Will Mellor’s career was starting to dry up before being offered a role in ITV’s Mr Bates vs the Post Office. He played sub-postmaster Lee Castleton in the four-part drama, which detailed the scandal which saw hundreds of sub-postmasters prosecuted because of incorrect information from the Horizon computer system. His role proved to be life changing and has sparked mass public interest into the scandal – described as the most widespread miscarriage of justice in recent UK history. Innocent sub-postmasters were sent to jail and many were ruined financially. As a result of the drama, the Post Office apologised for the suffering caused and now works in partnership with postmasters to “transform the organisation”.
In a new BBC documentary, Surviving the Post Office, Will met victims of the scandal from across England. It detailed their stories of being ostracised by their communities, having their lives ruined and how they are attempting to move forward. Many of them had never spoken publicly of their experiences before. The Post Office scandal resulted in a groundswell of public support. Will believes this support has the power to be transformative for those who have suffered. Lee Castleton was overwhelmed by the public support and Will continues to receive accolades for his role.
The documentary also explored the case of mother-of-three Stephanie Gibson, who was wrongly accused of stealing money from the branch she worked in. Stephanie was charged and taken to court, but was acquitted after an eight-day trial. Her life, however, was turned upside down when a brick was thrown through her window, paint stripper was poured on her car, she was spat at in the street and ostracised by her local community. She and her family moved out of the area immediately for fear of their safety. The experience had affected her for years and she shook uncontrollably when Will drove her to the street where she used to live – her first time back in over 16 years. An encounter with a former neighbour, however, provided Stephanie with the release she needed.
Thomas and Katie Watson, the children of sub-postmaster Fiona Watson, told their story to Will and their pain was evident. The family had been thriving in their new life in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, when one year after being named Post Office of the Year, money was found to be missing from the accounts. Fiona was given the option of pleading guilty and being a criminal, losing her job and property and not seeing her children or going to prison and not seeing her children. She died soon after being diagnosed with lymphoma and never saw her name cleared. Thomas and Katie are pushing for a next-generation redress scheme to compensate the children of victims of the scandal.
The Department for Business and Trade said that redress for sub-postmasters and their families who have suffered is a priority of the new Labour government. While financial losses are taken into account under various compensation schemes and families can apply for financial redress if a postmaster has died, the experience of the victims of the Post Office scandal remains a dark chapter in recent UK history. Surviving the Post Office is available to watch on BBC iPlayer from 22 July and on BBC One at 20.30 BST
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