New British Drama with 96% Tomatometer Is a Real Hidden Gem You Are Sleeping On

The PBS channel recently aired the British series Mr Bates vs The Post Office, based on a true story. Earlier this year, the project was released in its home country on the ITV channel, sparking a new wave of interest in the old but completely outrageous story.

A bug in Horizon's computer accounting system led to dozens of subpostmasters being accused of massive embezzlement. Taking on a huge civil service is difficult and frightening, but there is one small man with a big heart, Alan Bates, who is willing to take the risk.

To understand the essence of the story, it is first necessary to explain who subpostmasters are. They are the people who contract with the Post Office of Great Britain, get a franchise, and open a post office. In small towns, they are respected citizens who know all the locals – the real pillars of society.

What is Mr Bates vs The Post Office’s Real Story?

In 1999, Post Office introduced Horizon, a computerized accounting system developed by Fujitsu, to all of its post offices. At the end of each day, subpostmasters filled out a report in the system. In 2003, subpostmaster Alan Bates discovered a shortfall of several thousand pounds.

The Post Office accused Bates of theft, but the man denied the charges. As a result, his branch was simply closed, and Alan and his wife had to sell their house and move to the countryside.

Alan found numerous victims of Horizon, brought them together, collected hundreds of pages of documents against The Post Office, and then launched a class action lawsuit. The legal battle with the civil service lasted many years, and only in 2019 did Bates win the fight against a system that was unwilling to admit its mistakes.

More than 3,000 people were victims of Horizon's mistakes, more than 700 were found guilty and 236 were sentenced to prison. In each case, the cost to the innocent ran into tens of thousands of pounds. The hapless postmen sold their homes, lost their peace of mind, faced the hatred of their neighbors, and sometimes tried to commit suicide.

The Post Office and its head, Paula Vennells, first told each victim that no one else had a shortage, then for years withheld information and lied that Horizon was working perfectly. Vennells left her position in 2019, but the story is far from over. Lawsuits continue – subpostmasters are filing lawsuits and trying to clear their reputations and receive compensation.

Many years later, justice triumphs, but at a terrible cost – some of the victims did not live to see the court's decision, others suffered greatly.

Mr Bates vs The Post Office Reminded Everyone of This Tragedy

Mr Bates vs The Post Office is also exciting as a rare work that could influence the fate of real people. After it was shown on British television, the public, which had long forgotten the scandal, demanded that the perpetrators be brought to justice.

Paula Vennells, who was absurdly awarded an CBE in 2020, returned the prestigious award. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that a special law would be issued that would immediately abolish criminal prosecution of all victims of the scandal, and the government would provide subpostmasters with compensation starting from 75 thousand pounds.

Mr Bates vs The Post Office is available to watch on Prime Video.