Was cited as a crucial moment in Victoria Wood's career, as prior to this one-off, Wood was predominantly associated with her comedy work. Housewife, 49 saw her take on a serious role, showcasing her skills as a versatile actress.
Victoria Wood was awarded two BAFTA awards for the drama.
On an outing to the beach, Nella, her son Cliff Last and his friend James Wenchurch approach a gate. Cliff says "After you, Claude." James replies, "No, after you Cecil." The two are imitating a catchphrase from the popular BBC Radio comedy programme "It's That Man Again", which ran for 10 years from 1939 to 1949. The "man" in the show's title was Adolf Hitler, and the show was lauded as a great morale booster during World War II. The phrase was used by pilots in the Royal Air Force when queuing for an attack. The programme was the basis for the film It's That Man Again (1943).
When Mrs. Lynch comes into the Red Cross Shop, she drops off a chinchilla fur coat in a box, and takes her leave by saying "TTFN." "TTFN" is an initialism for "Ta ta for now" ("Bye bye for now" in American English), and was popularized by the military during World War Two.
Wood later remembered her previous work with Roger Brierley and in Housewife, 49 (2005), she named a character after him. The character was played by Jason Watkins.