Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden

"Goede tijden, slechte tijden" (or GTST, meaning "Good times, bad times") is currently the longest-running Dutch soap opera. It started airing in 1990 on RTL 4 and was the first daily soap produced in the Netherlands. The show is produced by Joop van den Ende and so far on the order of 3500 episodes have been broadcast. The story revolves around a group of families in the fictional town of Meerdijk. It is based on "The Restless Years", an Australian soap opera.

The success in the Netherlands led German station RTL to develop its own version, called "Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten" (German). By now, the German and Dutch versions differ sharply from each other in tone and narrative, however. Also, unlike the Dutch version, the German version does not go into season breaks during summer.

A lot of Dutch actors and actresses became famous after joining the cast of the soap. The people who became the most famous celebrities after joining the show are Katja Schuurman, Reinout Oerlemans, Angela Schijf, Antonie Kamerling and Georgina Verbaan.

Current Cast Members

Original Cast Members

Season 1

*The first episode, aired October 1, 1990, sees Arnie making breakfast for his girlfriend Linda. When his well-earning parents Robert (who works in adverts business) and Laura (a sollicitor) return from their holiday they announce their divorce. Arnie isn't pleased to learn that Daddy's in love with the secretary (Stephanie Kreeft) but he's even less pleased that career-pursuing Linda dumps him for their ex-schoolmate Rien Hoogendoorn. A child could bring them back together, Arnie is willing to be a Dad at 18 but everyone thinks he's completely out of his mind. When Linda loses the child in a car-accident, Arnie leaves everything behind to live life as a substitute for a dead farmer's son; he returns after surviving a near-fatal encounter with a bread toaster. Robert and Laura have reconciled and with their second child on the way they move to the States; Arnie is given the opportunity to study at Harvard but he chooses to stay behind; he gets looked after by his aunt Karen and uncle Jef (played by the latterday George Harrison alike Bartho Braat), soon to be followed by their good for nothing son John (played by Australian born Tim Gunther).

*Stakes are low for tearaway Peter, Arnie's buddy; his teacher Helen Helmink thinks he'll "end up in jail" and his Dad beats him up after failing graduation. On October 12, 1990 he gets a nasty surprise, "Peter Kelder does not exist". He turns out to be adopted but whoever his real parents are remains a mistery. "Maybe you're some rich man's son" Arnie hits the nail on the head. Peter gets involved in an on-off-relation with Suzanne Balk and works at a refuge for troubled youths.

See also

* "Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten", a German version

External links

* [http://www.rtl.nl/soaps/gtst Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden website] nl icon
* [http://www.gzsz-wiki.de A german wiki about GZSZ (GTST)]