Writer Ira Steven Behr said that this episode was so heavy with emotion even some of the crew had tears in their eyes during filming.
Sir Fletcher Gordon was played by Frazer Hines. Hines played time-travelling companion Jamie Macrimmon in Doctor Who (1963). Outlander writer Diana Gabaldon saw Hines' performance in the episode The War Games and was was taken by the thought of writing about a Scottish Highlander. She said he looked 'rather fetching' in a kilt. Thus, the actor who inspired the Outlander book series was a part of this episode.
Two of the condemned prisoners are Lachlan Fife and Taran MacQuarrie. Lachnlan MacQuarrie was a British army officer and administator from Scotland who also served as Governor of New South Wales from 1810 to 1821, also known as the Father of Australia. He was a gentleman of the Scottish Highland family clan MacQuarrie.
Jack Randall tells Jamie he could fall on his sword like Brutus. Tobias Menzies played Brutus in HBO's Rome.