Because this installment was originally broadcast as a Christmas special and has a longer running time than usual, it was often skipped for broadcast in other countries. Jumping right from the end of series 2 into series 3, audiences were left to wonder how the British airmen got back into the Café after leaving in a hot air balloon at the end of series 2.
The episode's title "The Gateau From the Chateau" and the resulting rhyming gags are an obvious nod to the famous "Pellet with the poison" scene in The Court Jester (1955).
From the British Airmen's radio conversation we learn that Fairfax's forename is Gavin, and Carstairs' nickname is Bumbly.