This Morning viewers' tears after seeing Real Mr Bates amid Post Office scandal

08 January 2024 , 16:19

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This Morning viewers' tears after seeing Real Mr Bates amid Post Office scandal

This Morning viewers were welling up after hearing from the real Alan Bates, who has been being gifted an incredible holiday by Sir Richard Branson amid the fall out to the Post Office scandal.

Mr Bates and partner Suzanne Sercombe appeared on the ITV daytime show today where they were interviewed by Josie Gibson and Craig Doyle about the reaction to drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office. The new series has brought the trauma back to the forefront, with many viewers outraged at what happened.

As a result, many people became bankrupt or jailed, and tragically, some even took their own lives. Alan was one of the Postmasters who was affected by the technological malfunction, and he spent years finding others who were impacted, and in 2019, they won their legal battle. The programme has shed more light on what happened as anger grows.

Alan Bates and Suzanne Suzanne have been thrust back into the spotlight

He was asked if the attention the drama had brought to the situation surprised him, as he responded: "Well, yes, but I think the drama does such a good job of exposing the suffering people have been through - I'm not surprised the whole nation's been moved by it." During a recent interview over the weekend, Alan said: "If Richard Branson is reading this, I’d love a holiday," and today, Josie revealed he had been in touch with a personal reply.

Josie revealed that tycoon had organised a trip for them to his private estate, Necker Island, with upper class return flights. They were also gifted a one-week cruise, leaving Alan teary-eyed. This Morning fans took to Twitter to show their support for Alan and Suzanne, as one wrote: ""Aww I’m not crying you are! So well deserved for Mr Bates & his partner Suzanne. Hope they have an amazing time. #ThisMorning."

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This Morning hosts Josie Gibson and Craig Doyle chatted to the couple over video link (ITV)

Another said of the wronged postmaster: "I have just watched the final 3 episodes of Mr. Bates vs The Post Office on ITVX and I am crying tears of rage. I don’t have the words…but Alan Bates is a National Hero. He’s that rarest of things in the times we live in. A decent man."

Someone else fumed: "Mr Bates vs. The Post Office got my blood boiling. Prosecuting innocent people while thieving b******s have been sitting in the very government that owns The Post Office since the beginning of time. It's so disgraceful. Also, take away Paula's CBE. #ThisMorning."

During a chat on BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, the Prime Minister called the scandal "an appalling miscarriage of justice". When asked if the Justice Secretary Alex Chalk was looking at full exoneration for those convicted, or if the Post Office could be stripped of its role, Mr Sunak did not answer the question directly and instead said: "Obviously, there's legal complexity in all of those things but he is looking at exactly those areas that you've described. It is right that we find every which way we can do to try to make this right for the people who were so wrongfully treated at the time."

Sam Elliott-Gibbs