Tom Stoppard had never read Jerome K. Jerome's famous novel when he was asked to adapt it for this television movie. He claimed that this was actually a help, as "I didn't know which bits were supposed to be funny."
The dead dog seen floating in the river is actually a freshly killed sheep. The unfortunate animal was sacrificed after shots featuring a toy dog were found to be unconvincing.
Correction: there is no "dead dog". The narrator clearly says "a dead sheep"
Correction: there is no "dead dog". The narrator clearly says "a dead sheep"