ITV commissions Mr Bates vs The Post Office: The Impact
June 11, 2024
ITV has commissioned Little Gem to produce new film, Mr Bates vs The Post Office: The Impact [working title], which will reveal how the ITV drama series, also produced by Little Gem, has affected the lives of the subpostmasters it featured and provide an insight into the ongoing struggle for justice and financial redress.
The documentary will feature Jo Hamilton, Jess Uppal, Noel Thomas and leading figure, Alan Bates as well as subpostmasters who have come forward in the aftermath of the drama series (pictured) to tell their stories on television for the first time.
Mr Bates vs The Post Office: The Impact will also focus on shocking moments from the Judge-led Inquiry: testimony from Paula Vennells, Angela van den Bogerd and Post Office investigators, who were described by subpostmasters as behaving like “mafia gangsters”. The film will further provide an insight into new developments and layers of intrigue that add further dimensions to a scandal that is still ongoing even following the broadcast of the drama and the subsequent torrent of news coverage.
Mr Bates vs The Post Office: The Impact is commissioned for ITV by Jo Clinton-Davis, ITV Controller of Factual, who commented: “The Post Office scandal became a genuine national talking point at the start of this year, striking at the heart of the public’s sense of justice. The reverberations have been felt ever since at a political level, but particularly in the lives of those directly affected. This film promises to tell the story of what has happened since in their lives, how their fight continues as well as illuminating new layers of this scandal.”
For Little Gem, the Producer/Director is Clare Richards and the Executive Producers are Natasha Bondy and Ben Gale.
Bondy added: “The public’s response to Mr Bates was extraordinary and had a hugely positive impact on subpostmasters. We’re delighted we can explore how far-reaching that impact has been, while still showing that the fight for financial redress is far from over.”