The whole of Rillington Place (renamed Ruston Close in Ladbroke Grove) was due for demolition when filming took place, but was put off until filming had been completed. As soon as movie crews and equipment had been removed, demolition crews went in under police guard. The whole street remained under guard until it had been demolished, and rubble removed, to prevent trophy hunters attempting to remove any building debris belonging to Number 10 for souvenirs. Number 7 was used for interior shots, as number 10 had been gutted to stop souvenir hunters.
Richard Attenborough's make-up, mainly consisting of a bald pate, took three hours to apply every morning.
Richard Attenborough once said of playing John Christie in the film in an interview with "The Times" on May 18, 1970: "I did not like playing the part, but I accepted it at once without seeing the script. I have never felt so totally involved in any part as this. It is a most devastating statement on capital punishment."
The film was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor for John Hurt. The nomination was Hurt's first BAFTA nomination (he did not win), with several others following in his career, with Hurt winning a BAFTA next time for Best Actor in a television role for his part in The Naked Civil Servant (1975).
Bernard Lee originally appeared as "Inspector J" (based on the real-life Chief Inspector Jennings), though his scenes were cut from the finished movie.