Wandsworth Town Hall Stars in Post Office Drama
Transformed into court for scenes featuring Toby Jones
Toby Jones in the marble hall at Wandsworth Town Hall
January 24, 2024
Local viewers of the recently broadcast Mr Bates vs The Post Office TV drama may have spotted some familiar locations.
Wandsworth Town Hall was transformed into a court building with the marble hall and staircase used for a key scene in episode four involving Toby Jones and Monica Dolan.
The series has had a massive impact and has prompted the government to propose legislation to increase the chance of justice for wrongly accused sub-postmasters.
This is not the first time recently that the venue has featured on television. Hit crime drama Unforgotten captured a number of scenes at the Town Hall, including the rear of the building which appeared as a police station in series five. ‘Unforgotten’, will be returning to Wandsworth Town Hall in April 2024 to film several scenes for series six.
The location is already popular as a backdrop for couples’ wedding photos.
The borough has long been a favourite filming location with Battersea Park a particularly popular choice for filmmakers, appearing in numerous feature films, TV dramas, adverts and publicity shoots.
The park also plays host to a number of scenes in the soon-to-be released biopic ‘Bob Marley One Love’ in recognition of the fact that the legendary reggae singer used to regularly play football in the park with his band The Wailers and also go running there.
Later this year ‘Back to Black’ – the new Amy Winehouse biopic – will include scenes shot inside the Clapham Grand in St John's Hill.
The borough has also been chosen as the location for a number of popular dramas including 24, New Tricks, Silent Witness, Above Suspicion, Killing Eve, The Bodyguard, Not Going Out and The Crown.
Monica Dolan and Toby Jones in a key scene filmed at the Town Hall
The income received from filming helps fund town hall services and keep council tax bills low – and for every pound received by the council, it is estimated that another two pounds is generated for the wider economy with local shops, restaurants and hospitality businesses the main beneficiaries.
Unforgotten's Sinéad Keenan and Sanjeev Bhaskar outside the entrance to the Town Hall
Council leader Simon Hogg said, “All the money we generate from granting film licences is ploughed back into frontline services to help ease the burden on local taxpayers and provide a welcome boost to the wider local economy.”
Last year London Mayor Sadiq Khan wrote a glowing letter of praise to the council’s film unit applauding its support in the production of a Hollywood blockbuster and the capital’s hugely important film industry.
The Mayor’s letter came after City Hall was contacted by executives at Warner Brothers, who had worked with the council team on location in Clapham Junction and Battersea Park.
The borough’s film office is based in Battersea Park and managed day-to-day by the council’s leisure and culture partner enable.
To see images from recent productions visit enable’s Instagram page
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