A versatile character actor, Bateson’s film career was bookended by roles in Cavalcanti’s Nicholas Nickleby (1947) and Polanski’s Oliver Twist (2005). Busy in theatre, his television work comprises classic serials and popular series including Bleak House (1959), Shine A Light (1970), Grange Hill (1980-82) and The Bill (1989-2000) among others.