The original short story was Holmes relating this case to Watson, as he had already solved it before he and Watson even met. The dialogue between Holmes and Watson about Holmes's earliest cases is a nod to the short story.
The concept of Holmes being sick and needing vacation is originally from another story, ''The Reigate Squires".
The original story was part of The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, not the Return of Sherlock Holmes.
This was Ian Marter's final acting role before his death on October 28, 1986, his 42nd birthday, only three months after this episode aired.