Thomas Turgoose had never acted before, had been banned from his school play for behaving badly and even demanded £5 to turn up for the film's auditions.
At a Q&A period following this film's world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, director Shane Meadows noted that the grim skinhead influenced upbringing of the 11-year-old protagonist was a true portrayal of his own childhood and many of the events depicted were drawn from his early life.
Jack O'Connell auditioned for the role of Shaun, but lost out to Thomas Turgoose. Shane Meadows was impressed by O'Connell's audition though and wrote the role of Pukey especially for him.
Ironically, Stephen Graham, who plays the racist Combo, is of Jamaican descent through his father's side.