Mr Bates vs The Post Office: The true story behind drama on Horizon IT scandal
The new year has brought with it a gripping, scandalous new TV drama – but the tale it tells is very real.
Mr Bates vs The Post Office depicts the story of former subpostmasters and subpostmistresses who were held liable by the Post Office for financial discrepancies thrown up by its computerised accounting system, Horizon.
Their pursuit led to more than 700 prosecutions, criminal convictions and, in some cases, prison sentences.
The four-part ITV drama, which concludes on Thursday, aims to share some of their stories with a wider audience.
Many of those pursued were told to plead guilty to crimes or face prison, according to lawyers who have represented dozens of those impacted.
They were forced to pay the Post Office money it claimed had gone missing, which meant many lost their jobs, homes and lifesavings.
In 2019, Justice For Subpostmasters Alliance won a High Court case, led by former subpostmaster Alan Bates – the drama’s titular Mr Bates as played by Toby Jones.
That case found “bugs, errors and defects in the Horizon system caused discrepancies in postmasters’ branch accounts”.
Mr Bates ran a post office in the seaside resort of Llandudno in North Wales.
Alan Bates (centre) speaking outside the High Court in London in 2019
“This is an enormously complex and vastly diverse story, which has now been made into a drama. It’s not a factual documentary about what went on, it’s a drama to engage people,” he said.
“So some things have had to be summarised – years have had to be chopped out because they have to take the plot forward. I suppose that’s understandable.
“It couldn’t cover all of the human loss and suffering – there are hundreds and hundreds of people and families who have been affected. What I hope people will realise is that in many cases, even now, the real story is not finished.”
Noel Thomas celebrates with his daughter Sian after his conviction was overturned in 2021
Noel Thomas, 77, from Anglesey, was another former subpostmaster who was wrongfully convicted.
His conviction of false accounting in 2006 was overturned by the Court of Appeal in 2021.
In Mr Bates vs The Post Office, Mr Thomas was played by actor Ifan Huw Dafydd.
Mr Thomas told Sky News the response he’d had to the dramatisation of his story and that of his former colleagues was “fantastic”.
“It’s great to be honest. It’s shown the hero we had in Alan Bates, and lots of other people, in the press, and some MPs too to be honest with you,” he said.
“They’ve been great with us. But the story wasn’t being shared widely enough.”
Noel Thomas
Mr Thomas first came across Alan Bates when former Welsh language current affairs programme Taro Naw found more people who had been affected.
“I have to say, Alan Bates led us,” he said.
“I was a postman and the way I can describe Alan is – as a postman you don’t like dogs, the dog would get hold of you and not let go – and Alan is exactly the same. Once he’s got hold of something he’s not going to let go.”
But while Mr Thomas is glad more people now know what happened to him, some scenes were difficult to relive.
“Going into the cell hit me. Because, unfortunately, I was sent to Walton [a prison in Liverpool],” he said.
“Thank heavens I was only there for two days. But I was locked up. I was only let out to get food. Half an hour at lunchtime and half an hour to three quarters at night. The rest of the time I was locked up.”
Read more:
Explainer: What is the Post Office scandal?
Post Office ‘massively contributed’ to subpostmaster death – widow
Victims of Post Office Horizon scandal offered £600k compensation
Mr Thomas said he has “discussed very little about being inside” with his family.
“I’ve kept it more or less to myself, and the way I’ve dealt with it is we live in a lovely place in Anglesey and we go out and walk a lot,” he said.
“I’ve spoken with some of my friends who I contact often and they’ve been shocked to see what’s come out.”
Who are some of the other victims?
Jo Hamilton was the subpostmaster in South Warnborough, Hampshire, played in the dramatisation by Monica Dolan.
Ms Hamilton previously told Sky News she felt “backed into a corner”.
“They said if I pleaded guilty to false accounting and paid the £36,000 shortfall, they would drop the theft charge,” she said.
“I felt I had a gun held to my head and had no choice.”
Will Mellor plays Lee Castleton, who the actor describes as “an everyday guy”.
“He’s got his wife and two children and he runs the local Post Office. He’s just an average person, like most of these people are.”
Martin Griffiths, a father of two, was pursued by the Post Office for alleged shortfalls of £60,000.
The third episode of the dramatisation shows how the establishment of a mediation scheme came too late for him as he took his own life.
Other victims featured in the drama include Saman Kaur, Michael Rudkin, Pam Stubbs.
Only some of the hundreds whose lives were changed forever.
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.
Angelina Jolie says although she appreciates being an artist, she would prefer for her legacy to be “a good mother” and to be known for her “belief in equality and human rights”.
The Oscar-winning actress stars as Maria Callas in the new Pablo Larrain film about the opera singer’s life.
Pic: StudioCanal
She has called Maria “the hardest” and “most challenging” role she has had in her career and put months of preparation into immersing herself into the world of opera.
Jolie, who recently reached a divorce settlement with actor Brad Pitt, told Sky News: “To be very candid, it was the therapy I didn’t realise I needed. I had no idea how much I was holding in and not letting out.
“So, the challenge wasn’t the technical [side of opera], it was an emotional experience to find my voice, to be in my body, to express. You have to give every single part of yourself.”
The biopic combines the voice of the Maleficent actress with recordings of Maria Callas.
Jolie believes it “would be a crime to not have [Callas’] voice through this because, in many ways, she is very present in this film”.
Who was Maria Callas?
Born in New York in 1923, Maria Callas was the daughter of Greek immigrants who moved back to Athens at the age of 13 with her mother and sister.
After enrolling at the Athens Conservatory, she made her professional debut at 17 and went on to become one of the most famous faces of opera, travelling around the world and performing at Covent Garden in London, The Met in New York and La Scala in Milan.
Callas’s final operatic performance took place at Covent Garden in 1965 when she was 41 but she continued to work conducting master classes at Juilliard School, doing concert tours and starring in the 1969 film Medea.
Written by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, Maria focuses on the artist’s final years in the 1970s when she moved to Paris and disappeared from public view.
She died on 16 September 1977 at the age of 53.
Pic: StudioCanal
Jolie on changing motivations as an actor
Maria follows the life of an artist fully consumed by the art she creates and even remarks that “happiness never developed a beautiful melody”.
Reflecting on her own life in the spotlight, Jolie said she noticed her own career motivations change over the years.
“There’s this kind of study of being human that we do when we create, and we communicate with an audience because our work is not in isolation – it’s a connection.
“I think when I was younger, I had different questions about being human and different feelings and now as I’ve gotten older, I understand some things and now I have different questions.
“It’s a matter of life, right? And so maybe that’s interesting that this now is a character really contemplating death and really contemplating the toll of certain things in life that I, of course, couldn’t have understood in my 20s”.
Jolie at the New York Film Festival in September with three of her children (L-R) Pax, Zahara and Maddox. Pic: AP
A family affair
Two of Jolie’s children, Maddox and Pax, took on production assistant roles during the filming of Maria and witnessed their mother perform opera for the first time in public.
She says the film allowed them to create new experiences together and for her children to see her approach to playing a difficult role.
“Everyone in my home, we all give each other space to be who we are and we’re all different.
“I’m the mom, but I’m also an artist and a person and so my family has been very kind and gives me their understanding. They make fun of me, and they support me and just as you’d hope it would be.”
She adds: “When you play somebody who is dealing with so much pain, it’s very important to come home to some kindness.”
Maria is in cinemas now.
Tom Holland’s dad has confirmed his son’s engagement to Zendaya – revealing how the 28-year-old meticulously planned the proposal.
Zendaya, also 28, sparked engagement rumours when she attended last Sunday’s Golden Globes wearing a sparkling diamond on her ring finger.
Neither star has publicly addressed the rumours but Tom’s comedian father, Dominic Holland, has now confirmed the pair are set to wed.
He wrote in a post on his Patreon account: “Tom, as you know by now was very incredibly well prepared. He had purchased a ring.
“He had spoken with her father and gained permission to propose to his daughter.”
“Tom had everything planned out… When, where, how, what to say, what to wear,” he added.
Zendaya arrived at the Golden Globes with a noticeable piece of new jewellery. Pic: Invision/AP
Dominic also noted that while most men worry about being able to afford an engagement ring, he suspects his actor son was “more concerned with the stone, its size and clarity, its housing, which jeweller”.
Tom and Zendaya met on the set of Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2016, when they played the titular hero and his love interest MJ, respectively. Their romance was confirmed in 2021.
In his post, Tom’s father admitted fears over whether being in the spotlight could put a strain on the couple’s relationship.
He wrote: “I do fret that their combined stardom will amplify their spotlight and the commensurate demands on them and yet they continually confound me by handling everything with aplomb.”
“And even though show business is a messy place for relationships and particularly so for famous couples as they crash and burn in public and are too numerous to mention […] yet somehow right at the same time, I am completely confident they will make a successful union.”
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Zendaya rose to fame after landing a role in Disney sitcom Shake It Up, and became a household name after starring in Euphoria.
Holland – who has starred in three Spider-Man films opposite his now-fiancée – made his stage debut in Billy Elliot the Musical in 2008.
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