Last week’s ITV presentation of Mr Bates versus the Post Office has caused a national furore. It’s the story of how sub-postmasters and mistresses up and down the country were held responsible for miscalculating their returns when actually there was a fault with the Horizon computer technology. It’s been a national scandal for many years.
But over 4 nights we watched the harrowing story of people who lost their lives, their livelihoods and their health. Some went to prison and some even took their lives. Suddenly we were immersed in the story and understood how ordinary people were lied to by an institution. No wonder the politicians are now falling over themselves trying to solve the problem when before they had no interest.
Has there ever been a better example of a drama series that completely galvanised the British people. So powerful was the effect of this emotional telling that there was a huge shift in public opinion. The former CEO of the Post Office had been awarded a CBE. Surely we trust the heads of the Post Office? We don’t know. On Friday there was a petition with 600,000 signatures demanding that she return the award. This morning it is at a million. That shows the depth of feeling. And that is why ministers are now rushing around like headless chickens long before the public inquiry reports back.
I want to take a step back and ask the question. How would it be this morning if that drama didn’t go out? Would we be where we now are?
It goes to the heart of what the arts do in our lives. As Shakespeare says it holds up a mirror for us to see ourselves and allow us to understand the human angle on events more clearly and oh boy did this do that.
I think it will become a piece of TV history and be a game changer. The powers that be got away with it for so long because each person was isolated and believed themselves to be the only one with a problem because they were told so.
I love the way that drama can give us insight into other people’s lives and hold up a theme like injustice and take it apart, in human terms, piece by piece. This bigger platform has created what I think is an unstoppable force.
