BBC adds last-minute repeat of Post Office Scandal Panorama special

The episode features testimony from some of the subpostmasters and mistresses involved, revealing the impact of their lives after being falsely accused.

As per the synopsis for the Panorama special: "The Post Office is responsible for the most widespread miscarriage of justice in British legal history. For nearly two decades, the scandal saw hundreds of men and women who ran post offices in towns and villages across the country accused of losing or stealing money, when in reality, a computer system could have been to blame.

"This Panorama special tells the story of those whose lives were utterly devastated, reveals the damning evidence that was kept from them and investigates how and why the Post Office, a multinational tech company and the government covered up the truth for so long."

The airing of the Panorama special is in no small part due to the continued ongoing conversations around the scandal, brought to the fore with the airing of Mr Bates vs The Post Office, which has become the most-watched programme of the year so far.

Most recently, former Post Office boss Paula Vennells agreed to hand her CBE back with immediate effect after the fallout from the Horizon IT scandal.

In a statement on Tuesday, Vennells said: "I continue to support and focus on co-operating with the inquiry and expect to be giving evidence in the coming months. I have so far maintained my silence as I considered it inappropriate to comment publicly while the inquiry remains ongoing and before I have provided my oral evidence."

She concluded: "I am truly sorry for the devastation caused to the sub-postmasters and their families, whose lives were torn apart by being wrongly accused and wrongly prosecuted as a result of the Horizon system."

Read more:

• Paula Vennells to hand back CBE after Post Office drama fallout
• Real Mr Bates delivers verdict on Rishi Sunak response to Post Office scandal

Portrayed in the new ITV series, the scandal involved hundreds of subpostmasters and mistresses being wrongly accused of theft, fraud and false accounting by the Post Office following a defective IT system.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that the justice secretary is "looking at" plans to exonerate the victims of the Post Office scandal.

The real-life Alan Bates said of the news: "There's no reason these things can't be sorted quickly if enough pressure is brought to bear and it's the compensation of the original people that fought the court case that needs resolving now.

"It's been going on for almost 20 years for a number of these people and they've got to be able to get on with their lives."

Mr Bates vs The Post Office is available to watch on ITVX. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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