Filming lasted for a period of six months in the early months of 1984. Editing and special effects took the best part of the summer and autumn of 1984 and the series was eventually broadcast in the last two months of 1984, culminating on Christmas Eve 1984 (coinciding with the events of the finale which take place on Christmas Eve).
The book on which the premise is based is actually the second one. The first book, called "The Midnight Folk", features several characters who are common in both stories. These include Kay Harker, Sylvia Pouncer, Caroline Louisa, Abner Brown and the Mouse who dwells in the sewers and assists Kay. Sylvia Pouncer was Kay Harker's original governess but Caroline Louisa takes him under her custody after the conclusion of "The Midnight Folk" . The existence of a full-fledged established back-story resolves some questions in the TV series such as Kay Harker being already accustomed to magical incidents, Abner Brown holding a grudge against Kay Harker for his previous interference, Kay being knowledgeable about Abner Brown's and Sylvia Pouncer's involvement with occult and their sinister intentions (as well as knowing that Abner Brown is using an alias), and finally Mouse recognizing Kay instantly (due to their previous encounters) and willing to guide him without any further explanation.
The most expensive production for British Television at the time, with an estimated budget of 1.000.000 pounds. The special effects were innovative for that time period and were considered to be groundbreaking (namely the use of matte drawings, blending human and animated characters together and extensive use of blue screen and digital effects).
Although Abner Brown is the major antagonist and the leading character Kay Harker is in the same room with him on many occasions , the two of them do not exchange a single line of dialogue during the course of the entire series .
Patrick Troughton was cast as Cole Hawlings because he was director Renny Rye's favourite Doctor Who (1963) and he felt he brought a magical quality to the role.