At the beginning Rumpole recites the poem "November" by Thomas Hood.
Set in 1977, the episode states the notorious Penge Bungalow Murder case took place 30 years earlier (so 1947).
Although the opening credit places this episode in 1977, the headline of the newspaper Rumpole is reading at his house reports that police were found not guilty in the death of Anti-apartheidt activist, Steve Biko. Steve Biko died 12 Sept 1977, but the attorney general of the Eastern Cape stated that he would not prosecute the officers on 2 Feb 1978.
Rumpole's outdated hat that is a subplot in this episode (and an often recurring reference in the series) is an old, worn-out Homburg. It was last popular in England in the 1940s, favoured by Winston Churchill.