Mr Bates vs. The Post Office (TV Mini Series) Episode #1.4 (2024) User Reviews

Great end to a fabulous series.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 10/10 · 14 January 2024]

Alan and The Subpostmasters have their day in court, but the legal process is long and costly. Three Subpostmasters are on the stand, as are three representatives from The Post Office, Paula Vennells is not one of them.

A national scandal of epic proportions.

It's been an incredible four part series, it hasn't dipped once along the way, this was a wonderful end to the series. After three rather upsetting episodes, this one is somewhat uplifting.

It's very moving and very interesting, a story that's almost hard to believe, I still can't believe the failings in journalism to bring this out.

How on Earth Bates and co must have felt when they heard that Vennells had been awarded a CBE, they just have felt sickened.

That bill for legal aid, ouch!

Monica Dolan once again, if she doesn't get an award for this, I will be staggered, she is a remarkable talent. Toby Jones also, he deserves a BAFTA for this.

10/10.

Episode 4

[Prismark10 · 7/10 · 19 January 2024]

This is not a spoiler. Mr Bates and others won their case in March 2019. They did not have civil legal aid, those days went decades ago. They got a solicitor who managed to get private funders. In exchange for taking the risk of litigation. They will take a hefty percentage of the damages. That was the only deal Mr Bates and Co had. It seems both the solicitor and their barrister later worked for free as the private funding ran out.

They won, they were cleared. Despite news reports, Panorama documentaries, stories in the newspaper. It took a dramatisation of the story for the public and the government to take notice.

The Post Office is publicly owned. The Government since March 2019 has had four Prime Ministers. Each of them did nothing to exonerate the wrongly convicted postmasters or rush through the compensation.

The current incumbent only moved to take steps because of public anger after this series was broadcast. What has the government been doing for the last five years?

The final episode was rather rushed. There was a moment in the trial where the Post Office lawyers wanted the judge removed for being biased. It was a delaying tactic so the claimant's lawyers waste even more costs. Remember one side has got deep pockets that other side has not. The drama did not delve much into what happened with the judge. Reading up on it, I think the Post Office botched up.

Now everyone knows that both the Post Office and Fujitsu were more than incompetent. They were truly evil and to think Paula Vennells got a CBE in 2019. She is also a priest who was considered being appointed as the Bishop of London.