According to the Guinness Book of Film Facts and Feats, this film holds the record for the longest interval between the writing of the screenplay (in 1948, by 'Dylan Thomas') and the film's release (in 1992) - 44 years.
The second film based on a work by Dylan Thomas starring Peter O'Toole. The first one was Under Milk Wood (1971).
The protests against the toll gates actually happened, and are a famous story in Welsh history. However, director Karl Francis also wanted to use these events to reflect and comment on a more recent controversy, the notorious "poll tax" imposed by Margaret Thatcher's Tory government in the 1980s.