Pauline Collins' real-life pregnant state is very obvious in this episode!

Date: The weather is humid (2'38") so summer 1909.

Cathleen Nesbitt's transatlantic acting career dated back to 1910 – she was 83 when this episode was made. As a young woman, she had an affair with poet Rupert Brooke (the original inspiration for the Lawrence Kirbridge character). In the 1950s heyday of the American TV anthology format, she was a familiar face. She died in 1982.

Reader Jack notes: "Lady Southwold is a countess because her husband was an earl. After he died (according to British laws and customs of primogeniture) the Southwold estate and title goes to their son Hugo (the next living male heir in line). Lady Southwold then becomes known as the Dowager Countess (the widow of the Earl). Hudson refers to her as the Dowager in An Object of Value."

Ruby background: She is learning how to read (0'58").

Rooms: The morning room is back to having a double light switch again. The switches continue to change in subsequent episodes.

Rooms: This is our first good look at the arrangement of rooms beyond the door to the left of the servants' hall. On the other side of the door, to the left, is the wine cellar (though this looks different to that seen in Your Obedient Servant). Opposite is Mr Hudson's pantry, and to the right are the backstairs.

Christopher Biggins (Mr Donaldson) is a well-known TV face in the UK, usually in supporting comedy roles such as gay inmate Lukewarm in Porridge (1973-7). His occasional period-drama roles include Nero in I, Claudius (1976) as well as guest parts in The Duchess Of Duke Street (in 1976) and Poldark (in 1977).

Rooms / goof?: In the mews stables/cottage, Thomas' bedroom is now reached by a wooden flight of stairs, rather than the spiral iron staircase seen in The Property of a Lady (but he might have swapped rooms) (11').

Lady Marjorie background: Her brother (and the new Lord Southwold) is called Hugo (16'03").

Miss Roberts background / goof?: She has worked at 165 for nearly 17 years (21'22"). This means she started work there in about 1892. However, other episodes date the marriage between Marjorie and Richard to 1881-1883, thus indicating that Roberts came up from Southwold some years afterwards. However, the general idea given in the series is that she (and Hudson and Mrs Bridges) all started work at 165 together when the Bellamys moved in after their marriage (e.g. see Magic Casements).

Rooms/goof: The door to the right of Hudson's pantry seems to connect with the rest of the servants' hall in this episode, but the door on the left was used for this purpose in Your Obedient Servant.

Thomas background: He has four brothers and three sisters – he was the fifth-born of these. His eldest brother is called Gwyn/Gwynn/Gwynne (36'04"). Only one brother is still at home at the time of the Thomas & Sarah episode Return To Gethyn. Thomas is 33 years old (37'50").