Latest news with #HilaryRosen
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
ITV awarded top Bafta honour for ‘changing hearts and minds' with Mr Bates vs the Post Office
Bafta has announced ITV will receive its top award for releasing Mr Bates vs the Post Office, the drama that sparked change in governmental legislation. The four-part drama, starring Toby Jones, has racked up an audience of 15 million viewers to date. It tells the story of the impact on hundreds of sub-postmasters who were wrongly prosecuted for theft and false accounting due to a series of software errors. Bafta's Special Award will honour ITV's for commissioning the groundbreaking series, with the awards body calling it 'public service television at its best'. Bafta television committee chair Hilary Rosen said that the series, which was released in January 2024, 'shows the power of television to change hearts and minds'. Kevin Lygo, managing director of ITV's media and entertainment division, praised 'the team who made it' as well as 'all the people who entrusted us with their story'. 'ITV has a proud tradition of covering important stories and we all knew this needed to be told,' lygo said. 'The public reaction showed how very British stories of human injustice can unite all walks of life, and affect real world change.' The real-life story follows sub-postmaster Alan Bates (Jones) as he leads a determined fightback for justice on behalf of those wronged by the Post Office, ultimately winning a legal battle that overturned dozens of wrongful convictions. Despite breaking records as ITV's most-watched drama in the UK, it was revealed that the real-life series made a loss of £1m due to 'international appeal'. 'Of course, some things are very profitable on the channel, and some things aren't. But it's a challenge to be able to fund some of the things,' Lygo previously said. 'If you're in Lithuania, four hours on the British Post Office? Not really, thank you very much. So you can see the challenges here,' he added. The cost and risk of creating UK-specific dramas with limited international appeal is increasingly challenging, yet this award 'champions ITV's brave commission and honours the social and public impact television can have', Rosen said. 'As Mr Bates vs the Post Office has proved, audiences want and need to hear these important British stories,' she continued. Mr Bates vs the Post Office has been nominated for six Baftas, including Leading Actor for Toby Jones and Leading Actress for Monica Dolan. The ceremony takes place on 11 May. The Special Award is one of Baftas highest honours. Previous winners include Horrible Histories, Downton Abbey and historian and author David Olusoga, who is set to appear on the forthcoming Celebrity Traitors.
The Guardian
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
ITV wins Bafta television special award for Mr Bates vs the Post Office
ITV has won the Bafta television special award for commissioning the acclaimed series Mr Bates vs the Post Office, with the channel being commended for spotlighting one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British history. The drama, which has amassed 15 million viewers, influenced policy change and reopened the case to seek justice for the post office operators involved. Within three weeks of the show being aired, the scandal was raised in parliament, with a bill fast-tracked to quash most of the convictions involving the Horizon IT faulty computer system which led to hundreds of post office operators being wrongly prosecuted for theft and fraud. Bafta television committee chair Hilary Rosen said: 'This is public service television at its best and shows the power of television to change hearts and minds. In a climate where the cost and risk of making UK-specific dramas that have limited international appeal is becoming increasingly challenging, this special award champions ITV's brave commission and honours the social and public impact television can have. 'As Mr Bates vs the Post Office has proved, audiences want and need to hear these important British stories.' The show centres on former post office operator Alan Bates, charting his sacking by the Post Office, his formation of the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance, and his campaigning for victims of the Post Office scandal. Polly Hill, ITV's director of drama, said: 'Commissioning Mr Bates was without doubt the proudest moment of my career and has shown us the power a story can have on the nation. 'Everyone involved in the drama wanted their story to be heard and we are glad the drama did that, but justice won't be done until they are all paid what they are owed. In this moment though, we will enjoy the recognition for ITV and remember the power drama can have.' The Bafta television special award will be presented to ITV's managing director, Kevin Lygo and Hill during the 2025 Bafta television awards on Sunday 11 May at the Royal Festival Hall in London.
