The programme is set in the 1950s, but the characters' story began in 1943 when Muncie first arrested 16-year-old Manuel for housebreaking and multiple sexual assaults. He served nine years in Peterhead Prison in Aberdeen before being released.
Both Martin Compston and Douglas Henshall spent time researching their parts and the characters they would be playing. Compston admitted to being scared stiff in one scene and said that he had driven around to Peter Manuel's old house after filming and parked up, "just to sit outside". Henshall talked about his part with William Muncie's daughter and was determined to bring the character to life, who, by Henshall's estimation, was single-minded in catching Manuel but also the only one who took to the notion of him being a serial killer.
Peter Manuel, who was born in the United States, was known as "The Beast of Birkenshaw" (as he lived in Birkenshaw, Uddingston). He taunted his pursuer with messages and even sent him birthday and Christmas cards.
Many locations across Glasgow (including the Victoria Infirmary) and the Central Belt of Scotland were used in filming. Some parts were even filmed in Martin Compston's home town of Greenock. Dunlop in East Ayrshire was also used for the police station and the home of the detective.
At the time, local police had never dealt with this level of criminality before; Peter Manuel chose his victims at random, with no apparent reason and ended up scaring a whole community so much that everyone started locking their doors.