Ian Lavender was interviewed by the Reading Evening Post (24th January 1984) about his role in the series, and how it compared to his most famous role, Pike in Dad's Army: "Okay. I'm at it again. I'm playing yet another character who makes a mess of everything he does. Mind you. I don't really mind playing the fool... I've discovered it brings out the mothering instinct in girls."
The Aberdeen Press and Journal (31st December 1983) stated that Tom Conti was instrumental in the casting for the series: "PAUL Chapman, who plays the office boss in "The Hello Goodbye Man", David Nobbs' new comedy series starting on BBC 2 on Thursday, was cast on the recommendation of actor Tom Conti. Tom heard that the director was looking for someone to play a thoroughly-rotten yet likeable type and suggested Paul."
There are no character names credited in the series, only the names of the actors; all of the character names listed are either stated in the series or from listings in The Radio Times.