| The ghosts of Christmas past are revealed in the Trailer Park Boys Christmas Special, debuting Sunday, December 12 on Showcase. Set in 1997, the events in this one-hour special predate the TPB series. Ricky, the pompadour-sporting de facto leader of the show’s group of ne’er-do-well trailer park denizens, is thrown for a spiritual loop when he finds out that God and Santa Claus are not the same dude. He additionally learns that he cannot count on Santa to bring presents to his estranged girlfriend and daughter. This causes Ricky, fresh from a stint in jail, to exclaim, "Great! Christmas is fucked!"
It’s a raw expression of seasonal angst that resonates with the modern listener much more than bah humbug! It’s also clear and conclusive proof that the makers of Trailer Park Boys aren’t going to sacrifice the show’s trademark obscenity-laden hysterics just because this is a holiday special. It’s just the sort of thing diehard series fans are expecting.
Living up to fan expectations is also the challenge facing A Beachcombers Christmas, a CBC TV movie airing December 6. This is where the similarities between the two programs end. Don’t expect to see an illegal marijuana grow operation at Molly’s Reach, the long-standing Beachcombers eatery.
Jackson Davies is a fixture in all things Beachcombers, having played the bumbling RCMP officer John Constable on the original series for more than 16 years. The lanky, bald, moustached actor is grateful for the notoriety the series has brought him. "When I get recognized for the show it’s a nice feeling," he says. "People will come up and say, ‘I remember watching Beachcombers Sunday nights after Disney. You know, my dad and I used to curl up on the couch and watch the show as a family.’"
Davies feels that many fans of the long-running series, which featured the late Bruno Gerussi and Robert Clothier as duelling West Coast log-wranglers, are closet admirers. "It’s like Kraft Dinner," he says. "No one really wants to admit they eat it, but it’s something many people take pleasure from."
While there were holiday-themed episodes in the original series run, a Beachcombers Christmas is the first full-blown holiday special the show has ever spawned. It’s also the second step in the building of a new Beachcombers franchise. "The first film (The New Beachcombers, which debuted in 2002) dealt with what had happened in the 12 years since we last saw all the characters," Davies explains. "This one is the first of its kind to stand on its own with no reference to the past."
A Beachcombers Christmas centres mainly on a charity hockey game organized by Dave McGonigal (Dave Thomas of SCTV fame). For the big game, John Constable is just one of the many Gibson, B.C. locals who suits up to do battle with a touring team of self-proclaimed pro stars fronted by a pair of con men. It all turns into a little-guys-struggling-against-the-odds scenario featuring guest appearances by Dave (Tiger) Williams, Kirk McLean, Manon Rheaume and other real-life hockey notables.
A Beachcombers Christmas is a big, cheesy, yet endearing, slice of Canadiana that the whole family can watch. This, unlike the Trailer Park Boys Christmas effort which, true to form, features as many four-letter expletives as your average Mike Tyson press conference meltdown. You might not want the kiddies to see the latter. |
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