Mr Bates vs the Post Office TV series start date and cast

ITV has revealed the start date, cast and trailer for its new TV series Mr Bates vs the Post Office.

This new four-part drama, penned by the renowned Gwyneth Hughes, delves into one of the most significant miscarriages of justice in British legal history.

It highlights the harrowing story of numerous subpostmasters and postmistresses who were wrongfully accused of theft, fraud, and false accounting due to a flawed IT system.

Many of these innocent individuals faced prosecution, and some were even incarcerated for crimes they did not commit, leading to irreversible damage to their lives and reputations.

When is Mr Bates vs the Post Office on TV?

Mr Bates vs the Post Office will air on ITV1 nightly at 9PM from Monday, 1 January – Thursday, 4 January at 9PM.

You’ll also be able to watch online via ITVX.

For now, watch a first trailer below…

Who’s on the cast?

Acclaimed actor Toby Jones stars as Alan Bates in this gripping series.

Joining him is an impressive cast including Monica Dolan, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Alex Jennings, Ian Hart, Lia Williams, Will Mellor, Clare Calbraith, Shaun Dooley, Amit Shah, Lesley Nicol, Adam James, and Katherine Kelly.

The series will explore the period between 2000 and 2013 when the Post Office, using its defective and costly computerized accounting system named Horizon, held thousands of its subpostmasters and postmistresses responsible for financial discrepancies.

Despite early warnings about Horizon’s faults, the Post Office continued to pursue these individuals, falsely asserting that they were the only ones experiencing issues with the system.

Of those impacted by this faulty IT system, 736 were prosecuted, and countless more suffered the loss of their jobs, homes, and life savings, as they compensated for non-existent financial shortfalls.

Many faced imprisonment, some under harsh conditions like pregnancy or while caring for young children. They endured social ostracization, and tragically, some passed away before any semblance of justice was served.

The drama series will also highlight the pivotal moment in 2009 when a group of subpostmasters from across the UK, fed up with the injustices, formed the Justice For Subpostmasters Alliance, marking the beginning of their fight for justice.