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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 & Others v Post Office Ltd.

Mr Bates vs The Post Office
Title card
GenreDrama
Written byGwyneth Hughes
Directed byJames Strong
Starring
Theme music composerVince Pope
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
Running time3 hours 10 minutes
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 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]

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

Synopsis

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A faulty IT system called Horizon, developed by Fujitsu, 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 & Others v Post Office Ltd judicial case in 2019.[3][4]

Cast

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Episodes

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No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release 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

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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]

Financial losses

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Although the series had been watched by an estimated 13.5 million people as of late-April 2024, ITV said it had made a loss of around £1 million on the production. Kevin Lygo, ITV's managing director of media and entertainment, partially blamed the lack of international appeal in the subject matter for these losses.[12]

Broadcast

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The series was shown on ITV1 from 1 to 4 January 2024, and was released in full on ITVX on the same date.[13] In the United States, the series premiered on PBS's drama anthology Masterpiece in April 2024.[14] In Australia, the series premiered in February 2024 on Channel Seven.[15] In Germany and France the series was shown on Arte in March 2025 and is available on the Arte Mediathek until 24 June 2025. [16] [17]

Immediately after the final episode, ITV broadcast a documentary Mr Bates vs the Post Office: The Real Story.[2]

Reception

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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".[18] 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."[19] On Metacritic, the series holds a weighted average score of 80 out of 100 based on seven critics.[20]

Accolades

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The series won the Jury Prize at the 2024 Broadcasting Press Guild Awards.[21] The series won the Judges' Prize at the Royal Television Society Programme Awards in March 2024.[22] At the National Television Awards in September 2024, Toby Jones won the Drama Performance, and the series won the Impact Award and New Drama.[23] That month, the series won the Sky Arts Award for Television.[24] At the 2024 Venice TV Awards, it received the award for Best TV Series.[25]

It was nominated for Best Limited Series at the 30th Critics' Choice Awards in February 2025.[26] The series was awarded a special recognition award at the 2025 Broadcast Awards and "Jo watches as the numbers on her screen increase as she is on the phone to Horizon IT support" won TV Moment of the Year. The series was also nominated for Best Drama Series or Serial.[27][28] That scene was also nominated for Most Memorable moment at the 2025 British Academy Television Awards.[29] It was nominated for Best Single Drama or Limited Series, and Monica Dolan was nominated for Leading Actress at the Royal Television Society Programme Awards in March 2025.[30] That month, it was nominated at the 2025 British Academy Television Awards for Best Limited Drama, with Toby Jones and Monica Dolan nominated in the Leading Actor and Actress categories.[31]

Impact

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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.[32][33][34]

Vennells issued a statement on 9 January 2024 that she would "return [her] CBE with immediate effect".[35] However, this had no formal and immediate effect, as only the monarch can revoke or annul honours.[36][37] Vennells’s appointment as CBE was formally revoked by King Charles III on 23 February for "bringing the honours system into disrepute".[38][39][40]

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".[41][42]

Post Office Minister Kevin Hollinrake said £1bn had been budgeted for compensation payments. Lead actor Toby Jones spoke 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."[43]

Consequential legislation

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The Post Office (Horizon System) Compensation Act 2024 received royal assent on 25 January, authorizing compensation payments.[44]

Another Act, the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024, was passed on 24 May, the Friday a week before Parliament was dissolved for the general election, and came into force the same day.[45] On 13 June a similar Act of the Scottish Parliament received royal assent to deal with offences that came within its legislative competence, coming into force the next day.[46] These Acts quashed all convictions where–

  • it was made before the Act came into force;
  • it was prosecuted in England and Wales by the Post Office or Crown Prosecution Service, or in Northern Ireland by the police, the Director of Public Prosecutions or the Public Prosecution Service, or in Scotland;
  • it was alleged to have been committed between 23 September 1996 and 31 December 2018;
  • it was for false accounting, fraud, handling stolen goods, money laundering, or theft, or in Scotland embezzlement, fraud, theft, or uttering, or for attempting, conspiring, encouraging, inciting, aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring any of those offences;
  • the defendant was operating a post office business or working in a post office, and the offence was alleged to have been carried out in connection with that work; and
  • the post office in question was using Horizon at the time.

The non-Scottish Act made an exception for offences which had been considered by the relevant Court of Appeal. The two Acts also ordered records of cautions and other alternatives to conviction relating to relevant offences to be expunged.

References

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  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". The 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. ^ 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. ^ Youngs, Ian (24 April 2024). "Mr Bates vs Post Office drama lost £1m, ITV boss says". BBC News. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ Winter, Velvet (12 February 2024). "Mr Bates vs the Post Office exposed an international scandal to millions. Now it's coming to Australia". Associated Press, Reuters, ABC Entertainment. Archived from the original on 9 May 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2024. Channel 7 will be broadcasting the four-part series in two-episode chunks over a fortnight. Catch the first half at 8:30pm on February 14 and the second half at the same time on February 21. The full series will also be available to watch on 7Plus after broadcast.
  16. ^ https://taz.de/Neue-Arte-Serie-Unschuldig/!6074650/
  17. ^ https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/RC-026307/unschuldig-mr-bates-gegen-die-post/
  18. ^ Saunders, Emma (2 January 2024). "Mr Bates vs The Post Office: Critics praise real-life ITV drama". BBC News. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  19. ^ "Mr Bates vs The Post Office: Limited Series". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  20. ^ "Mr Bates vs the Post Office". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  21. ^ 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.
  22. ^ Szalai, Giorg (26 March 2024). "Hannah Waddingham, 'Happy Valley,' Bella Ramsey Among Winners of Royal Television Society Awards". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  23. ^ Awards, National Television (11 September 2024). "Winners | National Television Awards". www.nationaltvawards.com. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  24. ^ Minelle, Bethany (17 September 2024). "Sky Arts Awards: The Last Dinner Party, Fern Brady and Melvyn Bragg win gongs". Sky.com. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  25. ^ "Winners Announced for the 2024 Venice TV Award". lbbonline.com. 24 September 2024. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
  26. ^ Luther, Rebecca (7 February 2025). "Critics Choice Awards 2025: The Penguin, Nobody Wants This and Matlock Among Winners". TV Line. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
  27. ^ "Shortlist 2025". Broadcastawards.co.uk. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
  28. ^ "Winners 2025". Broadcastawards.co.uk. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
  29. ^ Macintosh, Steven (12 March 2025). "Bridgerton or Strictly? Bafta opens vote on best TV moments of 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  30. ^ "Nominations for the RTS Programme Awards 2025 announced". 11 March 2025. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  31. ^ "Bafta TV awards 2025 nominations: full list". The Guardian. 27 March 2025. Retrieved 27 March 2025.
  32. ^ 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.
  33. ^ 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.
  34. ^ Cremona, Patrick (6 January 2024). "Met police looking into Post Office scandal following ITV drama Mr Bates". Radio Times. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  35. ^ Stacey, Kiran; Mason, Rowena; Boffey, Daniel (9 January 2024). "Former Post Office chief hands back CBE as Horizon scandal intensifies". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  36. ^ "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.
  37. ^ "Having honours taken away (forfeiture)". GOV.UK. 30 September 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  38. ^ "Honours and Awards". The London Gazette (64326): 3758. 23 February 2024. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  39. ^ "List of individuals who have forfeited their honour (since August 2023)". GOV.UK. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  40. ^ "King strips CBE from former Post Office boss Paula Vennells". The Guardian. 23 February 2024. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  41. ^ Zakir-Hussain, Maryam; Forrest, Adam; Dalton, Jane (10 January 2024b). "Post Office scandal – live: Rishi Sunak announces new law to quash convictions of Horizon victims". The Independent. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  42. ^ 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.
  43. ^ Lee, Matt (19 February 2024). "Toby Jones proud of effect of Post Office drama". BBC News. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  44. ^ "Post Office (Horizon System) Compensation Act 2024". legislation.gov.uk. The National Archives. 2024 c. 1.
  45. ^ "Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024". legislation.gov.uk. The National Archives. 2024 c. 14. For commencement, see section 11.
  46. ^ Scottish Parliament. Post Office (Horizon System) Offences (Scotland) Act 2024 as amended (see also enacted form), from legislation.gov.uk.
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