Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, the brand new four-part drama on ITV, is based on a true story – but what happened to Alan Bates, and where is Paula Vennells now?
The show tells the story of the Post Office scandal that saw a number of former postal workers lose their jobs, or worse face criminal charges, for financial errors that were eventually ruled to have been linked to the organisation's computer system Horizon (supplied by Fujitsu).
It has been widely described as "the biggest miscarriage of justice in modern English legal history".
Alan Bates, a former subpostmaster who had his own contract terminated when he refused to comply and take responsibility for an apparent shortfall in the accounts, led the legal battle against the Post Office, campaigning for around 20 years and setting up the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance (JFSA) in 2009.
He ultimately took the postal organisation to the High Court in a group litigation order, wining a multimillion-pound legal case and proving that the error lay with the computer system and not with the subpostmasters (via Computer Weekly).
In ITV's dramatisation of events, Alan Bates is played by actor Toby Jones (also recently starring in this year's Peter Sutcliffe drama The Long Shadow) and Paula Vennells is portrayed by Lia Williams (The Capture, and Channel 4's Kiri).
What to Read Next
Where is Alan Bates now?
In January 2023, Bates turned down the offer of an OBE for services to justice.
"I do appreciate that there may well be people who believe that after the many years of my unpaid campaigning, which I led in order to expose the truth, I deserve some recognition for my work," he told the Honours Committee. "But I hope you can understand why it would be so inappropriate for me to accept any award at present, while so many of the victims continue to suffer so badly and [Paula] Vennells still retains an honour and remains a 'role model' to the Honours Committee."
As we saw in the ITV drama, the former Post Office CEO was included in the 2019 New Year Honours list; Vennells was appointed a CBE "for services to the Post Office and to charity".
Alan Bates was also celebrated at the 2023 Pride of Britain Awards, where he was named as the Special Recognition winner. The official website notes that he was being recognised for campaigning "tirelessly for almost 20 years to expose the truth about the Post Office Scandal and get justice for subpostmasters whose lives it destroyed."
"When it all began, I didn't intend to take a leading role, but it naturally happened over time and when things needed to be done, I just got on with them," Alan said.
"From the very beginning I was absolutely prepared to stand my ground because I knew they were wrong in what they were saying, and I knew that I was right. I knew the system was not robust like they said it was. From the beginning my motivation was to expose the truth."
Alan Bates has now retired, but he is still working tirelessly to see that everyone affected has been compensated.
"At 68, I would love to be able to take my foot off the pedal,” he said. "But I will stay involved until everyone from the original group who is entitled to compensation receives the full financial redress they're eligible for. Once everyone's received their money, I'll feel I've done my bit."
Paula Vennells now: What happened to the former CEO of the Post Office?
Paula Vennells spent seven years working at the top of the Post Office, and at the time was hailed for turning around a business that was making annual losses of £120 million into a modern, profitable company (via Guardian). It's also been reported that Vennells made considerable money during her time at the company, leaving the role nearly £5 million richer.
In 2019, just before the subpostmasters' court case ended, she stepped down from her position at the Post Office to start a new role at an NHS trust, becoming chair of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust – an organisation that runs several London hospitals.
As a result of the High Court ruling, the Post Office and 555 subpostmasters reached a settlement (which only worked out at around £20,000 each for the former Post Office workers).
After this court decision was announced, Post Office chairman Tim Parker admitted that "in the past, we got things wrong in our dealings with a number of postmasters" (via Sky News).
Meanwhile the Post Office's new CEO, Nick Read, said: "Our business needs to take on board some important lessons about the way we work with postmasters, and I am determined that it will do so."
Paula Vennells stepped down from her role at the NHS trust. While Vennells cited a personal decision, her resignation came at a time when Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust was facing pressure, ultimately requesting an independent review into her initial recruitment (via Computer Weekly).
In a statement announcing her exit, given in December 2020, Vennells said: "By the time I leave, I will have been in the position for two years. While I will be very sad to go, it is a personal decision at the right time."
In April 2021, after the court of appeal quashed convictions of 39 former Post Office workers (via Guardian), Paula Vennells issued an apology.
"I am truly sorry for the suffering caused to the 39 subpostmasters as a result of their convictions which were overturned last week," she said in a statement.
"I have therefore stepped back with immediate effect from regular parish ministry, and intend to focus fully on working with the ongoing government inquiry to ensure the affected subpostmasters and wider public get the answers they deserve," she added.
The independent public statutory inquiry into the Post Office and the Horizon IT system is ongoing.
Mr Bates Vs The Post Office airs on ITV1 and ITVX on January 1, 2, 3 and 4 at 9pm.
You Might Like...
TV Editor, Digital Spy Laura has been watching television for over 30 years and professionally writing about entertainment for almost 10 of those. Previously at LOOK and now heading up the TV desk at the UK's biggest TV and movies site Digital Spy, Laura has helped steer conversations around some of the most popular shows on the box. Laura has appeared on Channel 5 News and radio to talk viewing habits and TV recommendations. As well as putting her nerd-level Buffy knowledge to good use during an IRL meet with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Laura also once had afternoon tea with One Direction, has sat around the fire pit of the Love Island villa, spoken to Sir David Attenborough about the world's oceans and even interviewed Rylan from inside the Big Brother house (housemate status, forever pending).
