Due to a union action by television technicians, the first four episodes were made in black and white as a protest over pay.
The series was originally going to be called "The Loser".
Speaking with The Stage in November 1984, co-creator Willis Hall revealed that the characters of Budgie and Charlie Endell were based on people he'd met in real life: "The original Budgie was a failed criminal, and the Endell character was based on a successful one. They never met, but the series was based on the proposition that if they did meet, the failed criminal would worship the successful one, but the successful one would despise the failed one."
A popular myth regarding Budgie is that it ended after two seasons because lead actor Adam Faith was involved in a serious car accident before a third was filmed. Although Faith was in a car crash in 1973, and only resumed acting in 1974 for Stardust (1974), in his 1996 autobiography he heavily implies that he felt the series had run its course anyway, and had planned to move on.
"Nobody's Fool", the series' theme tune for the second and final run, was released as a single by Pye Records (7N.45142) in April 1972. Attributed to the band Cold Turkey, it was actually The Kinks (the intro is lifted entirely from their 1968 song "Animal Farm"), or at least credited composer Ray Davies, possibly with his younger brother Dave Davies. The B-side was The Street Kids' Sesame Street (1969) theme.