Will Mellor’s emotional reunion with real-life Post Office victim
Mr Bates vs The Post Office’s Will Mellor reunites with real-life victim
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Watch Will Mellor’s emotional reunion with real-life Post Office victim
What did you miss?
Mr Bates vs The Post Office’s Will Mellor was reunited with the real-life Lee Castleton who he plays in the ITV drama.
Castleton was one of sub-postmasters who was prosecuted over the false claims they were stealing from the Post Office when in reality it was a result of errors from the Fujitsu’s software Horizon.
Good Morning Britain hosts Charlotte Hawkins and Robert Rinder reunited Castleton with Mr Bates vs The Post Office actor Mellor on the TV sofa. Having built up a bond now, they shared a special moment when they were brought together. Hawkins declared: “This is such a special moment!”
What, how and why?
Castleton explained: “He did a great job didn’t he. It’s that honesty and that sort of empathy. That feeling, he just felt it. I can't tell you how difficult it was to stand in front of the judge and be judged as an individual. It shows that in the film. It shows the humanity of it, or the inhumanity of it.”
TV host Hawkins responded saying, “Do you want to say something personally to him?”
It got emotional when Castleton then turned to Mr Bates vs The Post Office star Mellor and said: “Thank you so much.” Mellor pulled Castleton into a hug and told him: “Don’t be daft. Thank you.”
“It’s a shame it took a drama to get these people heard,” Mellor said. “But it shows the power of television. I’m so glad ITV did this and we did this. The opportunity to play this part, some things come around for a reason some time, I’m glad you liked what I did.”
He added: “It was [a huge weight of responsibility]. I look round and it was a fantastic cast. You just want to make sure you do your job and make sure you tell the story right, get the emotion right, get the journey right. I just made sure he was happy.”
What else happened on Good Morning Britain?
Mellor revealed the heartwarming moment they met for the first time. He explained: “When I met him for the first time, he opened the door for me. I was holding a coffee and a suitcase. I went, ‘Oh thanks mate’ and he went, ‘I’m Lee Castleton.’ I went [gasp] and we just hugged each other. He said, ‘Thanks, this is the world off my shoulders.’”
Elsewhere, Mellor said he had got involved with the activism side after the drama aired because he was feeling "angry" for the sub-postmasters. He explained further: "I was as angry as the public when i read the script. When filming we were saying can you believe they did this to these people?
"They were completely innocent. I didn't want this to settle. I have a bit of responsibility, I should talk about how I feel. Strongly when we come together in this country we stand up. If it’s wrong stand up. They wanted to be heard. I am glad finally they are being heard."
