Mr Bates vs. the Post Office bigger than Downton Abbey

ITV’s Mr Bates vs. the Post Office, has become the channel’s most successful new drama in over a decade, surpassing even the highly acclaimed launch of Downton Abbey in 2010.

The gripping series has captivated an average of 9.8 million viewers across its first four episodes. This impressive number includes a seven-day viewing period across all devices and pre-transmission (pre-TX) viewing.

Remarkably, post-seven-day viewing statistics reveal that each of the first three episodes has now attracted over 10.6 million viewers. The series’ launch episode has reached an average of 10.9 million viewers after a ten-day catch-up period.

The series, which also includes an accompanying one-off documentary, has been a massive hit on ITV’s streaming platform, ITVX, with a staggering 16.6 million streams to date.

Mr Bates vs. the Post Office stands out not only on ITV but across all UK channels, boasting the highest viewership for any drama since the sixth series of Line of Duty on BBC One in 2021. It’s the most popular new drama since Bodyguard aired on BBC One in 2018 and the most successful ITV drama since Broadchurch in 2017.

The drama’s four episodes have become the most-watched programmes on any channel in the UK this year.

The success of the show has also resulted in further police investigations into the scandal and ex-Post Office boss Paula Vennells handing back her CBE.