Mr Bates vs The Post Office true story: The real-life people behind the ITV drama

ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office features a star-studded cast.

Actors like Toby Jones and Julie Hesmondhalgh portray characters in the four-part series, which is based on real-life events and people.

What is Mr Bates vs the Post Office about?

Mr Bates vs the Post Office is about the Post Office scandal of the late 1990s, 2000s and 2010s.

The scandal is considered to be one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in British history.

After a new IT system, Horizon, began causing accounting discrepancies in post offices, hundreds of subpostmasters were wrongly accused of stealing, false accounting, and fraud.

Horizon was introduced in 1999 and its failings led to more than 700 people being wrongly prosecuted between 1999 and 2015.

Many of the accused, like Seema Misra, were jailed, and some suffered great mental turmoil, with at least one taking their own life.

A number of Post Office workers are still receiving financial compensation.

It is expected that all payments will be completed by August 2024.

Former subpostmaster Alan Bates, who takes a titular role in the ITV drama about the scandal, is credited with bringing victims of the injustice together to fight for retribution.

Bates, from Wales, was forced to leave his Post Office job over financial discrepancies at his branch.

Mr Bates vs the Post Office cast

Toby Jones as Alan Bates

Toby Jones plays Alan Bates, the Welsh subpostmaster who became an activist after losing his job in 2003.

Bates was one of many Post Office workers who were fired after being wrongly accused of fraud.

He helped set up the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance and campaigned for justice for himself and his colleagues.

Bates turned down an OBE in the 2024 New Year's Honours list, saying the "job isn't done yet".

Julie Hesmondhalgh as Suzanne Sercombe

Broadchurch and Coronation Street star Julie Hesmondhalgh plays Suzanne Sercombe.

Sercombe is the wife of Alan Bates and owned the post office in Llandudno with him.

The couple lost the £65,000 they had invested in the business due to the Horizon scandal but took the Post Office to the High Court in 2019, resulting in a £58million compensation payout for the 555 claimants

Monica Dolan as Jo Hamilton

Black Mirror actress Monica Dolan plays Jo Hamilton, who was a subpostmistress from South Warnborough, Hampshire.

She was taken to court by her employer after being wrongly accused of stealing over £30,000.

Hamilton paid back the amount out of her own pocket, believing the discrepancy was due to her own mistake, but her conviction was later quashed.

Will Mellor as Lee Castleton

Former Casualty star Will Mellor plays Lee Castleton.

Castleton was a subpostmaster from Bridlington, Yorkshire, who was taken to court by the Post Office after being wrongly accused of stealing.

Amy Nuttall as Lisa Castleton

Former Emmerdale star Amy Nuttall plays Lisa Castleon, the wife of Mellor's Lee.

In real life, Lisa and Lee share two children together.

Krupa Pattani as Saman Kaur

Hollyoaks' Krupa Pattani plays Saman Kaur, another subpostmistress that was accused of stealing.

Kaur suffered great mental anguish as a result of the accusations.

Amit Shah as Jasgun Singh

Happy Valley star Amit Shah plays Saman's husband Jasgun Singh.

Singh joined the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance and campaigned with his wife and other Post Office employees.

Ifan Huw Dafydd as Noel Thomas

Ifan Huw Dafydd, who has starred in Holby City and Gavin and Stacey in the past, plays Noel Thomas.

Thomas was sent to prison for false accounting but later had his conviction quashed.

Shaun Dooley as Michael Rudkin

Shaun Dooley, who fans may recognise from EastEnders, Coronation Street, or The Stranger, plays Michael Rudkin.

Rudkins ran a post office in Leicestershire with his wife Susan and was prosecuted for theft as part of the Horizon scandal.

Lesley Nicol as Pam Stubbs

Downton Abbey's Lesley Nicol plays a subpostmistress who was falsely accused of "losing" £27,000.

Stubbs was stripped of her role at the Barkham Post Office in Berkshire after the charges were made against her.

Lia Williams as Paula Vennells

The Crown actress Lia Williams plays Paula Vennells, who was the chief executive officer of the Post Office Limited.

Vennells stepped down from her role in February 2019, after a seven-year leadership, and went on to work as a minister at the Church of St Owen near Bedford.

Katherine Kelly as Angela Van den Bogerd

Former Coronation Street and Mr Selfridge star Katherine Kelly plays Angela Van den Bogerd.

Bogerd worked her way up from behind the counter at a Post Office to become the company's director and worked closely with CEO Vennells.

She stepped down from her role in 2020.

Ian Hart as Bob Rutherford

Ian Hart, who played Voldermort in the first Harry Potter film, plays Bob Rutherford.

Rutherford was an independent investigator who the Post Office hired when complaints against the organisation began to mount.

Isobel Middleton as Kay Linnell

Isobel Middelton, whose voice fans may recognise from The Archers, portrays Kay Linnell.

Linnell was a forensic accountant who became involved with the campaign for justice for the falsely accused Post Office workers.

John Hollingworth as James Hartley

Poldark actor John Hollingworth has taken on the role of James Hartley.

Hartley is a lawyer who works in dispute resolution and risk mitigation.

He was the lead solicitor on Bates and the other claimants' case against the Post Office.

Adam James as Patrick Green QC

Adam James plays Patrick Green, a barrister who goes up against the Post Office.

Viewers may recognise the actor from Michaela Coel's I May Destroy You and the BBC's Doctor Foster.

Where was Mr Bates vs the Post Office filmed?

Mr Bates vs The Post Office is set all across the UK.

Locations featured in the drama include London, Llandudno in north Wales, and the Warwickshire village of Fenny Compton.

Parts of the real-life story also took place in South Warnborough in Hampshire, and Bridlington, Yorkshire.

Filming for the series also took place around the UK, including in Kent and in Llandudno, Wales.

The St David's Hospice charity outlet in Llandudno, which used to be Alan Bates' actual post office, was one of the specific filming locations and features in one of the very first scenes of episode one.

When is Mr Bates vs the Post Office on?

Mr Bates vs the Post Office started on Monday January 1, 2024.

There are four episodes in the series, with each episode airing on consecutive nights.

The series finale air date is Thursday, January 4.

All four episodes are available to stream on ITVX.