Spin-off from a highly popular BBC Radio series, which ran from January 1938 to December 1939.
This movie began shooting on Monday, August 29, 1939 at Islington's Gainsborough Studios. Almost immediately there was a three-week or so break as World War II was declared on Sunday, September 3. Shooting resumed at Lime Grove in Shepherd's Bush, west London. By this time however, many of the cast and crew had been called up for active wartime duty, requiring remounts.
As a practical joke, Director Marcel Varnel had Askey, who had been very vocal in complaining about the flying harness sequence, hoisted up to the studio ceiling. He promptly called lunch and abandoned the comedian.
A novice at the disjointed art of movie acting, Askey had memorized the first six pages of script for his first day on-set.