Toby Jones stars in the new ITV drama based on a real life scandal.
As we approach the new year, viewers can look forward to some brand new dramas, with ITV’s Mr Bates vs the Post Office being one of the first out of the gate on New Year’s Day.
The series features an ensemble cast led by Toby Jones, and dramatises the real-life fight for justice in the wake of the Post Office scandal.
The four-part drama will air across four nights, and also stars the likes of Julie Hesmondhalgh, Monica Dolan, Lia Williams, Alex Jennings and Will Mellor.
Read on for everything you need to know about Mr Bates vs the Post Office.
When will Mr Bates vs the Post Office be released?
The first episode of Mr Bates vs the Post Office will air on ITV1 and ITVX at 9pm on Monday 1st January 2024.
New episodes will then air at 9pm each night, with the final episode airing at 9pm on Thursday 4th January 2024.
What is Mr Bates vs the Post Office about?
The series is based on the real-life British Post Office scandal in the late 1990s, when hundreds of subpostmasters and mistresses working up and down the UK were falsely accused of theft, fraud and false accounting by their employer following an IT malfunction.
The official synopsis for the series says: “The drama tells the 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 of the wronged workers were prosecuted, some were imprisoned for crimes they never committed, and their lives were irreparably damaged by the scandal.”
Mr Bates vs the Post Office cast: Toby Jones and Monica Dolan star
The ITV drama features a stacked ensemble cast, including Toby Jones (The Long Shadow), Julie Hesmondhalgh (Broadchurch), Monica Dolan (Black Mirror) and Alex Jennings (Unforgotten), among many others.
Here’s a full list of the cast for the four-part series:
- Toby Jones as Alan Bates
- Julie Hesmondhalgh as Suzanne Sercombe
- Monica Dolan as Jo Hamilton
- Lia Williams as Paula Vennells
- Alex Jennings as James Arbuthnot
- Will Mellor as Lee Castleton
- Shaun Dooley as Michael Rudkin
- Ian Hart as Bob Rutherford
- Amit Shah as Jasgun Singh
- Krupa Pattani as Saman Kaur
- Katherine Kelly as Angela Van den Bogerd
- Isobel Middleton as Kay Linnell
- Clare Calbraith as Gina Griffiths
- Colin Tierney as Martin Griffiths
- Pip Torrens as Mr Justice Fraser
- Amy Nuttall as Lisa Castleton
- Ifan Huw Dafydd as Noel Thomas
- Lesley Nicol as Pam Stubbs
- John Hollingworth as James Hartley
- Adam James as Patrick Green QC
Mr Bates vs the Post Office trailer
You can watch the trailer for Mr Bates vs the Post Office right here:
Mr Bates vs the Post Office arrives on 1st January at 9pm on ITV and ITVX. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
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