A statement of Hortense's suggests that her family comes from Barbados, and a stamp on a letter among her adoptive mother's papers is almost identifiable as Barbadian on my DVD, but when she puts on a West Indian accent in one scene, apparently imitating her mother, it sounds like broad Jamaican or generic "West Indian", certainly not Bajan, which is a very distinctive accent. However, her decision to playfully mock her mother by using a generic accent may have been intentional.
Cynthia and Hortense's café meet scene (following on from their initial meeting outside Holborn Tube station) is set in an otherwise empty (save for one seated figure in the background) restaurant in central London on a Saturday evening in the summer. In reality, such an establishment in that location at that time would be incredibly busy. Mike Leigh did later admit that some dramatic licence was required for that particular scene.
When Roxanne pushes Cynthia onto the bed, the shadow of a crew member's head is seen moving on the bed.
Cynthia's address on Hortense's birth certificate is shown as Quilter St, London SE17. The first time Hortense drives there, the street sign shows Quilter St, E2.