This episode was filmed on the same set as The First Part of Henry the Sixth (1983) and The Second Part of Henry the Sixth (1983). However, designer Oliver Bayldon altered the set so it would appear to be completely falling apart, as England descended into an even worse state of chaos. In the same vein, the costumes became more and more monotone as the four plays went on - The First Part of Henry the Sixth (1983) features brightly coloured costumes which clearly distinguish the various combatants from one another, but by Richard III (1983), everyone fights in similarly coloured dark costumes, with little to differentiate one army from another.
The scene where Richard kills Henry has three biblical references carefully worked out by Jane Howell; as Richard drags Henry away, his arms spread out into a crucified position; on the table at which he sat are seen bread and wine, and in the background, an iron crossbar is faintly illuminated against the black stone wall.
Part of the long running BBC Television Shakespeare project which ran between 1978 and 1985.