Along with Heart's Desire (1997), this is one of only two episodes of the series set prior to the 1990s which does not involve time travel.
David Warner (Inspector Langford) previously played John Leslie Stevenson / Jack the Ripper in Time After Time (1979).
The title refers to the Jack the Ripper, the serial killer who murdered five prostitutes in the Whitechapel area of London from August to November 1888.
Inspector Langford's superior is said to be Sir Charles. This is a reference to Sir Charles Warren, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police from 1886 to 1888.
France Nuyen (Madame Li Yu) is the former wife of Robert Culp, who played Allen Leighton in The Architects of Fear (1963), Paul Cameron in Corpus Earthling (1963) and Trent in Demon with a Glass Hand (1964).