Is Mr Bates vs the Post Office based on a true story? Real story behind ITV drama about Post Office scandal

Mr Bates vs the Post Office is the new drama from ITV that tells the shocking true story of the Post Office scandal.

The four-part series, which is airing across four consecutive nights, follows the story of sub-postmaster Alan Bates, played by Toby Jones, who was accused of fraud by the Post Office. Bates challenged their claims and started campaigning for justice against the Horizon IT scandal.

The incident had a devastating impact on the lives of those affected with sub-postmaster's being accused of fraud, ordered to pay back thousands and some even ending up in jail. So, what was the Post Office scandal and what is the true story behind Mr Bates vs the Post Office? Here's everything you need to know.

What was the Post Office scandal?

The Post Office scandal was one of the UK's biggest miscarriages of justice. It all began in 1999 when the Post Office adapted a new electronic accounting system called Horizon. Software glitches caused it to wrongly show financial discrepancies worth thousands, meaning that Post Office branches were left responsible as the system suggested huge amounts of cash had suddenly disappeared.

From 2000 until 2014, over 700 sub-postmasters were prosecuted by the Post Office, with some left to cover the costs of the cash shortfall and others receiving jail sentences. The scandal wasn't exposed until 2019 after campaigners took the Post Office to court, with the judge ruling that postmasters were prosecuted based on data from the flawed Horizon IT system.

The Post Office agreed to pay compensation to the postmasters impacted, with the Government ruling in 2023 that Post Office workers whose wrongful convictions were overturned would be offered £600,000 in compensation. A public inquiry into the Post Office scandal is still ongoing, with phase 4 set to continue on January 11, 2024.

Is Mr Bates vs the Post Office based on a true story?

Mr Bates vs the Post Office is based on the true story of Alan Bates who was accused of fraud by the Post Office, based off the Horizon system and lost his shop contract in 2003. After this he began campaigning for justice for those caught up in the Horizon IT scandal. In 2018, Bates and five other lead claimants took the Post Office to the High Court in a Group Litigation Order, helping to expose the scandal, as well as the defective accounting system, Horizon.

When can I watch Mr Bates vs the Post Office on ITV?

Mr Bates vs the Post Office is a four-part series, the first episode dropped on ITV1 on Monday, January 1 at 9pm. The three remaining episodes will air over consecutive nights, with the final episode available on Thursday, January 4.