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Monica Dolan is so gentle and unassuming that, sitting in a giant armchair in a London hotel, she looks as if she could be swallowed up by its upholstery. But then, the Middlesbrough-born 56-year-old has made her name dissolving into roles – especially those inspired by real people. She won a Bafta for her chilling performance as serial killer Rose West in 2011’s Appropriate Adult, and rave reviews for her turn as kooky life insurance scammer Anne Darwin in The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe. Last year, her appearance in ITV’s Mr Bates vs the Post Office as the fierce Jo Hamilton – the post office operator who faced criminal charges when a computer system failure led to her and hundreds of others being wrongly accused of theft – became a national talking point. The four-part British drama, which aired in January 2024, prompted public outrage. In the aftermath of the show, the former Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells handed back her CBE and the government was pressed into launching a new compensation scheme.
You won best supporting actress at the Baftas 13 years ago. Now you’re nominated again. Does it feel different this time?
It’s a bit like when you go back to your first school and the chairs look really small. Whereas before I felt like I was trying to get into a world, now I feel slightly more like I’m, hopefully, in it – and welcoming other people as well.
Mr Bates vs the Post Office caused real-world action. How did it feel when that played out?
I was shocked by the audience reaction, and how proud I was of the audience reaction.
I saw that the compensation, promised after the show’s success, is taking longer than post office operators were hoping.
They’ve actually re-engaged the subpostmasters in a process where they have to apply, and this is what those people have been doing for years. And it’s just not fair to make them do it again. They don’t trust it any more. I’ve got a friend whose auntie has just said: “It’s taken up enough of my life.” She’s not even trying to get the money. She doesn’t want to go through it.
You’ve played a lot of real people. Does that come with extra responsibility?
Oh yeah! One of the most moving days of my career was when we went to Bafta to the screening of Mr Bates vs the Post Office. There was going to be a Q&A. Lots of subpostmasters were there. What if they had turned around and said: “That’s not our story at all and you’ve misrepresented us”? At the same time, the first duty is to the script. Nobody knows the whole truth of any situation.
Are you and Jo Hamilton still in touch?
Yes, she texted me yesterday. We’re both very into our dogs.
What’s your opinion of Paula Vennells after making the show?
I listened to the first day of the inquiry, when Paula was giving evidence. I thought: “Right, this is where she gets exposed.” Then Rishi Sunak resigned, so I was like: “Oh my God, she’s been buried.” Then I thought, she’s so lucky.
What’s the most research you’ve done to play a real person?
When I played Rosemary West, I went to her solicitor and got the transcript of the court case, which the TV company hadn’t managed to do.
What’s the secret to playing a villain?
Don’t deliberately not want to be liked, otherwise you end up twirling a moustache.
There’s been a lot of talk about a funding crisis in British drama. Have you felt the effects of that?
Well, I’ve definitely felt that the things that I’ve been doing have been very stripped back and, you know, there isn’t a lot. At the best of times, there’s a fear of taking risks but now, particularly, people aren’t even pitching things they would have pitched a couple of years ago. There seems to be more push with the scripts I read, making them generic.
What TV shows have you been enjoying at the moment?
Smoggie Queens. It’s about inclusivity and finding another family than your birth family, and it’s extremely funny as well. There are so many things in it that appeal to everyone, but there are certain jokes that you’d only get if you’re from Middlesbrough.
What’s your guilty pleasure TV show?
Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly Australia. In the whole of Australia, they couldn’t find anyone to train their dogs apart from Graeme Hall, this bloke from Yorkshire! I watch it if I need cheering up.
The Bafta Television Awards with P&O Cruises is on BBC One and BBC iPlayer tomorrow at 7pm.
Watch this space …
Catch the full lineup of our Bafta TV special launching across the weekend and starring best actor nominees David Tennant, Lennie James, Monica Dolan, Billie Piper, Richard Gadd, Marisa Abela and Sharon D Clarke
