Mr Bates vs The Post Office casts Toby Jones, Monica Dolan and more
Julie Hesmondhalgh, Alex Jennings, and Ian Hart are among the other stars to appear in the ITV factual drama.
Toby Jones has been announced as the star of the upcoming ITV factual drama Mr Bates vs. The Post Office – which has just begun filming.
Detectorists star Jones will play Alan Bates, the former subpostmaster who successfully took the Post Office to the High Court after hundreds of his colleagues had been wrongly accused of theft, fraud and false accounting due to a defective IT system.
And Jones is joined by a host of other famous faces in the drama – including Monica Dolan (The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe), Julie Hesmondhalgh (The Pact), Alex Jennings (This Is Going to Hurt) and Ian Hart (The Responder).
Also starring are Lia Williams (The Crown), Will Mellor (Coronation Street), Clare Calbraith (Grace), Shaun Dooley (Gentleman Jack), Amit Shah (Happy Valley) Lesley Nicol (Downton Abbey) Adam James (The Suspect) and Katherine Kelly (Bloods).
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Written by screenwriter Gwyneth Hughes – whose previous credits include Tom Jones, Honour and Vanity Fair – and helmed by Broadchurch and Vigil director James Strong, the four-part drama promises to tell "the story of one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in British legal history."
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According to an official synopsis: "Many of the wronged workers were prosecuted, some of whom were imprisoned for crimes they never committed, and their lives were irreparably ruined by the scandal."
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It continues: "Following the landmark Court of Appeal decision to overturn their criminal convictions, dozens of former sub-postmasters and postmistresses have been exonerated on all counts as they battled to finally clear their names.
"They fought for over ten years finally proving their innocence and sealing a resounding victory, but all involved believe the fight is not over yet, not by a long way."
Speaking about the case as the show was announced, Alan Bates himself described it as "one of the most egregious scandals the country has ever seen" and added, "thankfully this has now been exposed and the victims are finally on their way to finding the justice they deserve."
Meanwhile, Jones said he was "proud to be a part of this shocking, unsettling but ultimately inspirational drama.”
And speaking about the star-studded cast, ITV Commissioning Editor Helen Perry said: “We are so grateful to the extraordinary cast that have come together for this show. Their talent will help shine a spotlight on one of the most important and unbelievable stories of injustice in recent British history.”
Mr Bates vs. The Post Office will air on ITV1 and ITVX. For more, check out our dedicated Drama page or our full TV Guide and Streaming Guide.
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