Toby Jones, the man who brought Alan Bates to life on screen, says he doubted “whether it was going to be compelling enough to watch as a piece of drama” when he first read the script of Mr Bates vs The Post Office.
Even Bates himself was sceptical, said Jones on the Media Confidential podcast: “He made it very clear very quickly that he was slightly cautious about the idea of a drama.” Bates also warned Jones it would be no easy portraying his character: “Unfortunately, I don’t express emotions, which I think might make your job a little hard!”
