Trailer Park Boys is one of the most successful and beloved Canadian TV shows of all time. The mockumentary series, which follows the misadventures of three petty criminals living in a trailer park in Nova Scotia, has spawned 12 seasons, three films, several specials, spin-offs, podcasts, live shows, and a loyal fan base around the world. The show is known for its crude humour, improvised dialogue, and memorable characters, such as Ricky, Julian, Bubbles, Mr. Lahey, and Randy.
But how did Trailer Park Boys go from a small indie project to a cult classic? How did the creators, cast, and crew overcome the challenges of making a low-budget comedy in Canada? And how did they manage to keep the show fresh and funny for over two decades?
To answer these questions, we spoke to some of the key people behind Trailer Park Boys, who shared their stories, insights, and anecdotes about the making of the show. This is an oral history of Trailer Park Boys, in their own words.
The Origins
Mike Clattenburg (creator, director, writer, producer): I grew up in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, which is where the trailer park is. I was always interested in filmmaking, and I started making short films with my friends when I was a teenager. One of them was called One Last Shot, which was about two guys who try to rob a liquor store. That was the first time I worked with John Paul Tremblay and Robb Wells, who played Julian and Ricky.
John Paul Tremblay (Julian): Mike and I were friends since high school. We used to hang out and do stupid things, like stealing shopping carts and driving around in them. We also liked to make fun of people and situations, and we had a good chemistry. Mike asked me to be in his film, and I said sure, why not. I had no acting experience, but I thought it would be fun.
Robb Wells (Ricky): I met Mike through JP. They were both working at a pizza place, and I was a regular customer. Mike saw me and thought I looked like a criminal, so he asked me to be in his film. I was a bit hesitant, because I was shy and I didn’t think I could act. But Mike convinced me to give it a try, and I’m glad he did.
Mike Clattenburg: One Last Shot was a black-and-white film, shot on 16mm. It was very low-budget, and we had to improvise a lot. We didn’t have a script, just a basic outline of the scenes. We shot it in a real trailer park, and we used real people as extras. Some of them were actual residents, and some of them were friends of ours. We also used real props, like guns and drugs. It was very raw and realistic.
John Paul Tremblay: The film was pretty dark and depressing, but it also had some funny moments. We played these characters who were losers, but they had dreams and ambitions. They wanted to get out of the trailer park, but they didn’t know how. They were always getting into trouble, but they also had a friendship and a loyalty. We based our characters on people we knew or saw in the trailer park, or in our own lives.
Robb Wells: The film was well received by the people who saw it. It won some awards at film festivals, and it got some attention from the media. We thought that maybe we could do something more with it, like make a TV show or a bigger film. But we didn’t have any connections or money, so we didn’t know how to make it happen.
Mike Clattenburg: Around that time, I got a job at a local TV station, where I worked as a cameraman and editor. I also met Barrie Dunn, who was a lawyer and a producer. He saw One Last Shot, and he liked it. He said he wanted to help me make a TV show out of it. He also introduced me to Mike Volpe, who was another producer. They became my partners, and we formed a company called Trailer Park Productions.
Barrie Dunn (producer): I was impressed by Mike’s talent and vision. He had a unique style and a great sense of humour. He also had a good eye for casting. JP and Robb were perfect for their roles. They had a natural chemistry and charisma. They were not trained actors, but they had a lot of potential.
Mike Volpe (producer): We decided to pitch the show to different networks in Canada. We made a demo tape, which was basically a shorter version of One Last Shot, with some new scenes and characters. We added Bubbles, who was played by Mike Smith, who was another friend of Mike Clattenburg. He was a musician and a sound engineer, and he had this funny voice and glasses that he used as a joke. He became one of the main characters, and he added a lot of humour and heart to the show.
Mike Smith (Bubbles): I met Mike Clattenburg when I was playing in a band called Sandbox. He was a fan of our music, and he asked me to do some sound work for his films. He also asked me to be in One Last Shot, but I declined, because I was busy with the band. But then he asked me again to be in the demo tape, and I agreed, just for fun. I didn’t think it would go anywhere.
Mike Clattenburg: We pitched the show to CBC, CTV, Global, and Showcase. They all rejected it. They said it was too vulgar, too violent, too low-brow, too niche. They didn’t think it would appeal to a mainstream audience. They didn’t get it.
Barrie Dunn: We were disappointed, but we didn’t give up. We believed in the show, and we thought it had something special. We thought it was funny, original, and authentic. We thought it had a cult appeal, and that it could find an audience.
Mike Volpe: We decided to try one more network, which was Showcase. They were a smaller, edgier, and more independent network, and they were looking for original content. We met with their executives, and we showed them the demo tape. They liked it. They said they wanted to give us a chance. They said they would order a pilot episode, and see how it goes.
Mike Clattenburg: We were ecstatic. We finally got a green light. We got a budget of $150,000, which was very low, but we were happy to have it. We got a crew of about 20 people, and we got to work. We wrote a script, which was more like a guideline, and we shot the pilot in the same trailer park as before. We had 10 days to shoot it, and we had a lot of fun.
John Paul Tremblay: We were excited, but we were also nervous. We didn’t know what to expect. We didn’t know if we could pull it off. We didn’t know if the network would like it. We didn’t know if anyone would watch it. We just did our best, and we hoped for the best.
Robb Wells: We had a blast making the pilot. We had a lot of freedom and creativity. We improvised a lot of the dialogue, and we came up with a lot of the jokes on the spot. We also had a lot of challenges and difficulties. We had to deal with the weather, the noise, the neighbours, the cops, the animals, and the accidents. It was a crazy and chaotic experience, but it was also a lot of fun.
Mike Smith: I was still not sure about being in the show. I thought it was just a one-time thing, and that I would go back to my music career. I didn’t think I was a good actor, and I didn’t think Bubbles was a good character. I thought he was too silly and too stupid. I didn’t think he would fit in with the other characters, or with the tone of the show. I was wrong.
The Pilot
Mike Clattenburg: The pilot episode was called “Take Your Little Gun and Get Out of My Trailer Park”. It introduced the main characters and the premise of the show. It was about Ricky and Julian getting out of jail, and trying to adjust to life in the trailer park. Ricky wanted to grow some weed, and Julian wanted to do a big heist. Bubbles wanted to help them, and Mr. Lahey and Randy wanted to stop them.
John Dunsworth (Mr. Lahey): I was cast as Mr. Lahey, the trailer park supervisor and former cop. He was an alcoholic and a nemesis of Ricky and Julian. He was always trying to catch them and get them evicted. He was also in love
