Mr Bates vs. The Post Office

It's true. All of it.

My dad was a victim. Turned up at his shop and demanded £54,000.

Ransacked my parents house and took away anything of value.

Forced my parents to sell their shop (to the post office!).

My parents had to leave their home behind, in disgrace, and try to start a new life elsewhere. They barely went outside for the next 20 years.

The people missing from this drama, are the investigators, who had a financial incentive NOT to investigate.

Their annual bonus was based on the amount of 'missing' money they could recover, so instead of investigating, they just demanded cash.

A spectacular miscarriage of justice affecting hundreds of ordinary people. The Post Office, in fact a government department, persecuted their employees for what turned out to be, their faulty computer system. The computer company and post office are shown to be heartless liars who made enormous efforts to cover up their mistake and hide the evidence. Eventually the employees achieve the truth and expose the errors. Some minor financial settlement is achieved that in no way compensates the hundreds of people whose lives have been ruined. A true David vs Goliath story that was quite upsetting to watch, not least because it is true!

I'm glad that this horrendous story is finally getting the headline and prime time news that it deserves.

Paula Vennells and the Post office are an absolute disgrace. Knowingly sending almost 300 people to gaol for a crime that you know 100% they did not commit but was 100% fraud comitting by the Post office, under Paula's instruction, well there just aren't words to describe how evil Paula is.

This show is a fantastic portray of the corruption of the post office and how they not only cheated their loyal postmasters out of their live savings but also how they tried to cover it all up.

Hopefully not that this show has been aired the Post office will be held accountable and Paula will be stripped of her honours and gaoled.

Best ITV show of 2024.

If you're not moved by this story you probably fit the job description for a job in the Post Office, or maybe our government? It's a truly shocking story and identifies some names who should hang their heads in shame whilst also pinpointing some of the good people in our society. I read one paper review that claimed the dramatisation lacked drama. Lacked drama! There's drama enough in this story to stand strong, how it wrecked lives and enriched others, the slow slog through molasses in search of the truth, but maybe some people aren't happy without some crash bang wallop? This is a very human tale of massive injustice and corporate cover up. Surely now there's momentum to bring justice and apologies to those still around to receive it? Fingers crossed ...

I was aghast watching this riveting but desperately sad depiction of true events that befell and still befalls over 3,500 subpostmasters in Britain from 2001 to date.

Superb performances from Toby Jones, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Will Mellor and Katherine Kelly but to name all who brought this drama series to life. Thank You.

My deepest sympathies and condolences to all who suffered and continue to suffer at the hands of an unquestionably evil British Post Office - and by extension, British government past and present - who treated and continue to treat some 3,500 people, their families and wider society with outrageous disdain, cruelty and pure evil. Shame on all those lawyers who sacrificed their souls by an egregious contempt of integrity, decency and honesty by hiding behind that of which is called law and justice, which to date, is no law or justice whatsoever.

Particular mention should be made of Paula Vannells, the former CEO of The Post Office, who acted dispicably and reprehensibly in never accepting any wrongdoing on the part of the Post Office, or her role as CEO. That the book was not thrown at her is an affront not just to that of law and justice themselves, but to the moral and ethical fabric of society itself. That she was 'out of her depth' is no shape or form a defence of her evil actions. She epitomises what is wrong with SO MANY so-called leaders in society today, be they in business, politics, sport, religious or charities. She is a poison that continues to poison and her role as a part-time priest is beyond nauseating.

I wept a number of times throughout this outstanding TV production and urge all to fight with all their breadth wherever and whenever injustice reigns. Because if you don't, you will allow people of the ilk of Paula Vannells and her cohorts, to continue to reign contempt and evil on all who never ever deserved such injustice against them...