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Mr Bates vs The Post Office

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This article is about the TV drama. For the legal case, see Bates v Post Office Ltd (No 3).

Mr Bates vs The Post Office
Title card
GenreDrama
Written byGwyneth Hughes
Directed byJames Strong
Starring
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes4
Production
Executive producers
  • Patrick Spence
  • Gwyneth Hughes
  • Natasha Bondy
  • Ben Gale
  • James Strong
  • Joe Williams
ProducerChris Clough
Production companies
Original release
NetworkITV
Release1 January (2024-01-01) –
4 January 2024 (2024-01-04)

Mr Bates vs The Post Office is a four-part British television drama series for ITV, written by Gwyneth Hughes, directed by James Strong and starring an ensemble cast led by Toby Jones. The series is a dramatisation of the British Post Office scandal, a miscarriage of justice in which hundreds of sub-postmasters were wrongly prosecuted privately and publicly for theft, false accounting or fraud due to a faulty computer system called Horizon. It was first broadcast on four consecutive days beginning on 1 January 2024.[1][2]

The series takes its name from the court case instigated by the former sub-postmaster Alan Bates and many other sub-postmasters who were subject to the scandal.

Synopsis

A faulty IT system called Horizon creates apparent cash shortfalls that cause Post Office Limited to pursue prosecutions for fraud, theft and false accounting against a number of sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses across the UK. In 2009, a group of these, led by Alan Bates (Toby Jones), forms the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance. The prosecutions and convictions are later ruled a miscarriage of justice at the conclusion of the Bates v Post Office judicial case of 2019.[3][4]

Cast

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions)
1"Episode 1"James StrongGwyneth Hughes1 January 2024 (2024-01-01)9.20
2"Episode 2"James StrongGwyneth Hughes2 January 2024 (2024-01-02)9.48
3"Episode 3"James StrongGwyneth Hughes3 January 2024 (2024-01-03)9.99
4"Episode 4"James StrongGwyneth Hughes4 January 2024 (2024-01-04)10.31

Production

Written by Gwyneth Hughes and directed by James Strong, the series was produced by Chris Clough for Little Gem and ITV Studios.[7] Filming began in May 2023[8] and took place in 2023 in Llandudno, Conwy, and Tatsfield, Surrey.[9] Former member of the Business Select Committee Nadhim Zahawi had a small role, playing himself.[10]

Broadcast

The series was shown on ITV from 1 to 4 January 2024, and was immediately released in full on ITVX on the same date.[11] Immediately after the final episode, ITV broadcast a documentary Mr Bates vs the Post Office: The Real Story, featuring Bates and others who were involved.[2]

Reception

The series was well received by critics and awarded four out of five by reviewers in The Times, The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian. Martin Robinson, writing in the Evening Standard, said: "The Kafka-esque situation is thoroughly humanised by the performances."[12]

The series was credited for renewing public interest in the scandal and demands for former Post Office CEO Paula Vennells to have her CBE withdrawn, a petition that accrued more than 1.2 million signatures.[13][14][15]

Vennells issued a statement on 9 January 2024, stating that she would "return my CBE with immediate effect".[16] However, this has no formal effect, as only the monarch can revoke or annul honours.[17][18] Such was the impact of the drama that the scandal became a major news story once more, and on 10 January 2024 Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced new legislation to exonerate wrongly convicted Post Office branch managers and said there would be a "new upfront payment of £75,000 for some of those affected". However, the new legislation will aim to ensure that any sub-postmaster who is guilty of criminal wrongdoing is still subject to prosecution. [19][20]

References

  1. ^ Harrison, Ellie (1 January 2024). "'We all secretly think they're spinning it out so everyone dies before they get their money': Inside Mr Bates vs the Post Office". Independent. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b Willix, Pierra (1 January 2024). "'I'm the real Mr Bates – my battle against the Post Office isn't over yet'". Metro. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  3. ^ "'You can't believe it's true' - Will Mellor on the frightening real-life story behind Mr Bates vs the Post Office". Virgin Radio. 1 December 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  4. ^ "ITV's Mr Bates vs. The Post Office: Filming begins for gripping drama exposing UK's biggest miscarriage of justice". Bradford Zone. 22 May 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  5. ^ Craig, David (2 January 2024). "Why is Nadhim Zahawi in Mr Bates vs The Post Office? Cameo explained". Radio Times. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Zahawi appears in Post Office scandal TV drama". BBC News. 3 January 2024. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Toby Jones joins ITV Post Office drama". Televisual. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  8. ^ "Lesley Nicol from 'Downton' joins ITV drama 'Mr Bates vs. The Post Office'". British Period Dramas. 24 May 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  9. ^ Kendrick, Suzanne (3 December 2023). "Trailer for Mr Bates vs The Post Office filmed in Llandudno". North Wales Chronicle. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  10. ^ Sutherland, Gill (10 July 2023). "Nadhim Zahawi to play himself in upcoming ITV drama about the Post Office Scandal, Mr Bates Vs The Post Office". Stratford Herald. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  11. ^ Hibbs, James; Molina-Whyte, Lidia (5 December 2023). "ITV confirms Christmas TV schedule including Vera and The Masked Singer". Radio Times. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  12. ^ Saunders, Emma (2 January 2024). "Mr Bates vs The Post Office: Critics praise real-life ITV drama". BBC News. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  13. ^ Frost, Caroline (6 January 2024). "Moving UK Post Office Drama Inspires Demand For CEO To Be Stripped Of Her CBE Award". Deadline. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  14. ^ Sephton, Connor; Baker, Tim (7 January 2024). "Mr Bates vs The Post Office: Sunak condemns 'appalling miscarriage of justice' of Horizon scandal". Sky News. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  15. ^ Cremona, Patrick (6 January 2024). "Met police looking into Post Office scandal following ITV drama Mr Bates". RadioTimes.com. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  16. ^ Sparrow, Andrew (9 January 2024). "Former Post Office boss Paula Vennells to hand back CBE with immediate effect in wake of Horizon scandal – UK politics live". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  17. ^ "Post Office scandal live: Former Post Office boss Paula Vennells to hand back CBE over Horizon scandal". BBC News. 9 January 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  18. ^ "Having honours taken away (forfeiture)". GOV.UK. 30 September 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  19. ^ Zakir-Hussain, Maryam; Adam Forrest; Jane Dalton (10 January 2024). "Post Office scandal – live: Rishi Sunak announces new law to quash convictions of Horizon victims". The Independent.
  20. ^ Baker, Tim (10 January 2024). "Horizon scandal: Post Office scandal victims to be exonerated and compensated as Rishi Sunak proposes new law". Sky News. Retrieved 11 January 2024.

External links

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