Mr Bates vs The Post Office

Last updated

Mr Bates vs The Post Office
MrBatesvsThePostOffice.jpg
Title card
GenreDrama
Written by Gwyneth Hughes
Directed by James 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
Network ITV
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 subpostmasters were wrongly prosecuted privately and publicly for theft, false accounting or fraud due to a faulty computer system called Horizon. It was broadcast on four consecutive days from 1 January 2024. [1] [2]

Contents

The series takes its name from the court case instigated by the former subpostmaster Alan Bates and others.

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 subpostmasters across the UK. In 2009, a group of these, led by Alan Bates 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 Strong Gwyneth Hughes 1 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 Llandudno, Conwy, and Tatsfield, Surrey. [9] Former member of the Business Select Committee Nadhim Zahawi had a small role, playing himself. [10]

Journalist Nick Wallis, who has written extensively about the scandal, was a consultant on the series. [11]

Broadcast

The series was shown on ITV1 from 1 to 4 January 2024, and was released in full on ITVX on the same date. [12] In the United States, the series premiered on PBS's drama anthology Masterpiece in April 2024. [13]

Immediately after the final episode, ITV broadcast a documentary Mr Bates vs the Post Office: The Real Story. [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". [14] On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 94% of 16 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 8.3/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Dramatizing a grave injustice with terrific acting and plain-spoken righteousness, Mr Bates vs the Post Office shines much-needed light on a national scandal." [15] On Metacritic, the series holds a weighted average score of 80 out of 100 based on seven critics. [16]

The series won the Jury Prize at the 2024 Broadcasting Press Guild Awards. [17] The series won the Judges Prize at the Royal Television Society Programme Awards in March 2024. [18]

Impact

The series was credited for igniting public interest in the scandal and led to demands for the former Post Office CEO Paula Vennells to have her CBE withdrawn; a petition that accrued more than 1.2 million signatures. [19] [20] [21]

Vennells issued a statement on 9 January 2024 that she would "return [her] CBE with immediate effect". [22] However, this had no formal and immediate effect, as only the monarch can revoke or annul honours. [23] [24] Vennells’s appointment as CBE was formally revoked by King Charles III on 23 February for "bringing the honours system into disrepute". [25] [26] [27]

Such was the impact of the drama that the scandal became a major news story, and on the following day Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced new legislation to exonerate wrongly convicted subpostmasters 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 subpostmaster who is guilty of criminal wrongdoing is still subject to prosecution. [28] [29]

Post Office Minister Kevin Hollinrake said £1bn had been budgeted for compensation payments. Lead actor Toby Jones has spoken of being "very proud" of the impact the drama had, telling BBC Radio Stoke that "there have been many dramas in the past that have had a political influence, but not quite as urgently and directly as this" and that the drama was "brilliantly dramatised by the writer and the fact that it was being spoken about in Parliament within three weeks is absolutely extraordinary." [30]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Post Office Limited</span> British retail post office company owned by the government of the United Kingdom

Post Office Limited, commonly known as the Post Office, is a retail post office company in the United Kingdom that provides a wide range of products including postage stamps and banking to the public through its nationwide network of around 11,500 post office branches. Most of these branch post offices are run by franchise partners or by independent business people known as subpostmasters; the remaining 1% are directly managed by Post Office Limited.

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The National Federation of SubPostmasters (NFSP) is a membership organisation, which represents subpostmasters in the United Kingdom. Subpostmasters are self-employed business operators, approved by Post Office Ltd to act as their agents in running Post Office branches (outlets). In Jan 2023, the NFSP had 6727 members who operated approximately 9,300 post office branches. Post Office Ltd is contractually obliged to consult the NFSP on behalf of subpostmasters.

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The British Post Office scandal, also called the Horizon IT scandal, involved Post Office Limited pursuing thousands of innocent subpostmasters for shortfalls in their accounts, which had in fact been caused by faults in Horizon, accounting software developed by Fujitsu. Between 1999 and 2015, more than 900 subpostmasters were convicted of theft, fraud and false accounting based on faulty Horizon data, with about 700 of these prosecutions carried out by the Post Office. Other subpostmasters were prosecuted but not convicted, forced to cover Horizon shortfalls with their own money, or had their contracts terminated. The court cases, criminal convictions, imprisonments, loss of livelihoods and homes, debts and bankruptcies, took a heavy toll on the victims and their families, leading to stress, illness, family breakdown, and at least four suicides. In 2024, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described the scandal as one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in British history.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paula Vennells</span> British businesswoman and priest (born 1959)

Paula Anne Vennells is a British businesswoman who was the chief executive officer of Post Office Limited from 2012 to 2019. She is also an Anglican priest.

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<i>Bates v Post Office Ltd (No 3)</i> 2019 English court case

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Alan Bates is a former subpostmaster in Britain. He was appointed subpostmaster at Craig-y-Don, Llandudno in March 1998. His contract was terminated in 2003 and he went on to campaign on behalf of hundreds of other subpostmasters who lost their jobs in what became known as the British Post Office scandal.

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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. 1 2 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. ↑ Creamer, Jon (19 May 2023). "Toby Jones joins ITV Post Office drama". Televisual. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  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. ↑ Tobitt, Charlotte (9 January 2024). "Attention to Post Office Horizon IT scandal follows 14 years of dogged journalism". Press Gazette. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  12. ↑ 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.
  13. ↑ Goldbart, Max (29 January 2024). "PBS Masterpiece Snaps Up Game-Changing ITV Post Office Drama That Has Generated Headlines In The UK For Weeks". Deadline. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  14. ↑ Saunders, Emma (2 January 2024). "Mr Bates vs The Post Office: Critics praise real-life ITV drama". BBC News. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  15. ↑ "Mr Bates vs The Post Office: Limited Series". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  16. ↑ "Mr Bates vs the Post Office". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  17. ↑ Goldbart, Max (21 March 2024). "'Happy Valley' Wins Big At UK Broadcasting Press Guild Awards; 'The Crown's Andy Harries Honored". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  18. ↑ Szalai, Giorg (26 March 2024). "Hannah Waddingham, 'Happy Valley,' Bella Ramsey Among Winners of Royal Television Society Awards". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  19. ↑ 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.
  20. ↑ 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.
  21. ↑ Cremona, Patrick (6 January 2024). "Met police looking into Post Office scandal following ITV drama Mr Bates". RadioTimes.com. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  22. ↑ 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.
  23. ↑ "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.
  24. ↑ "Having honours taken away (forfeiture)". GOV.UK. 30 September 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  25. ↑ "Honours and Awards". The London Gazette . 23 February 2024. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  26. ↑ "List of individuals who have forfeited their honour (since August 2023)". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  27. ↑ Media, P. A. (23 February 2024). "King strips CBE from former Post Office boss Paula Vennells". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  28. ↑ 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.
  29. ↑ 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.
  30. ↑ Lee, Matt (19 February 2024). "Toby Jones proud of effect of Post Office drama". BBC News. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
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