Peter Egan accepted the part of Paul Ryman whilst in New York, and so unable to see a script before the series went into production. He asked who was in it, was told Richard Briers and Penelope Wilton, and took the offer immediately. The three became lifelong friends.
Paul's habitual wry amusement when talking to Martin was entirely due to the fact that Egan found Briers a hugely entertaining person to be around; consequently the smiles were genuine and he cleverly used them as part of his characterisation.
Ann Davies suggested Peter Egan for consideration as Paul, aware of how well he and her husband Richard Briers had got on together in the BBC's production of George Bernard Shaw's Arms and the Man (1982). Davies played Martin's Mole Valley Valves secretary Mrs Ripper in the final two episodes of the series.
Richard Briers confessed he preferred this series to The Good Life (1975), having more sympathy with put-upon but well-meaning Martin Bryce than the perhaps selfish and sometimes bombastic Tom Good.
