NTAs 2024 exposes shocking truth about Alan Bates’ fight for justice following Post Office scandal -Emily Bashforth-Entertainment – Metro

Toby Jones took home a National Television Award for his portrayal of Sir Alan Bates (Picture: Ian West/PA Wire)

Viewers of the National Television Awards 2024 were outraged upon discovering the shocking truth about Sir Alan Bates’ fight for justice after the Post Office scandal.

Toby Jones secured the best drama performance gong at the 23rd NTAs for his role in ITV’s Mr Bates vs The Post Office.

The hit drama, watched by millions, helped renew attention to the subpostmasters who were wrongly prosecuted during the Horizon IT scandal.

Hundreds of branch managers were given criminal convictions when faulty accounting software made it look as though cash was missing from their sites.

Jones portrayed former subpostmaster Sir Alan, one of more than 550 claimants who have brought legal action against the Post Office.

The four-part miniseries, which shone a light on the decades-long issue, took home a second trophy later in the show, having won the coveted impact award, before scooping the gong for new drama and fighting off competition from Baby Reindeer and Fool Me Once.

Real-life postmaster Jo Hamilton took to the mic to deliver a powerful speech (Picture: Lia Toby/Getty Images for the NTAs)

The show took home three trophies (Picture: Lia Toby/Getty Images for the NTAs)

During the acceptance speech, actress Monica Dolan, who played Jo Hamilton, expressed her thanks as she introduced the real-life Jo Hamilton to the stage.

Taking to the mic, however, Hamilton revealed a series of harsh realities for those affected by what has been deemed the greatest miscarriage of justice in British history.

‘Nothing has changed,’ she stated.

‘Most of these people haven’t been paid yet,’ she said, gesticulating to the real-life postmasters on stage behind her, which were just some out of a total 550.

‘Please support Alan Bates when he comes back to the nation for help.’

Hamilton then specified that over 300 postmasters still haven’t been paid.

What’s more, Sir Alan has only received 30% of his claim, a revelation branded ‘disgusting’ by audiences at home as Sir Alan works on a new plan to ensure all involved receive what they deserve.

Mr Bates vs The Post Office was watched by millions (Picture: ITV/Shutterstock)

The miniseries highlighted the shocking miscarriage of justice (Picture: ITV/Shutterstock)

Taking to X, lxstlikeme wrote: ‘300 of 500 Post masters affected by the horizon scandal are yet to be paid. Sir Alan Bates who lead the fight for their justice has been offered 30% of his claim. Government misleading and deceit should be made a custodial offence.’

‘This country is f***ed! Give out a knighthood to Alan bates to then offer him 30% of money he is owed’, blasted Reece_Rio.

User vinnybamber branded it ‘utter madness’, while LesleyRiddoch hailed the moment Hamilton took to the stage as ‘powerful’.

Following the ceremony, actor Jones spoke in the winning room about how ‘extraordinary’ it was to win the public-voted award.

‘It’s a great opportunity to renew the pressure on the Government, the new Government, to recompense the postmasters before the end of the year,’ the star said.

‘We’re still waiting for the Government to make a commitment to pay the compensation before the end of the year,’ he added.

‘I’m sure one of the reasons that the show had been so popular is because there’s popular will that that should happen sooner rather than later.’

Out of 550, only 300 postmasters have been paid up to now (Picture: ITV/Shutterstock)

Jones said that the show was ‘without a doubt’ one of the most important dramas he has ever been a part of.

He told reporters: ‘I’ve had so many messages in the last eight months from actors saying, “Oh, that’s what you dream of is to have an impact with a drama like this”, and it’s the first time for a lot of people that it’s led directly to parliamentary action.

‘Hopefully, it’ll lead to more dramas having a direct impact on policy.’

Jones said Sir Alan was initially ‘sceptical’ about what a drama would be able to do but grew to be excited over what the show was able to help achieve.

‘Anytime something like this happens, and we’ve had a lot of awards attention so far this year, the first person I email is Alan,’ Jones said.

Collecting his gong during the ceremony, Jones congratulated Sir Alan on his recent marriage to his partner Suzanne Sercombe.

Catch up with the NTAs on ITVX.

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