VIEWERS of ITV’s "eye opening" drama series Mr Bates vs The Post Office have shared their reactions to the show. 

Mr Bates vs The Post Office began on Monday, January 1, on ITV. 

The drama tells the shocking true story of one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in British legal history in which hundreds of innocent sub-postmasters and postmistresses were wrongly accused of theft, fraud and false accounting due to a defective IT system.

Toby Jones (Empire of Light, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Detectorists) plays the real-life title character Alan Bates. 

Mr Bates, who played a crucial role in bringing the Post Office scandal to light, ran the Wool Post and the Post Office in Craig-y-Don with his partner Suzanne. 

Mr Bates set up a “Post Office victims” website, which enabled other sub-postmasters to realise that they had also been wrongly accused. 

Readers took to our social media pages to share their thoughts on the programme so far.

One person labelled Mr Bates as a "true hero" commenting that he continues to seek compensation "for all."

Chris Taaffe said: "A very eye opening true drama. Shows how the establishment belittle the common person. Hopefully all the liars involved at the Post Office senior management will be held accountable, and thrown into jail."

Martin Edwards said: "Superb drama bringing to life one of the worst injustices ever seen."

Debbie Giacomet wrote: "I am watching it and it’s shocking how the post office acted."

Mandy Williams posted: "Brilliant but heartbreaking."

Jacqueline Ellis commented that the show was "brilliant and very authentic."

She added: "I live in Craig-y-Don and I knew Mr Bates."

Anna Parisella said: "I used the Post Office in Craig-y-Don at the time. Lovely couple, shocking what happened. Excellent programme."

Elizabeth Davies said: "I hope those poor people who lost their good name, livelihood, homes, freedom and in some cases, their lives, get adequate and generous compensation soon. The Post Office has a lot to answer for."

Lynne Leckie said: "Excellent series and well portrayed. The real Mr Bates was on set during filming.

"The Post Office were cruel and abhorrent in their handling of these people serving their country diligently. The length of time it’s taken for justice to prevail unbelievable. Many lives torn apart and some lost altogether before names were cleared.

"Mr Bates a true hero who never gave into bullying tactics and continues to seek compensation for all."

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Tonight's episode (Wednesday, January 3), sees Mr Bates working with the Post Office in the hope his friends can get justice at last, but can he trust the people who have let them down so badly?

The St David's Hospice charity outlet in Craig-y-Don, Llandudno, was used as the main location for filming; the shop was transformed into the former wool and clothes shop, known as the Wool Post, and Post Office. 

Between 2000 and 2015, the Post Office held thousands of its own sub postmasters and postmistresses liable for financial discrepancies thrown up by Horizon, its hugely expensive but unreliable computerised accounting system. 

Despite warnings that the system was flawed, the Post Office relentlessly pursued the sub postmasters and postmistresses, telling many of them they were the only ones having problems with Horizon.

Of those affected by the faulty IT system, 736 were prosecuted, hundreds more lost livelihoods, homes and life savings because they paid back money the Post Office claimed was missing.

Several went to prison, some whilst pregnant or with young children and many were shunned by their communities. Some have since died before they could find any justice.  

The first episode of Mr Bates vs The Post Office will air on ITV1 and ITVX at 9pm on Monday, January 1 2024. New episodes will then air at 9pm each night.

The final episode will air at 9pm on Thursday, January 4.