The scenes in the coffee shop were filmed in French Row St Albans, one of the oldest retail streets in the UK.
The show was constructed by Mike Bullen as a successor to his popular comedy drama Cold Feet. When Bullen began writing the first script in 2002, the show was to be a vehicle for actress Sarah Lancashire, who at the time had a "golden handcuffs" contract with ITV. Lancashire later exited, after deciding to not commit to what could potentially be a long-running series, and was replaced by Caroline Quentin.