The factory where the famous "Uncle Joe's Mint Balls" are made served as the filming location for Cotton's Sweets. It is located in the town of Wigan (20 miles west of Manchester) and is known as WM Santus' Dorning Street factory.
The van with the bomb was filmed parked on the unharmed east side of the Arndale on Church Street. The actual location of the van was on the west side on Corporation Street, but the restoration of the Arndale differs so greatly from the original that they had to film from the opposite side.
The series takes place from June 15, 1996 to January 1, 2000.
Philip Glenister (Daniel) and Liz White (Joanne) have previously worked together on the TV series, Life on Mars (2006), playing Gene Hunt and Annie Cartwright respectively.