Most of the elements of the plot such as the loan from a cruel moneylender, the woman dressing up as a male lawyer and the pound of flesh being forfeit, are based on Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice.
"Quid Agis" means "How do you do?" in Latin.
"Omne bene, gratis" means "All is well, thank you", also in Latin.
The title is taken from 'The Merchant of Venice', Act 4 Scene 1.
Will's line "There is a tide in the affairs of men, which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune." is from his play, 'Julius Caesar', Act 4 Scene 3.
The number of viewers increased slightly for this finale to 1.18 million pushing Upstart Crow up to twentieth in the rankings for BBC2 for the period 13th June - 19th June 2016.