A pilot episode was filmed in early 2003, and the rest of the series was due to be filmed and aired later that year. However, the producers of Mike Bassett: England Manager (2001) then demanded a much higher percentage of the royalties than they had originally been offered, delaying production of the series by two years. As a result of this delay Bradley Walsh, who had originally been due to return as Doddsy, dropped out and was replaced by Steve Edge.