Julie Hesmondhalgh on changing "hearts and minds" on Coronation Street

Bates is a former subpostmaster who successfully took the Post Office to the High Court after hundreds of his colleagues were wrongly accused of theft, fraud and false accounting due to a defective IT system.

In preparation for her role, Hesmondhalgh met with Sercombe, whom she was able to spend an afternoon with.

"I got a little bit of a sense of who she was," she explained, "and her background and her life and relationship with Alan, and what they've been through."

Speaking about her role in the new drama, Hesmondhalgh revealed portraying Sercombe was one of "the most satisfying jobs" she has done, due to her being able to tell stories she "really believe[s] in".

She said: "I knew about the Post Office scandal and was incredibly interested in it. And to play a real person? I mean, it's everything that I would want from my career, actually.

"The most satisfying jobs that I've done in my life have been telling stories that I really believe in, and that I feel shift people's perceptions about something or bring something to the forefront of people's minds in ways they hadn't considered before.

"I'm absolutely passionate about drama being able to do that."

Read more:

• Toby Jones "ashamed" he was unaware of Post Office scandal before drama
• Mr Bates vs The Post Office trailer features Happy Valley, Broadchurch stars

Hesmondhalgh, who appeared in Coronation Street between 1998 and 2014, noted how a programme can have "such a far-reaching impact" when talking about an issue - something she realised when she was a part of the soap.

She added: "That's probably in no small part because of being in Coronation Street for so many years and seeing hearts and minds change, witnessing it for myself, how that programme has such a far-reaching impact when it talks about an issue."

Hesmondhalgh explained that she "really jumped at the chance to tell this story" as she felt "really passionately about it".

"In this world where we can feel very powerless sometimes, it's a really great message to be telling people."

Mr Bates vs The Post Office will air on ITV1 and ITVX from Monday 1st January 2024. For more, check out our dedicated Drama page or our full TV Guide and Streaming Guide.

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