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.
