The story was partly inspired by Greater Manchester's Chief Constable James Anderton. Although the episode's city is unnamed, a mention of "Canal Street" in the dialogue may have been a (subconscious) reference to Manchester. Appointed to the position in 1976, Anderton's reign commenced with raids on newsagents, bookshops and warehouses to confiscate soft-porn and stronger material. Anderton was also accused of undue "policing" of gay communities. Christened "God's Copper" by the media, he took a hard line on criminality and frequently criticised politicians and the judiciary over what he saw as overly-lenient sentencing.
Green's house as seen when playing tennis with his daughters appears in the films The Rough & The Smooth )1959); School For Scoundrels (1960); The Liquidator (1966) and The Devil Rides Out (1968); as various residences in Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) (1969) and a restaurant in Special Branch (1974).