Derek Bentley was partially pardoned posthumously by Home Secretary Michael Howard, who said he should not have been hanged, but was still guilty. Bentley's conviction was later overturned by the Court of Appeal, who said that he had not had a fair trial because of the behavior of the trial judge, Lord Goddard. This movie has been credited for keeping the case in the public eye.
Christopher Eccleston's nephew Peter played Derek Bentley as a child. Peter's sister Rebecca also has a part in this movie.
Based on the 1990 book "Let Him Have It, Chris" by British author and history teacher, M.J. Trow.
Original Director Alex Cox was replaced by Peter Medak because Cox wanted to film in black-and-white.
The comic book used in this movie is a 1970s reprint of an authentic U.S. comic of the period (probably the EC title Shock Suspenstories #12 with a cover date of Dec 1953/Jan 1954). The front cover and contents would have been virtually identical to the original, but the back cover of the U.S. original would have had a period advertisement rather than the single comics panel on the reprint, as shown in the movie.