Will Mellor has revealed how “honoured” he is to have starred in ITV drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, which won big at the National TV Awards 2024 on Wednesday night.
The gripping four-parter — based on the true story of postmaster Alan Bates and his campaign to expose the Post Office Horizon IT scandal — picked up the Impact award, for raising awareness of the plight of some 900 postmasters wrongly accused of theft, fraud and false accounting, which has been dubbed the most widespread miscarriage of justice in UK history.
Talking to us on the red carpet prior to the ceremony, held at London’s 02 Arena, Will Mellor — who played real-life sub-postmaster Lee Castleton in the drama — was glad to have helped shine a light on the controversy.
“I was honoured to be involved with Mr Bates Vs The Post Office,” Will said of the drama, which also scooped the Best Actor gong for Toby Jones’s portrayal of Mr Bates himself. “These sub postmasters, wanted a voice to be shouted from the rooftops but no one was listening. People thought they knew the story but, until ITV made the drama, they didn’t feel what these people went through and the response of the public once they saw the drama was: ‘We can’t have this, we need to do something about it!'”
Will — who’s just starred in Channel 5 four-parter, The Teacher season 2, alongside Kara Tointon and Emmett J Scanlan — also admitted to feeling “blessed” about being considered for major TV dramas.
“I’m honoured to still be doing what I love and calling it a job,” he said. “Since I was a kid, it was a dream, and I’m still able to do that. So every job I get is a blessing. I keep thinking: ‘Are you sure you want me?’ And then discover that yes, they do! I’m always up for trying to challenge myself to play different roles.”
And ones that involve different costumes, it seems…
“I’d love to be in a period piece,” he said. “I’d love to put the gear on play a knight or a soldier – maybe a soldier who’s coming back from a tour with PTSD. If there’s a script out there, send it me!’
Away from serious acting Will appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2022 — and has sage advice for the famous faces taking to the dancefloor on Saturday night when BBC One’s entertainment juggernaut returns.
“The only advice I’d give is give it everything you’ve got, listen to your dance partner and work hard, because if you cut corners, you’ll get found out,” he said. “It’s one of the best things to do on television, but it’s one of the most challenging as well. So just give it everything you got to combat those nerves – if they get the better of you, you’ve had it. Oh, and don’t fall over. It’s live!”
Mr Bates Vs The Post Office is available to stream on ITVX and The Teacher season 2 is available on My5.
