The series was cancelled because Jack Shepherd refused to continue in the title role when the producers sacked Jimmy Yuill (Det. Insp. Doug Kersey) for "insurance reasons" after he contracted life-threatening meningitis during filming, and then would not reinstate him even though he made a full recovery. Cast and crew felt betrayed and embittered by the production company's heavy-handed attitude. The character of Doug Kersey was written out of the last two episodes of what became the final series.
Wycliffe and the Cycle of Death (1993) which was broadcast on 6 August 1993 was a 90 minute TV movie which introduced the characters of the forthcoming series.
When filming, Jack Shepherd and Jimmy Yuill would often share a house.
The series usually avoids revealing the first name of the pathologist, and it regularly lists him in the credits only by his surname , Franks. Old Crimes, New Times (1997) features a rare instance of someone addressing him by his first name (when Wycliffe meets him on the street and calls him Cyril).