The Post Office scandal is to be explored in a four-part ITV drama from Patrick Spence and Little Gem.
People vs Post Office will be penned by Gwyneth Hughes (Honour) and examine the miscarriage of justice in which dozens of innocent sub-postmasters and postmistresses were accused of theft, fraud and false accounting due to the Post Office’s defective IT system. Some were imprisoned for crimes that they did not commit.
The 4 x 60-minute series is being produced by Fortitude executive Patrick Spence, who joined ITV Studios in 2019, with Little Gem, which is responsible for an unscripted slate including BBC1’s Surviving The Virus and Sky Atlantic’s This Is Our Family.
In a joint statement with Spence, Little Gem creative director Natasha Bondy said: “Being trusted with telling this story is a huge honour for the whole production team. We are going to ensure the biggest possible audience get to hear how much the sub-postmasters suffered, how hard they had to fight for justice and how determined they are that the fight is not yet over.”
Hughes said that she has been talking to those affected for some time. “I find it just astonishing, and deeply troubling, that this could have happened in my country, and I confess it’s shaken my confidence in British justice,” she added.
People vs. Post Office has been commissioned by ITV’s head of drama, Polly Hill, who will oversee production on behalf of the channel.
Filming will take place in early 2022 with transmission expected later that year.
ITV Studios will handle international distribution.
People vs Post Office: ITV will produce drama about sub-postmasters scandal that saw 39 innocent people falsely branded criminals due to an IT glitch
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