This one-off episode aired as part of the BBC Classic Sitcoms season, alongside other remakes such as Porridge (2016), and it was revealed that if successful, it would serve as a backdoor pilot for a series. It has parallels with the original Are You Being Served? (1972), which also originally aired as a single episode as part of the BBC's Comedy Playhouse (1961), a series of pilots, before becoming a full series in itself. With its setting remaining in the past, specifically the late 1980s, this updated version turned the show into a period comedy.
The episode takes place in 1988.
"You Can't Teach A New Dog Old Tricks" attracted an impressive audience of 6,264,000 viewers, making it the fourth most watched programme on BBC1 for the period 22nd - 28th August 2016.
Falsely thought of as being Jorgie Porter's acting debut. Jorgie's debut was Hollyoaks in 2008.