Trivia / London's Burning

• Actor-Shared Background: An effort was made to incorporate the talents and hobbies of the actors into their characters, which could be put to use in the show.
  • Glen Murphy is a former amateur boxer, like his character George Green.
  • Richard Walsh is a keen singer with an operatic voice, like his character Sicknote.
  • Ross Boatman is a gambler and poker player, like his character Kevin Medhurst.^note Indeed, Boatman later left the show to pursue a career as a professional poker player.
  • Sara Powell is an accomplished swimmer, like her character Sally Reid.
  • Kate Stevens was originally meant to be from Newcastle, but this was changed to Nottingham, like her portrayer Samantha Beckinsale, who couldn't do a good Geordie accent.
• Backed by the Pentagon: London's Burning was made with the support of the London Fire Brigade, who provided the show with an operational station to film at, a few fire engines, and a serving officer to act as an advisor. Serving firefighters often appeared as extras.
• Directed by Cast Member: James Hazeldine, who played Bayleaf, also directed some episodes. Jonathan Guy Lewis (Chris Hammond) wrote two episodes.
• Doubling for London: Averted. The series was filmed in London.
• The Other Darrin:
  • Three different actors play Cyril, George's brother-in-law: Ken Stott (in Series 1 Episode 1), Henry Goodman (Ding Dong Merrily) and Frederick Warder (Series 3-5, Series 9-10)
  • Carol's husband Martin was played by Ian Burfield in Series 9 and later Peter McNamara in Series 10
• Outlived Its Creator: Jack Rosenthal created London's Burning and wrote the pilot movie, but he had no further involvement with the show.
• Reality Subtext: The pilot episode has a riot in a council estate, something that was fresh in the minds of 1986 viewers after the Brixton and Broadwater Farm riots of 1985.
• Screwed by the Network: By the late 1990s/early 2000s, ITV bosses wanted rid of the show. Despite the fact that audience figures remained good (series 12 was still attracting over 10 million viewers), it was seen as dated and in need of replacing. Its budget was slashed and it was moved to new Saturday and summer timeslots, before finally being cancelled in 2002.
• You Look Familiar: Ona McCracken had a recurring role as Recall's wife Laura after previously appearing in an Series 2 episode as a police officer investigating Josie Ingham’s attempted rape. This also happened a few times with minor characters.