Mr Bates vs The Post Office: The Impact

In January 2024, the drama series Mr Bates vs The Post Office brought the story of the faulty Horizon computer and the subpostmasters wrongfully accused of theft to a national audience - the response was so powerful that former chief executive Paula Vennells handed back her CBE, a bill was introduced to Parliament to exonerate the victims, and lead campaigner Alan Bates was knighted. In this follow-up documentary, the former subpostmasters talk about the impact of the drama and more subpostmasters come forward to tell their heart-breaking stories for the first time. These include families like the Downeys who ran a Post Office in the Lake District - when Tony was accused of theft, he moved abroad with his wife Caroline and daughter Katie to avoid the shame but recently discovered that their trauma was down to the cover-up of the faulty computer. Meanwhile, Computer Weekly journalist Karl Flinders - who helped unearth the original Horizon scandal - believes a new scandal is looming.