Award-winning actress Monica Dolan was recently a guest on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, where she spoke about her acting career and her latest critically acclaimed role as subpostmistress Jo Hamilton in "Mr Bates vs The Post Office."
Dolan, who has won an Olivier Award for her role in "All About Eve" and a BAFTA for "Appropriate Adult," shared that she first discovered her passion for acting at school, finding a feeling from it that she didn't experience elsewhere. She described it as "a feeling of being noticed, or being seen."
During the interview, Dolan discussed her preparation for playing the real-life character of Jo Hamilton in the ITV drama, which chronicled the Horizon IT scandal. She emphasized the importance of immersing herself in the character's perspective, stating, "I think you have to slightly put yourself in there. You have to think, well if I was this person, how would I behave?" A helpful technique she employed was asking Jo Hamilton to record a brief life story leading up to the events of the script, allowing Dolan to absorb her voice and background.
Dolan also expressed immense pride in the campaigners who fought for justice following the Post Office scandal, saying she was "immensely proud of people, for being that collectively angry."
When asked about her luxury item for a desert island, Dolan humorously chose a walk-in wardrobe stocked with champagne and a new outfit for every day. Her musical selections included her childhood favorite "The Tra La La Song (One Banana, Two Banana)," "MacArthur Park" by Richard Harris, and "Us Amazonians" by Kirsty MacColl.
In other news, Monica Dolan recently attended the Mediterrane Film Festival 2025 in Malta, her first visit to the country, which she described as breathtaking. She also joined the cast of the second series of "Sherwood" for BBC One, playing the role of Ann Branson. Her upcoming projects include the film "This Time Next Year."
