God watching this the whole thing is so saddening and infuriating.
A combination of ‘computer says no’, lack of common sense but more worryingly, lying by those supposed to be responsible for the systems.
Anyone else watching it?
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Yeah watching Part 4 as we speak. It’s been so well done.
And is also so scandalous. I’m glad it’s getting such high profile treatment.
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Only watched half of one ep so far but it made me absolutely furious. Good stuff. Love Toby Jones.
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I’ve not watched the programme yet, but it’s worth reading Nick Wallis’s book about it as well.
Not least because:
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Pretty sure i met Paula Vennels in an official capacity. Lots of discussions about the requirement for a universal postal service. Royal Mail were being screwed over (which does not of course excuse their attitude to their sub postmasters).
Also worked with Fujitsu systems, which were notoriously crap. In the end, the company had to change its name as they were a byword for shit.
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Don’t buy it though because he has gone full on terf extremist 
Nadim Zahawi 
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(Won’t do spoilers if you haven’t watched all 4 episodes)
It does, it’s horrific. And it’s the ‘why’ of it that I find really interesting: what were the Post Office hierarchy actually hoping to achieve? I think the question gets partly answered but there are still answers needed from several of the people involved
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It’s a really good and tragic example of the thinking that goes on in all huge companies or institutions. The imperative to close ranks and protect the entity at all times. The Catholic Church does it with paedophile priests, the Police do it with bent and rapey coppers, Parliament does it, Google, Amazon…etc etc.
The Post Office is an incredibly extreme case where they were prepared to break the law, lie to the Courts and Parliament and essentially go into Trump mode over the whole thing.
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Agreed. The comparison that kept coming into my mind while I was watching it was Hillsborough.
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Oh man, this series. Only watched the first two but I have never cried so much in front of the TV, just scene after scene of punches to my gut. I almost couldn’t bear it and stopped but I love it. Plus, Toby Jones is my favourite actor. Will be the best thing I watch this year for sure.
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Feels rare that popular entertainment makes a difference (or even tries to) these days, so it’s good to see this resulting in some positive outcomes. Fingers crossed the folk in charge get found out and fucked now.
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Why are the police only getting involved after a TV drama? Were the court cases, newspaper articles, documentaries etc not enough?
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I was stuck on a train this evening so started watching. Even as someone with no tolerance for British dramas, I’ve somehow now finished it. Moved on to the documentary that ITV showed after the last episode and genuinely surprised to see just how accurate it was - A few characters I assumed would be an amalgamation of stories from different people were all true to life. Real fucking horrible stuff.
As @MrSibson says, it’s very suspicious that the Met are only making a move after a primetime TV programme. Even over the course of many years, there’s just no way the Post Office’s legal team, or reporting media outlets, wouldn’t notice an epidemic of criminal subpostmasters across the nation.
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Finished it now and watching the ITV doc.
Superb TV and glad it’s having such a impact after having captured the public’s attention. Although, as noted above, it’s a shame it’s took this to finally get a head of steam.
The fuck is Nadhim Zahawi doing being in this?
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Binged this today, the first ep made my stomach knot up, really effectively conveyed the nightmarish nature of what they went through, made me feel sick. I can’t fathom how all these people’s concerns were dismissed when they reported the issues, the lack of any investigation just going straight to you’ve nicked it, pay up. The amount of people who would have been involved in this whole process.
I am a bit confused, reports I’ve read about it seems to say the system was defective and it was errors within it that caused the loss of money from the Post offices. The program seemed to lean harder on the remote access issue, that Fujitsu HQ could go in and alter records without the subpostmasters being aware, even suggesting in the case of Michael Rudkin that this was weaponised and the day after he visited their offices and raised his concern about this his records were altered and his wife was accused of stealing 44k. This is something else. I wondered if it was embroidered for the show but it pretty exactly matches with the account in this speech his MP Andrew Bridgen made in the commons It is a pleasure to serve under...: 5 Mar 2020: Westminster Hall debates - TheyWorkForYou
Guess I’d better watch the doc
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Sunak in that video clip “obviously this is something that happened a very long time ago in the 90s”
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Like most people in this thread each new story, new character, was a punch to the gut. It was very difficult to process the ruthless way and haste the Post Office moved from unsupportive IT helpline, to subsequent audit, to criminal prosecution.
The shows emblematic cases were all tragic, but it was the helplessness of Monica Dolan as Jo Hamilton that really struck me. Those scenes with her entering the numbers into the system and being told she would have to make up thousands in shortfall were heart breaking.
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It’s ok everyone vennels is handing back her cbe. What a model public servant
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