Painted Boats appreciates the gentle rhythm of traditional canal life, whereas Ted's ambition is to get off the canals and into mainstream life at the earliest opportunity. World War II intrudes when Ted is called up for military service, leaving the future for the pair uncertain. Location filming took place on the 20-mile stretch of the Grand Union Canal between Stoke Bruerne and Braunston in Northamptonshire, including the Blisworth Tunnel – at 1.75 miles (2.82 km) in length, the third-longest canal tunnel in Britain. Insert shots feature the industrial landscape of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, the famous Anderton Boat Lift in Cheshire and
Netherton Tunnel Branch Canal prior to construction. The main reason for the project being overbudget was the extra works necessitated by the condition of the ground through which the tunnel passes. In 1983, the British Waterways Board had of the brick invert replaced with concrete as a result of the invert rising sufficiently to impede navigation. In 2011, significant cracks were found in part of the tunnel lining. Traffic through the tunnel was limited, as a result. Repair work began early in 2013. The canal runs south-west from the BCN New Main Line at Dudley Port Junction and under the Old Main Line at