Viewers of ITV’s “Mr Bates vs The Post Office” expressed feeling nauseated just minutes into the episode
The ITV broadcast of "Mr Bates vs The Post Office" on New Year's Day provoked viewer frustration mere minutes into the first episode of this intense four-part drama series.
Viewers of ‘Mr Bates vs The Post Office’ have been deeply disturbed following the debut episode of the ITV drama.
The series delves into real-life incidents where village post offices experienced unexplained financial discrepancies. Spanning four parts, the show chronicles events triggered by the implementation of the Horizon computer system, which erroneously led to several postmasters facing accusations of theft, false accounting, and fraud between 1999 and 2015.
Airing on New Year’s Day, ‘Mr Bates vs The Post Office’ tells the story of Alan Bates, who, alongside his partner Suzanne Sercombe, invested their life savings in a Post Office branch in Llandudno, North Wales in 1998. Toby Jones portrays Alan, who like many other postmasters, denied culpability, resulting in the Post Office terminating their contract within three months.
This abrupt end led Alan and Suzanne to lose their £65,000 investment. Subsequently, Alan took the lead in advocating for Post Office whistleblowers. Eventually, he and five others pursued legal action against the Post Office in the form of a Group Litigation Order at the High Court, representing 555 claimants. Judge Mr Justice Fraser attributed the computer errors as the root cause of the issues.
As soon as the debut episode aired, a wave of viewers stormed social media to vent their fury. One exclaimed, “Barely 5 minutes into #PostOfficeScandal drama and I’m yelling at the TV. Unsure if I can handle it!!!” Another shared, “Not even 20 minutes in and I’m uncertain about enduring this. It’s turning my stomach #PostOfficeScandal.”
Confessing their agitation, a viewer said, “Here with a glass of red wine watching #PostOfficeScandal. Just 15 minutes in, and I’m already boiling with rage.” Similarly, another individual expressed, “Merely 10 minutes in and I’m enraged! An injustice to decent, honest folk! #PostOfficeScandal.” These sentiments reverberated across platforms with statements like, “Just 10 minutes in and I’m already boiling over #PostOfficeScandal,” and a concise “Already furious #PostOfficeScandal.”
Another user shared their frustration: “Just began watching Mr Bates vs The Post Office and already angered by the treatment of these innocent individuals by the Post Office. #MrBates.”
In December 2019, after wrongful prosecutions stemming from inaccurate data provided by the Horizon system, the Post Office reached a £58 million settlement. The judge overseeing the case criticized the Post Office’s persistent denial of Horizon issues as “institutional obstinacy.” However, after accounting for legal expenses, only £12 million remained, roughly £20,000 per individual in the affected group.
Alan spoke out about the injustice, sharing with the Mirror: “There were numerous profoundly sorrowful stories. The Post Office led people to believe they were losing their minds. It didn’t just bring about financial devastation, wrecking livelihoods; it also tore apart families. However, there was a silver lining. We stood united, knowing the truth. There was also a determination to unveil the falsehoods.”
He added, “As far as I know, only a few individuals in the scheme have received the full and final financial compensation. This has been a complete concealment; the lies seem never-ending. I sincerely hope that those truly responsible are pursued and brought to justice. That is what I hope Sir Wyn recommends.”
