Former sub-postmaster Alan Bates, who played a key role in exposing the Post Office Horizon IT scandal, has described seeing his life portrayed in a new ITV drama as 'a bit strange'. The four-part mini-series, Mr Bates vs the Post Office: The Real Story, begins tonight and focuses on the legal battle he led against the Post Office.
Bates's contract was terminated in 2003 after he refused to accept liability for losses at his branch in Llandudno, costing him and his wife £65,000. He always believed the shortfalls were due to issues with the Horizon computer system. Between 1999 and 2015, the Post Office prosecuted over 700 sub-postmasters based on Horizon data, with some sent to prison and many financially ruined.
Bates hopes the drama will increase pressure on the government to pay full compensation to those still waiting. 'It's gone on far too long,' he said. 'People have got to be held accountable.' The writer, Gwyneth Hughes, described Bates as 'the motor and the engine' of the campaign, noting he has worked unpaid for 20 years.
Former sub-postmistress Jo Hamilton, who also features prominently, said seeing her story on screen was 'like a dream'. She pleaded guilty to false accounting to avoid jail after being accused of taking £36,000 from her Hampshire shop. The actor Monica Dolan, who plays her, said she was shocked to learn the Post Office could carry out its own criminal investigations.
