Toby Jones in Mr. Bates vs. The Post Office. Photo: PBS/ITV

Beginning tonight, Mr Bates vs The Post Office, another true ‘masterepiece’ heads to PBS Masterpiece on Sunday nights.  Based on a true story (known as the British Post Office Scandal), the 4-part Mr Bates vs The Post Office shines a light on a major transgression in the UK justice system and the public and media have taken notice. FYI, the documentary about the real scandal will air Sunday, April 28 at 10pCT on KERA in North Texas.

Toby Jones stars as Alan Bates, who formed the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance. The prosecutions and convictions are later ruled a miscarriage of justice at the conclusion of the Bates v Post Office judicial case of 2019.

Toby Jones in Mr. Bates vs. the Post Office. Photo: PBS

When money started to seemingly disappear from its local branches, the government-owned Post Office wrongly blamed their own managers for its apparent loss. For more than a decade, hundreds were accused of theft and fraud, and many were even sent to prison – leaving lives, marriages, and reputations in ruins.

The issue was actually caused by errors in the Post Office’s own computer system (Horizon) – something it denied for years. Revealing a shocking David vs. Goliath fight for justice, this is the story of the decent ordinary people who were relentlessly pursued, coerced and controlled by a powerful corporation, and their ongoing battle, against seemingly insurmountable odds, to right so many horrific wrongs.

Mr Bates vs The Post Office will premiere on Masterpiece on PBS beginning tonight at 9pET/8pCT.