Mr Bates vs The Post Office

As played by Toby Jones, the “Mr. Bates” in the miniseries Mr Bates vs The Post Office is a seemingly unassuming man, a fan of chunky knit sweaters who’s always ready to greet a potential new friend with a pleasant smile. But that enduring even-keeled nature, writer Gwyneth Hughes and director James Strong make clear, was Alan Bates’s superpower. When the British government wrongly accused the subpostmaster of stealing money from his Post Office branch because their software declared Bates was in the red, Bates knew he was innocent, and that he likely wasn’t alone in being smeared. Based on real events, the series begins with Bates but then uses his status as a coalition builder among wronged subpostmasters to expand its focus until an entire conspiracy is laid out in clear terms, with the British government revealed as more interested in maintaining ties with private businesses than protecting their citizens. The series’ impact after airing was extraordinary, when the scandal involving thousands of subpostmaters became a major news story and new legislation was announced to benefit those affected. For its mixture of education, entertainment, and empathy for its subjects, Mr Bates vs The Post Office wins a Peabody Award.