This was the first episode shot in colour.

John Keats' poem Ode To A Nightingale (1819) is referred to throughout this episode. The opera used is Richard Wagner's Tristan And Isolde, written c.1858 – a tale of the adulterous relationship of a Cornish knight during the Middle Ages.

Date: Summer 1906 (from caption, but the episode appears to open around late April – see comment about the opera season opening, below).

Lady Marjorie background: Her father is still alive. She is referred to as his "eldest daughter", possibly implying she has/had a younger sister (see also The Bolter for a reiteration of this). She also has an aunt, Lady Helena, who is referred to as "The Bolter" (see also The Key of the Door). Lady Marjorie has never travelled any further than Biarritz in France.

Richard background: He is the poor son of a Norfolk country parson.

Edward background: This is the first appearance of Edward when the episodes are viewed in chronological order (1'48"). Hudson says Edward has been with the household for three weeks (23'37").

Goof: Patsy Smart says: "That's enough milk, thank you," immediately as Angela Baddeley begins to pour it (2'51).

Mrs Bridges background: She was at Southwold when Lady Marjorie and Richard met and married.

Miss Roberts background: She was at Southwold when Lady Marjorie and Richard met and married.

All currently distributed UK copies of this episode (including home-video/DVD releases, and all repeats) omit two lines of dialogue at 3'41" during the conversation between the servants about how Lady Marjorie married beneath herself. The missing portion survives on older US copies. The full scene is as follows (missing lines are in red):

Mrs Bridges: But Lady Marjorie, she would have her way – always has and always will. I've no doubt!
Miss Roberts: Well you could say he wasn't really her class.
Rose: Oh, Mr Bellamy's a perfect gentleman!
Mrs Bridges: Well he wouldn't have got far if Lord Southwold hadn't found him a safe seat in parliament.
Miss Roberts: And this house and everything – Mr Bellamy hadn't a penny to his name.
(enter Hudson)
Hudson: Ah, it's a wee thing chilly upstairs.

Goof: Simon Williams bashes into the cake stand but covers it up very well (5'43").

Goof: David Langton: "Er, you go, you and, er, James going to paint the town red?" (6'43)

At 7'20", when talking about the performance of Rigoletto, Lady Marjorie mentions Italian operatic baritone, Mario Sammarco (1868-1930). He was a famous Rigoletto, and appeared many times in a variety of roles at Covent Garden. Lady Marjorie also mentions her forthcoming visit to see a "gala" performance of Tristan And Isolde conducted by Hans Richter (1843-1916), the celebrated conductor. This is likely to be a reference to the Royal Opera House performance of May 3rd, which opened the 1906 season. This was indeed on a Thursday, as mentioned by Richard. (Thanks to Laurence for pointing out these details.)

Goof: Possibly the quietest restaurant in the world! (9')

Goof: The stage curtain ascends and descends far too fast (13'20").

There is a bizarre moment when Edward remarks that Rose "ain't half prickly" and gets a very odd raucous laugh from Mrs Bridges (16'31").

Goof: At 17'13", Lady Marjorie lights the fire with a single match but just 18 seconds later it appears fully lit and burning merrily away! (Reason: "Coal" and "wood" fires on TV and film are invariably gas fired as it is easier to light and extinguish them and makes less mess.) (Thanks to the eagle-eyed Tony Murray for this one.)

Goof: I don't think the ashes that the nosey Miss Roberts picks from Lady Marjorie's fire are going to be of too much use to her! (17'35")

Harold Bennett (the Book Shop Assistant) is much better known for appearing as the elderly, but super-sexed owner of the Grace Brothers department store during most of the run of the sitcom Are You Being Served? (1972-85). He died in 1981.

Goof: Lady Marjorie, in the bookshop: "I was just looking for something for my son." Shop assistant: "He'd be a young man?" (No, he'd be a young woman...) Had the actor emphasised the word "young", this would have been fine, but as he doesn't, it sounds silly. (18'21")

The song Captain Hammond sings is My Luve Is Like A Red, Red Rose (music: Neil Gow / lyrics: traditional, from a poem by Robert Burns) (20'45"). The words are on my Lyrics page.

Goof: There is no way Hudson could have seen Edward's smile unless he has eyes in the back of his head (24'24").

Goof: This is difficult to spot, but I think Hudson has the blotting paper round the other way when he holds it up to the mirror to examine it for himself (27'18").

On all current UK copies of this episode, a reversed/slow-motion reaction shot of Hudson (copied from a couple of minutes later) has been inserted over a shot of Mrs Bridges to disguise some tape damage (27'35"). The excised material survives on older US copies.

Goof: Big Ben is far too loud for Ebury Street (30'08").

The music that Hammond and Marjorie dance to is Songe d'Automne composed around 1908 by Archibald Joyce (30').

The Bellamys now seem to have a telephone.

Goof: In the scene where Charles comes to comfort Lady Marjorie, David Kernan stumbles over his lines: "One of the fellows went over the c... in the canoe punt race." (38'26") (Thanks to Tony Murray for this one.)

James background: It is his birthday. He is 24.

Lady Marjorie background / Richard background: It follows from the above that they were married no later than autumn 1881 (unless it was some sort of shotgun wedding!) Will Ye No Come Back Again? seems to indicate 1883 at the earliest (but it is difficult to be exact to the year given the later one-year fold back in dates – see Factfile for The New Man).

Starting with this episode (the reshot On Trial not withstanding), the end credits now have a different pattern of "squiggles".

The events of this episode later resurface in The Property of a Lady in the second season.