This was a very personal project for Albert Finney, who made his debut as director with it and made it for his own company, Memorial Enterprises. He got fairly lavish backing from an American company, Universal, who were trying to set up a system for making films in England, but then had the greatest difficulty in getting the finished film shown. He made the film in 1966, but, although advance word on it was very positive, and the film eventually won awards as well as rave reviews, it was not shown in either the US or Britain until 1968; its American opening was well over six months in advance of its British one. Finney did his best to promote the film in several countries, but it was written off as a box-office failure. He hoped to direct in films again, and announced a film to be called "The Girl In Melanie Klein" in the early 1970s; but he never made it and never directed another theatrical feature.
Actor/director Albert Finney, like his character Charlie Bubbles, was born in the Greater Manchester area in England.
The film was made on a budget of £450,000; it has been estimated that about £200,000 of this went simply to Albert Finney, who was both star and director. Finney later conceded that he had been paid too much.
Stephen Frears, credited here as "personal assistant to" Albert Finney, directed him a few years later in Gumshoe (1971).
Albert Finney appeared with his 'Charlie Bubbles' co-stars Colin Blakely in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960) and with Billie Whitelaw in Gumshoe (1971).