A post office and a red post box

ITV announces the cast for Mr Bates vs. The Post Office

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The show’s ensemble includes Toby Jones, Monica Dolan, Katherine Kelly and Shaun Dooley.

ITV have announced the start of filming on Mr Bates vs. The Post Office, from ITV Studios and Little Gem.

The drama tells the remarkable true story of one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in British legal history. Hundreds of innocent sub-postmasters and postmistresses were wrongly accused of theft, fraud and false accounting due to a defective IT system. Many were prosecuted, some were imprisoned for crimes they never committed – their lives were irreparably ruined by the scandal.

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 after 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.

Toby Jones

Actor Toby Jones (Detectorists) will play Alan Bates in the four-hour drama. The cast includes Monica Dolan, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Alex Jennings, Ian Hart, Lia Williams and Will Mellor. Plus, Clare Calbraith, Shaun Dooley, Amit Shah, Lesley Nicol, Adam James and Katherine Kelly.

The real-life Alan Bates said:

“This is one of the most egregious scandals the country has ever seen and a major corporation has managed to keep it covered up for years. Thankfully this has now been exposed and the victims are finally on their way to finding the justice they deserve.”

Actor Toby Jones added:

“I am proud to be a part of this shocking, unsettling but ultimately inspirational drama.”

The show comes from screenwriter Gwyneth Hughes (Tom Jones), director James Strong (Vigil) and producer Chris Clough (World on Fire). Patrick Spence (ITV Studios) executive produces with Hughes, Natasha Bondy and Ben Gale (Little Gem), James Strong and Joe Williams.

For more details on the show, check out the original press release. Mr Bates vs. The Post Office will air on ITV1 and ITVX – we’ll keep you posted.