US Edition
Another win for Mr Bates vs The Post Office as it tops Radio Times influential list
Drama that told of how hundreds of ex postmasters were falsely accused of fraud heads list of significant figures in world of television
Mr Bates vs The Post Office has become the first ensemble, rather than individual, to top the Radio Times’ TV 100 list which celebrates the most influential people on screen.
Starring Toby Jones in the title role, the four-part series told the story of how hundreds of sub-postmasters had been wrongly accused of theft and fraud owing to errors caused by the Fujitsu Horizon IT software used by the Post Office.
Shown on ITV in January, it became the most popular programme of the past year and the channel’s most-watched drama in three years.
Morgan Jeffery, executive editor of RadioTimes.com, said the series had “demonstrated the power that television truly has to shape the world that we live in, there could only ever be one winner”.
Kevin Lygo, director of television at ITV, said: “We couldn’t be more proud of the continued success of Mr Bates vs The Post Office.
“It’s ITV’s biggest drama since records began, over 20 years ago, and so to top Radio Times’ TV 100 list is yet another fantastic milestone. The drama has now been watched by over 14 million viewers since its launch, only three months ago.”
Kieran Culkin, 41, who played Roman Roy in the HBO series Succession, came second, with Sarah Lancashire, 59, third for her performance in BBC’s Happy Valley.
Bella Ramsey, 20, who starred in the HBO series The Last of Us came in fourth place, while last year’s winner, Ncuti Gatwa, 31, was fifth for his role in Doctor Who.
Claudia Winkleman, 52, who hosted the reality show The Traitors and Strictly Come Dancing, came seventh after winning a Bafta for the hit series last year, and 28-year-old Ayo Edebiri, from the Disney+ series The Bear was eighth.
Jesse Armstrong, who wrote the “masterpiece” Succession came ninth, while Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham rounded off the top 10.
Radio Times creates its annual top 100 list, to celebrate those who have “changed the entertainment landscape for the better over the past 12 months”.
It works with experts and executives across the industry to create the list highlighting work from the past year.