Post masters scandal to get stamp of satire
Play about saga to tour UK after huge TV hit
THE hit TV drama based on the Post Office scandal really delivered for victims by raising awareness of their ongoing ordeal.
And now a stage play is hoping to build on that success and carry on the fight against injustice.
Plans for a theatre show are under way after ITV’S Mr Bates vs The Post Office sparked a major public outcry and forced former chief executive Paula Vennells to hand back her CBE.
The satire, called False Accounts in a nod to the dodgy
Horizon IT system supplied by Fujitsu, was performed in 2022 – and seen by more than 40 subpostmasters – before a lack of funding forced a halt. Now, its creators hope to raise £43,000 for a UK tour with cast of 10.
Gofundme donors include wronged sub-postmasters.
Writer and co-director Lance Nielsen, 50, said: “As theatre is an immediate art form, we can continually update the show with new facts as they emerge [and] incorporate details the TV show couldn’t.
“I’ve followed the story since 2009 and felt such a great sense of injustice and knew we had to do something.
“The scandal represents so much that is wrong with society – these were ordinary people taking on a giant and our goal is to bring this story to different communities.”
Wrongly accused Post Office worker Tracy Felstead said of the show: “Excellent acting, heartbreaking in places, funny in others. They made us proud!” More than 700 innocent subpostmasters were jailed or financially ruined after being accused of theft between 1999 and 2015. Some committed suicide. The Post Office declined to comment on the play.
The scandal represents so much that is wrong with society