Sophie Cook (Emma Pierson), Mel's troublesome sister, did not return in Series 2 and there was no explanation to her absence. But it was revealed in Series 3 The Worst Christmas of My Life: Part 3 (2006), that she had moved to New Zealand.
The series was both critically acclaimed and popular, with the first series averaging 5 million viewers on BBC One.
An pilot for an American version was ordered by the Fox network in 2005, entitled "Worst Week", which premiered on 22 September, 2008 on CBS, but the series was canceled on 20 May, 2009.
Ben Miller (Howard Steel) & Emma Pierson (Sophie Cook) also worked on episode 2.4, Episode 3 (2013), of Death in Paradise (2011) as DI Richard Poole & Anna Jones respectively. They also appeared together on four episodes of the comedy sketch show Armstrong & Miller (1997) together.
Mel (Sarah Alexander) loses patience with Howard (Ben Miller) as the story arc in each series progresses.