‘At the beginning, it was all cool and exciting writing the scripts andpicking the cast, but the moment it got surreal was when we went out to look at the gas station, which was being built from scratch.

‘Seeing this building that was based on the script that I wrote – that is when it hit me suddenly: this is serious. They are constructing a building because they think this show is going to be funny, so it better be.

‘It seems like a hell of a lot of work to go through to make a stinky show. If the show sucks we could have done this with a tent. A lot of people are getting paid big money to build a building. That is when it hit home as a reality – and as a lot of pressure.’

—Brent Butt, Corner Gas creator, star, exec producer and head writer

‘I keep thinking about the first day we shot. Eric Peterson and Janet Wright, who play Brent’s parents, were going through the paces, reading a really funny script in Oscar and Emma’s house.

‘I suddenly felt the magic happening. I realized we’ve got something here. We have a great production team, smart and funny writing, great crew, great sets, some of the best actors in the country, the money we need to make this look good and lots of support to make the show.

‘This is what you dream about your whole career. I have worked on some good shows, but I have done a lot of crap, too. I have been on sets where you don’t have the money to light properly or don’t have good actors or the support behind you.

‘But here we were on this first day of shooting in this incredible situation, and that was when I knew we were doing something special.’

—David Storey, executive producer and director

‘The biggest moment for me was when we got an e-mail from a soldier in Afghanistan. He wrote that he and some other soldiers were stuck in a bunker while rocket launchers were going off overhead. There was nothing they could do but wait for this tense situation to end and they were worried.

‘One of the soldiers pulled out a portable DVD player and put Corner Gas on. He said, ‘Thank-you very much. It let me forget for a while.’

‘That brought tears to my eyes. Sometimes you think I am doing television comedy; it’s fun, but what am I ultimately doing for the world? That e-mail made me realize the power of comedy. It truly can brighten lives.

‘We have heard from so many people who are ill or in the hospital who say, ‘You made me laugh at a time when I thought I couldn’t laugh.’ It has taught me about the power of laughter.’

—Virginia Thompson, executive producer, Vérité Films, Regina