Dame Judi Dench had read the novel "Cranford" at school, and when a neighbor lent her the book, she was vividly reminded of Elizabeth Gaskell's writing. She stated that she hoped that this television adaptation would "make people want to read her."
Series Creator Sue Birtwistle found out about the novel "Cranford" after finishing another project. Despite liking it immensely, she felt it wasn't enough to create a drama series, so she read more of Elizabeth Gaskell's other material, and came up with the idea of adapting three of Gaskell's novellas into a BBC Drama series, hence this series. The three novels were "Cranford," Mr. Harrison's Confessions," and "My Lady Ludlow." Birtwistle and her co-Creator Susie Conklin spent several weeks in Birtwistle's apartment in New York City, using color-coded cards to piece the stories together. When Writer Heidi Thomas came on-board, she mentioned that they had married off someone twice.
Costume Designer Jenny Beavan and Series Creator Sue Birtwistle found designing the costumes a challenge because the original author had been very detailed, but both cited how much fun they, the actors, and actresses had when it came to fitting. Dame Eileen Atkins was reported to have put on a pair of boots that were somewhat masculine and stated that they made her know what her character would feel like. Atkins also wore costumes that were a few years out of fashion to the date of the story, because it was felt that her character wouldn't have bought her own clothes, and been frugal with her expenditures. Greg Wise and Julia Sawalha also started liking wearing costumes, with the former stating that the restraint improved acting, and Sawalha said she loved dressing up, joking that that the costumes were the "simple and shallow" reasons she liked period dramas.
Heidi Thomas stated she "adored" writing about Miss Pole, saying she "lived inside her." Imelda Staunton, who played the character, said that her character's story and that of Julia McKenzie's were interwoven with the other major characters.