Mr Bates vs the Post Office writer 'apologising' over TV series and 'monster' scene

Daily Mirror

26-04-2025

Gwyneth Hughes, who penned Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, has been "apologising ever since" to all the people she was unable to include in the show but admitted they "still felt represented"
The creative minds behind ITV's gripping retelling of the harrowing Post Office saga have confessed that it was a monumental challenge to translate the intricate real-life events onto the small screen.
In an exclusive chat with Daily Express, Mr Bates vs the Post Office writer Gwyneth Hughes revealed: "This was a huge story, running over 20 years and ruining the lives of many hundreds of people the length and breadth of the UK."
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She went on to explain her approach, saying: "I had to find a way to fit as many of them in as I could, into a narrative that would make sense, without the programmes feeling rushed or over-stuffed."
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Ultimately, Hughes opted to focus on eight compelling individual stories out of the array of Post Office staff caught up in one of the most egregious wrongful conviction cases in UK history.
Hughes engaged with numerous victims to truly understand the "complexity and the hideous scale" of the ordeal they faced.
Moreover, this maestro behind both The Tom Jones and Honour sagas disclosed her continued remorse for those she couldn't portray in the series, despite them expressing that they "still felt represented".
Deciding what aspects to incorporate and which to exclude constituted the "hardest part" of the process, conceded the esteemed television scriptwriter.
Although keen to elaborate on the role of the controversial Post Office executive Paula Vennells, played by Lia Williams, Hughes remarked that the CEO declined an interview, compelling her to depend on emails, board meeting records, and news pieces to shape the narrative.
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Mr Bates vs the Post Office aired the previous year on ITV, earning considerable praise from viewers and critics alike.
The gripping four-part drama series lays bare the horrific toll on the lives of everyday subpostmasters caught up in the notorious Fujitsu Horizon IT system debacle, which led to unjust accusations, jail time, ruined careers, and even suicide.
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Director Hughes faced a monumental task recreating scenes of the scandal, highlighting one particularly challenging moment where actress Monica Dolan's character, postmaster Jo Hamilton, watches in horror as her supposed losses suddenly double, dubbing it a "monster" scene.
To nail the technical accuracy, the production team buried themselves in the "enormous and incomprehensible" Horizon manual, obsessing over jargon and ensuring the on-screen depiction mirrored the actual systems used by Post Office workers.
Hughes candidly acknowledges relying extensively on the expertise of Alan Bates, portrayed by Toby Jones in the show, who established the Justice For Subpostmasters Alliance and was instrumental in pushing for redress for those affected.
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The commitment to getting the financial and technological script elements spot-on meant tapping into Bates' profound knowledge, an area Hughes admits isn't her strongest suit.
Despite concerns that the theme might come across as dull, Hughes succeeded in putting a human face to the calamity, illustrating the emotional wreckage inflicted by the scandal.
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Her portrayal and the meticulous editing work by Mike Jones have not gone unnoticed. They've been tipped with nominations for prestigious BAFTA Craft Awards — Hughes for Writer Drama and Jones for Editing Fiction — solidifying their achievements in bringing this distressing tale to the small screen.
Jones mirrored Hughes' thoughts on the effort to make the vast narrative "simple and understandable", while conveying a "heartbreaking human story of the devastation".
Reflecting on why the ITV drama struck a chord with so many, Jones suggested it "tapped into the psyche" of Brits and exposed the full "horror', while others were ", while others were "simply shocked" to have been oblivious about the scandal and indeed how it could have occurred in the first place.
Furthermore, Jones noted that Mr Bates Vs The Post Office rapidly became "water-cooler TV", gaining momentum in the media and being discussed at the "very highest level in Parliament", leading MPs to commend the drama.