The British Post Office scandal saw over 900 subpostmasters wrongly prosecuted due to faulty software where the Fujitsu-owned Horizon system showed incorrect shortfalls which had to be covered. Many subpostmasters were left in financial ruin and handed a criminal conviction. Some took their own lives. Others are yet to come forward.<\/p>\n
The ITV drama saw Toby Jones portray tenacious Alan Bates who took on the Post Office, starring opposite Julie Hesmondhalgh as his loyal wife Suzanne. Elsewhere, Monica Dolan took the role of Jo Hamilton, another subpostmaster who was forced into taking accountability for the shortfall, and Will Mellor played Lee Castleton, a subpostmaster who put all his faith in the law to trust it would save him, and learned it wouldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
Katherine Kelly, meanwhile, portrayed the role of Angela van den Bogerd (one of the top bods in the Post Office who handled complaints made about the Horizon system), while Lia Williams embodied Paula Vennells, the former CEO of the Post Office. It was written by Gwyneth Hughes (Vanity Fair, Tom Jones, Three Girls).<\/p>\n
![\"WILL](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/01\/mrbatesvsthepostofficeep213-3be2536.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"mr_bates_vs_the_post_office_ep2_13\\"\/")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>As soon as the drama launched, the scandal hit the news cycle, with many viewers discovering this dreadful injustice for the first time, and others rediscovering it. It prompted unprecedented public outcry and an even more unexpected response from the government, who were quick to quash the scandal (with this being an election year, after all).<\/p>\n
It was an easy decision, therefore, to award the Radio Times TV 100<\/strong> top spot<\/a> to the team behind Mr Bates vs The Post Office for the impact they have had as a collective, on society, politics and most importantly, the lives of all the subpostmasters affected by the Horizon scandal.<\/p>\n The response simply wasn\u2019t something the Mr Bates team expected and to this day are still stunned by.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s surreal and thrilling,\u201d executive producer Patrick Spence told RadioTimes.com<\/a>. \u201cWe only set out to allow the subpostmasters to feel heard, that was our stated intent. We didn\u2019t realise that the show would have this effect. The most important thing is they feel heard now \u2013 they really<\/em> feel heard now. For us, that\u2019s the greatest reward, but this is lovely, too!\u201d<\/p>\n Writer Gwyneth Hughes added: \u201cWe had no idea when we started work it was going to be such a big deal. We knew it was a great story but it was something that had been bumbling along for 20 years that nobody had really got a grip of. It was very complicated and very difficult to write, and we thought it would \u2018find an audience\u2019 (which is TV speak for \u2018nobody is going to watch it\u2019).<\/p>\n \u201cPeople tuned in and found this extraordinary thing had been happening under our noses in this country [where] we\u2019re so proud of our fairness, decency, and rules of cricket. It was a real surprise.\u201d<\/p>\n Polly Hill, the ITV commissioner behind the drama, added: \u201cI did think it would get a lot of interest from the press and I hoped of course that it would find an audience as it was a brilliant telling of the story, but we could never have imagined the attention we got \u2013 although I\u2019m not surprised the drama made the nation angry because it\u2019s a story that shocked and angered everyone who came on board.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are all really proud of what our drama has helped achieve. It shouldn\u2019t have taken a drama to make the government take action, but we are proud that our drama has done so much good.\u201d<\/p>\n Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n Spence attributes the success of the campaign to the power of drama, emphasising the impact it can have on the public who were true activators of change. But ultimately without the drama, the road to repayment would still be long and drawn out.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very proud of the team who all excelled in their various ways,\u201d Spence explains. \u201cI\u2019m also very proud of the role that drama has played. A lot of people said, \u2018Isn\u2019t it awful that it took a drama to get people to pay attention?\u2019 And my attitude is now, \u2018Isn\u2019t that brilliant, that drama can have that effect?\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cAnd let\u2019s hope it happens again. I hope it further renews everyone\u2019s enthusiasm for investing in drama as a cultural form because it\u2019s shown what it can achieve.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think this TV programme changed the law. I think the people of Great Britain changed the law. But I do think seeing drama\u2019s role in getting that message out and getting people to listen has been amazing to witness. It\u2019s every producer\u2019s dream.\u201d<\/p>\n A move that really wouldn\u2019t have happened without public outcry came when Rishi Sunak announced a new law on 10th January<\/a> meaning those convicted in the Horizon IT scandal would have their charges overturned and would be given an upfront payment, or the chance to appeal for a greater fee.<\/p>\n \u201cOn the night that Rishi changed the law, I was sitting in front of the telly with my wife, watching all four channels featuring this story in so many different ways almost all night long,\u201d Spence continues. \u201cI got a text from Lee Castleton, saying thank you for what we\u2019ve done. That\u2019s what it was all about, allowing them to feel that the whole country has understood the way they\u2019d been suffering.\u201d<\/p>\n Monica Dolan added: \u201cIt is amazing. I suppose the thing I\u2019m wary of is that the law was changed for people with a criminal conviction for them to have their convictions overturned and for them to be repaid. There are many, many more people who didn\u2019t have criminal convictions.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s great the government made a grand gesture like that. Alan Bates himself hasn\u2019t been compensated yet. And there will have been many people who [balanced their accounts] to a point they couldn\u2019t put money in any more and then sold their businesses at a loss. Somebody needs to pay all these people back, too.\u201d<\/p>\n When the law changed, Bates, like Dolan, was cautiously accepting of it, reiterating there was still work to do<\/a> to ensure everyone was compensated.<\/p> \n
![\"Amit](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2023\/12\/mrbatesvsthepostoffice01-6041f5c.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"mr_bates_vs_the_post_office_01\\"\/")
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