Wilt was the first in a loose series of satirical novels featuring the character Henry Wilt written by Tom Sharpe; the others in the series were The Wilt Alternative, Wilt On High, Wilt in Nowhere and the Wilt Inheritance.
This was supposed to be one of several films based on Tom Sharpe's novels about the misadventures of Henry Wilt. Whilst the film was a decent box office hit in the UK (primarily because of the casting of well known comedians Griff Rhys Jones and Mel Smith as well as the book series being a big seller there) , it only did middling business abroad. Therefore plans to film other novels in the series were dropped.
The now famous Smith and Jones tradition from their comedy sketches with them conversing face to face at a table with the camera side-on is used during the police interrogation scene 56 minutes in.
Due to the film being made by LWT, a corporate affiliate of ITV, it made it's UK network TV premiere on ITV on Saturday October 12th 1991, less than two years after it's UK cinema release, at a time when films usually took a minimum of three years to appear on TV.
Writer Tom Sharpe worked as a lecturer in history at the Cambridge College of Arts and Technology from 1963 to 1972. He used this experience as the basis for his "Wilt" series.