Robert Carlyle has said that filming was chaotic and that 20th Century Fox were so unhappy with the first cut that they considered scrapping its theatrical release and going straight to video. Carlyle has stated that it was the hard work of producer Uberto Pasolini and editor Nick Moore that rescued the film.
A number of American cinemas had special leaflets printed containing translations to some of the British slang left in the U.S version of the film so that audiences would be able to follow the dialog more easily.
The film's only Oscar win was in the category 'Best Music, Original Musical or Comedy Score'. This category had been created two years prior, but was abolished again two years later.
The original cut of the film was too short, so three months after shooting ended, some more footage was shot, including the football/exercise montage. Robert Carlyle is not in that sequence; the actor was working on another project by then.
Tom Wilkinson was also considered for the part of Lovejoy in Titanic (1997) but chose to play Gerald in this film instead. The two movies would compete at the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director the next year.