In the pantheon of iconic Canadian TV fare, Trailer Park Boys have earned their place and launch their second film today, Countdown to Liquor Day.
Joe spent 24 Seconds with the show's creator, writer and director Mike Clattenburg.
24: Going back to the inception of Trailer Park Boys, what was your expectation? Did you ever anticipate that it would have such endurance?
MC: Absolutely not! We did know that somebody was going to find it funny but we made it just as a short film for the Atlantic Film Festival and that was our end goal - just to sit in the theatre and see people watch it. It was Barry Dunn - he plays Ricky's dad, - he saw it and said, "This can't end here. I think this could work on TV." I thought with the language, no way, so we pitched it and Showcase said, "Hell, yeah!"
24: Because a lot of the material is not what you would call family-friendly, was there ever any concern that you had maybe gone overboard?
MC: Trailer Park Boys is not for everyone and certainly the language can turn some people off, but if you take a closer look, the swearing is more absurd; it's silly and it's not meant to be hateful or mean.
It never went too far for us, so I think people who get it, love it.
24: You never see the cast interviewed out of character. Was that a conscious decision?
MC: Yes. They enjoy doing it and fans seem to like it and there's big demand for them because it lets them try some new stuff, so it tends to work for the show.
24: With the show must be huge in Atlantic Canada?
MC: The strongest love for TPB was Newfoundland and Calgary and Edmonton - huge fans out there.
See more at vancouver. 24hrs.ca/24seconds
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