The title comes from Falstaff's line in Henry IV Part 2, Act 3 Scene 2: "FALSTAFF We have heard the chimes at midnight, Master Shallow".
Much of the fun of this series come from spotting the secret Shakespearean quotes hidden around the sets and scenery. The old folks home resident Johnny Falstaff smokes Boars Head tobacco - and the Boars Head was the pub where Shakespeare's Falstaff played out most of his scenes.
Timothy West plays a character called Johnny Falstaff in this story, an old man trying to contact his son. However, he performed the original role of Sir John Falstaff in Shakespeare's Henry IV part 1 at the Old Vic Theatre in London - opposite his real life son Samuel West. His co-star in this story is Sheila Steafel, who played Falstaff's beloved Mistress Quickly in the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of The Merry Wives of WIndsor.
An outdoor scene shows the Shady Nook sign, on which the Y is set at an angle to the other letters. This appears to be an homage to the ever-changing arrangement of the letters in the Fawlty Towers (1975) sign.