This episode is particularly ironic because it portrays Harold (Harry H. Corbett) as a potential theatrical actor, while yearning to move away from his Rag & Bone man job. In real life, when the series began, Corbett already had a highly acclaimed stage career and was moving into film roles but because of the subsequent huge success of Steptoe & Son, he became typecast in similar comedic roles and his career as a dramatic actor waned. The final scene here also shows Harold frustrated at not being the success he had hoped for on the stage.
Harold's audition piece is Marlon Brando's famous 'taxi' scene from On The Waterfront. Harry H.Corbett was hailed by critics as Britain's Marlon Brando, for a string of acclaimed stage performances early in his career.
According to the poster seen, the Amateur Drama Festival at Shepherds [sic] Bush Civic Hall takes place on at 7.30pm on Thursday 4th February, which would make it 1971, fitting in with Albert's declaration that the curry only cost 9/6. (Decimalised money only arrived eleven days later across the UK.)
Harold's mention of Albert's "Jimmy Young cock-ups" references the popular DJ Jimmy Young, who ran a daily recipe in his BBC Radio 1 show. He received a voiceover credit in the "Radio Times" and recorded a (deleted) scene for the edition, in which Harold contacts the show ("Dear Jim, I listen to your Prog every morning while I'm working on the round, and so does my old man while he's stinking in his pit. I'd like you to play a record for him together with a message: Mr Steptoe père, get up and get your finger out and get my dinner on because I'll be home early s'arternoon!") requesting "Dem Bones" to be played. The sequence opens the 1974 radio adaptation, and continues with an annoyed Albert deciding to buy the takeaway curry.