Mr Bates vs the Post Office Reviews (original) (raw)

Summary Alan Bates (Toby Jones) was one of the 700+ sub-postmasters who were accused of stealing money from the British Post Office. In a 20-years long fight, he and his allies seek to prove faulty software was the real cause in this four-part miniseries. [Premiered originally in the UK on ITV on 1 Jan 2024 and in the US on Masterpiece on PBS...

Season 1 Premiere: Jan 1, 2024

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Summary Alan Bates (Toby Jones) was one of the 700+ sub-postmasters who were accused of stealing money from the British Post Office. In a 20-years long fight, he and his allies seek to prove faulty software was the real cause in this four-part miniseries. [Premiered originally in the UK on ITV on 1 Jan 2024 and in the US on Masterpiece on PBS...

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Stirring stuff, and seemingly like so much of our post these days, long overdue.

It feels at times like being pounded by gigantic dialogue boulders of information. Even so, this is a staunch David and Goliath homage to quiet fortitude triumphing over corporate chicanery, and well worth anyone’s time.

The sweet-faced Jones — if you loved him in “Detectorists” you should love him here, in a part not a million miles away — stars as Alan, the quietly stubborn leader of the resistance, and the hub that connects the series’ several stories. .... Above all, “Mr. Bates vs The Post Office” is an indictment of bureaucratic arrogance and the familiar reluctance of institutions to admit, and when admitted, to rectify, mistakes.

Perhaps Hughes's main achievement is in making it so discomfiting to watch. It is still scarcely believable that this happened in modern Britain, that good people actually went to prison for things they hadn't done.

Jones, all cheer and steel, is simply perfect as the little man who proves undefeatable. Indeed, the many familiar faces all feel ideally cast, from Monica Dolan as Jo Hamilton, whose plain-as-a-pikestaff decency was weaponised against her, to Lia Williams as Post Office Ltd’s Paula Vennells.

The Post Office scandal has been so long-running that it can feel as if the staggering injustice at the heart of it all has been lost in the dense forest of the details. This makes it human again, and simplifies the case for outrage that this was done to so many innocent people.

Through odd creative decisions and the technical nature of the intrigue, Mr Bates vs the Post Office ends up being a human drama that could use a bit more drama.

Fascinating true story on the extreme efforts government agency will cover up its misdeeds. Edge of your seat suspense. Superb acting by the entire cast.

Production Company:

Initial Release Date: Jan 1, 2024

Number of seasons: 1 Season

Edinburgh TV Awards

• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations

Venice TV Award

• 1 Win & 1 Nomination