 Funding for the film was scarce, and it eventually fell to Euston Films (a subsidiary of Thames Television) and Channel Four Films, who had had some success with low budget features such as "My Beautiful Laundrette".To compensate for the lack of budget, a very tight shooting schedule was planned over 28 days, during which Kenneth Branagh was only available for two weeks and was performing on-stage nightly in London.Despite being set in Yorkshire, the majority of location filming was moved to Buckinghamshire, although Levisham railway station and the surrounding area in North Yorkshire were used.