an administrative assistant in the Civil Affairs Department at City Hall. Even though she has a lot of vacation time, she is on the verge of burnout. She is married to Johan, but he is not much use to her. She likes to do crazy things, such as suddenly painting the accent wall in the living room a fresher color without warning. Sabine has two children: Ruben and Jasper, neither of whom has ever had a girlfriend or boyfriend...

Illustration of a person with sparkling, tousled hair holding a painting with the text 'Shhht de jeugd' (Shhht youth) in white letters, against a background with round patterns.

Nadine

Nadine Ver Helst (54) takes care of the accounting for her husband's business, contractor Philippe Ver Helst. Belgium is actually too cold and wet for Nadine. So she and Philippe travel to Tenerife several times a year. This results in a crispy tan interspersed with some beautifully defined white tan lines. She is the stepmother of Mathieu and Eline and gets on well with her Spanish evening teacher Ricardo...

Listen to the series

Curious to hear what Nicole, Sabine, and Nadine sound like when they're really on a roll?
Sit back, listen in, but not too loudly.

→ Listen on Spotify | → Apple Podcasts

Media coverage: Shht de gebuurs was featured in Het Laatste Nieuws and on VRT Radio 2.

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I help creators, companies, and organizations with podcasts—from idea to episode.
Just like I did with shht de gebuurs: concept, recording, editing, marketing.

→ See what I do with podcasts

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say things to goan for sure #weatherwithnipwednesday
say things to goan for sure #weatherwithnipwednesday
Hey, you know what, these days you can still do that, and it's just fine! Just say it in Flemish #weeresmitnipwoensdag
Hey, you know what, these days you can still do that, and it's just fine! Just say it in Flemish #weeresmitnipwoensdag
Kik, yes, it's a letter of lies #weeresmitnipwoensdag
Kik, yes, it's a letter of lies #weeresmitnipwoensdag
Hey everyone, it's the middle of the work week again, so let's have a laugh #weeresmitnipwoensdag. Remember Dirk, who doesn't know how to say it? How would it be with that blonde with the big boobs? I don't know, but...
Hey everyone, it's the middle of the work week again, so let's have a laugh #Weeresmitnipwoensdag mo vint toch weetjet nog van dirk die nieweirt hoe zou 't nog zin me die blonde met eur grote toeters dakket nie weete mo christa had dirk velede weekend wel zien lopen ip de markt en ze zei datn nog olsan even dikke stond 🤣 Let's not be too loud, the neighbors might start knocking on our doors. Gr.sabine
Hey, type that IN is now ready for trowbakken, so #trowbak, tell sarlotje how to do that, actually, she says, yes, mama, you have to post something on Thursday and then #trowbaktursday, tell eur, tell me, wuk smit je ton.
Hey, I'm typing that it's now IN to throw back, so #throwback, tell Charlotte how to do that, actually, she says, yes, mommy, you have to post something on Thursday and then #throwbacksaturday, tell her, tell me, work with you, she says with a twinkle in her eye from the past, don't worry about it. 🤯 I say, girl, everything's fine and dandy, but today is WEDNESDAY and all that English stuff isn't working, so what's wrong with plain FLEMISH? So from now on, #weeresmitnipwoensdag, I'll just say hi. Grtjs, Nicole xx
Hey, everything's fine, I'm doing great! I ordered a liter of sangria here. How many glasses did you ask for, madam? There's just a straw in it. Filip always orders a beer, but not in Spain. They say it's all bad beer here.
Hey there, how's it going? I ordered a liter of sangria here. How many glasses did you say, madam? There's just a straw in it. 🤣 Filip orders a beer, but not in Spain, because they say the beer here is rubbish. Yes, I'll have a gin and tonic, always nice. Anyway, cheers on Wednesday, we're expecting you. Miss you xx Nadine
Guys, it's the last episode of the season! Don't cry, or I'll start crying too! Gow! Stop!
Hey guys, Nicole Emme, we laughed yesterday, I mean, Cecilia's funeral was sad, and Jon Verhoal from Koen Wok, that dirty dog, wait until I see him, I'll give him a piece of my mind! And let's be honest, that new c
Hey guys, Nicole, we laughed again yesterday, I mean, Cecilia's funeral was sad, and Jon's story about Koen, that dirty dog, wait until I see him, I'll give him a piece of my mind!And let's be honest, Sabine's new haircut was a bit sad too 🤣🤣🤣 Well, we're not supposed to gossip, but I think it's okay to laugh. Alli, are you on Tinder? Maybe we can have some fun next week. Cheers, take care, xx Nadine
FRET GES!! 🌱
Eylaba Nadine, I'm coming after all, and my heart has been racing all night. I ate way too much cake. The last piece was gone. DEROVER, um, I'm secretly glad you kicked Kathy out before dessert on Tuesday with all her comments.
Eylaba Nadine, I'm coming after all, and my heart's been racing all night. I ate way too much cake. The last piece was over there. Uh, I'm secretly glad you're kicking Kathy out for dessert on Tuesday with all her comments on your pasta!More cake for us, I say! Just don't let it get to your head, okay? xx Nicole
say things to goan for sure #weatherwithnipwednesday Hey, you know what, these days you can still do that, and it's just fine! Just say it in Flemish #weeresmitnipwoensdag Kik, yes, it's a letter of lies #weeresmitnipwoensdag Hey everyone, it's the middle of the work week again, so let's have a laugh #weeresmitnipwoensdag. Remember Dirk, who doesn't know how to say it? How would it be with that blonde with the big boobs? I don't know, but... Hey, type that IN is now ready for trowbakken, so #trowbak, tell sarlotje how to do that, actually, she says, yes, mama, you have to post something on Thursday and then #trowbaktursday, tell eur, tell me, wuk smit je ton. Hey, everything's fine, I'm doing great! I ordered a liter of sangria here. How many glasses did you ask for, madam? There's just a straw in it. Filip always orders a beer, but not in Spain. They say it's all bad beer here.
Guys, it's the last episode of the season! Don't cry, or I'll start crying too! Gow! Stop!
Hey guys, Nicole Emme, we laughed yesterday, I mean, Cecilia's funeral was sad, and Jon Verhoal from Koen Wok, that dirty dog, wait until I see him, I'll give him a piece of my mind! And let's be honest, that new c
FRET GES!! 🌱
Eylaba Nadine, I'm coming after all, and my heart has been racing all night. I ate way too much cake. The last piece was gone. DEROVER, um, I'm secretly glad you kicked Kathy out before dessert on Tuesday with all her comments.

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