Christopher Carrico appears for literally only a few seconds in an uncredited role as Auberon Waugh. His presence is unexplained. In reality, Waugh stood in the 1979 election as a candidate for the newly-formed "Dog Lovers Party" - an expensive joke designed to attract public attention to the matter of the killing of the dog Rinka and the claims of Norman Scott. Waugh's chief campaign slogan was "Vote Waugh - A Better Deal For Your Dog!", which occasionally mutated into "Rinka Will Be Avenged!"; in the event, he polled 79 votes and lost his deposit, but he did cause some embarrassment to the Jeremy Thorpe campaign. Afterwards, the Dog Lovers Party was immediately closed down. Waugh subsequently wrote an acclaimed book, "The Last Word", about the Thorpe trial.
According to series creatives, decorators did in fact find hidden Jeremy Thorpe letters in Peter Bessell's old office. They handed them over freely to the papers, and money was given to them later.
Series producers and creatives confirm, having met the 77 year-old Norman Scott while performing research during the development phase, that Scott exhibited the same charisma and wit he allegedly displayed during the Jeremy Thorpe trial.
Justice Joseph Cantley's summing up at the termination of the trial of Jeremy Thorpe is now infamous for its incredible bias. In the TV series, the speech is condensed but otherwise matches the real-life speech almost word-for-word. British comedian Peter Cook performed a satirical version of the speech at the 1979 installment of John Cleese's Secret Policeman's Ball benefit show, to wide acclaim.
Marion Thorpe was a worldly individual who was good friends with notable British composer Benjamin Britten, an openly gay man who was known for his admiration of young boys. Russell T. Davies didn't want to make Marion appear completely naive about her husband.