Toby Jones has played both ordinary blokes, like Lance in The Detectorists, and extraordinary real-life characters such as Truman Capote, Alfred Hitchcock, Karl Rove, and various figures in British history, winning several awards. In Mr Bates vs the Post Office, he’s got to do a bit of both.
When Jones took on the role of Alan Bates, the former subpostermaster wasn’t exactly a household name, but Jones and the TV series have helped make him one. More than 10 million viewers watched the series finale on the UK’s ITV, with the preceding episodes averaging more than nine million – the sort of numbers the channel got for Broadchurch and Downton Abbey. The show caused a public outcry in the UK.
The drama follows Bates as he led a
