ITV brings back Mr Bates vs The Post Office just days after it first aired in unprecedented schedule shake-up
IN an unprecedented schedule shake-up, ITV is bringing back Mr Bates vs The Post Office just days after it first aired following a huge increase in ratings.
The popular drama, which began on January 1, will have another run on live TV, with the episodes being repeated over four evenings, beginning next Monday.
Mr Bates vs The Post Office chronicles the true story of the massive Post Office scandal, where more that 700 branch managers, known as subpostmasters, were convicted of stealing from the company between 1999 and 2015.
However, it was actually a faulty software called Horizon which was making it look as though cash was missing from their branches because it was unknowingly duplicating transactions.
Several of the workers tried to pay back the “missing” money out of their own pockets, but many were subsequently convicted of theft, went into debt and lost their homes. 236 of them went to prison, and tragically others died and four people took their own lives as a result.
The four-part limited series follows a group of the subpostmasters, led by Alan Bates (portrayed by Toby Jones) as they appeal their criminal convictions and fight for justice.
Toby, 57, is joined by Monica Dolan, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Alex Jennings, Ian Hart, Lia Williams, Will Mellor, Clare Calbraith, Shaun Dooley, Amit Shah, Lesley Nicol, Adam James and Katherine Kelly.
The drama has been so successful that it is returning for another run on ITV and will be airing Monday to Thursday next week immediately after the News At Ten.
Mr Bates vs The Post Office’s first episode was watched by 9.2 million viewers, which makes it not only ITV’s most watched show of the year, but its best drama in three years, beating out Pembrokeshire Murders which has held that record since January 2021.
Moreover, the series has become the most watched programme on any live channel this year with 3.9 million viewers consistently watching, compared to 2.2 million viewers tuning into the BBC’s Jamie Dornan led drama The Tourist.
Viewers have not only been watching Mr Bates vs The Post Office on live TV, but flocking to ITVX, too. The streaming service has had 70.1 million streams during the first eight days of 2024, marking a 39% increase on this time last year.
With these figures behind them, ITV has made the unprecedented decision to repeat the drama next week.
Kevin Lygo, Managing Director of Media & Entertainment at ITV, said: “The unwavering success of Mr Bates vs. The Post Office demonstrates the undeniable power of TV, particularly public service broadcasting.
“Aside from it being a ratings hit, dramatising the story with such a high calibre of British actors has reignited the campaign for justice nearly 25 years on, for a group of ordinary people – and the entire nation is behind them.”
Polly Hill, Head of Drama at ITV, added: “We commissioned this drama because it was a story that demanded to be told. Like everyone watching the show, I couldn’t believe what had happened. We all just wanted the drama to help get that story heard by as many people as we could.
“We are all proud and overwhelmed by the power our drama has had. Alan, Jo, Lee, Jess and every sub-postmaster and sub-postmistress are being heard now, and it looks like they will finally get the justice they deserve. ITV is proud to have told this story and to support the subpostmasters.”
Mr Bates Vs The Post Office is available to stream on ITVX now.