Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
The wildly popular Downton Abbey often plays like a Hardy novel, and in the Christmas special in season three, they make a blatant reference to Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles (Source)
This fact isn't really fun, but Little Father Time's actions and detachment reflect a changing view of violence and murder that arose near the end of the 19th century brought on by killings by the likes of Jack the Ripper in England and H.H. Holmes in Chicago (during the World's Columbian Exposition). (Source)
In the 1996 movie version of the book (just titled Jude), Christopher Eccelston stars in the titular role. This is one of many performances that made him a standout, and eventually led him to be named the Ninth Doctor for the reboot of Doctor Who. (Source)