The series takes place from April 30, 1997 to January 2, 1998.
James Hazeldine (Ivan Braithwaite) was the brother-in-law of Stephen Moore, who played George Mole in The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾ (1985) and The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole (1987).
Joseph O'Conor (Archie Tait) died on January 30, 2001, three days before the series premiered, at the age of 90.
Sue Townsend, who created the Adrian Mole character, was going blind at the time of the series' production, but still wanted to approve the casting of Adrian. Actor Stephen Mangan revealed in an interview with The Times that, when he met Townsend, she ran her hands across his face to check he was not too good-looking for the role.