The best TV crime dramas to binge watch right now - Rayo
The best crime dramas to watch for free such as Line of Duty, The Fall, Marcella, Deadwater Fell, Happy Valley, Trigger Point, Love & Death, ...
Mr Bates vs The Post Office
Arriving in early 2024, <anchor>Mr Bates vs The Post Office</anchor> is a four-part series based on the real-life story of postmaster Alan Bates, who led the campaign to expose what is considered the most widespread miscarriage of justice in British history. Toby Jones, Katherine Kelly, Will Mellor, and Julie Hesmondhalgh all appear.
Nearly 15 million people have watched Mr Bates vs. The Post Office
# Mr Bates vs. The Post Office is 2024's most-watched TV show so far

The series has reached 14.8 million views!

Author: Alex RossPublished 10th Jan 2024

It's one of the most-talked about TV shows in years, bringing to light the Post Office Scandal, so it's almost no surprise that ITV/STV drama Mr Bates vs. The Post Office has become 2024's most-watched TV show of 2024 so far.

## What is Mr Bates vs. The Post Office?

Starring Toby Jones as former Post Master Alan Bates, as well as Monica Dolan, Shaun Dooley, Will Mellor, and Julie Hesmondhalgh, the four-part drama started on New Year's Day, with three episodes following last week.

Highlighting the Post Office Scandal which saw around 3,500 operators accused of theft, fraud and false accounting, the drama tells the shocking story of how Horizon's IT system failed in the late 1990s.

## How many people have watched it?

9.2 million people have watched the opening episode of Mr Bates vs. the Post Office, making it ITV's best new drama for three years since the Pembrokeshire Murders in January 2021.

The number get even better, as all four episodes are the most watched programme on any channel so far this year. The series, including the documentary, has reached a huge 14.8 million people.

On ITVX/STV Player, the ITV Studios and Little Gem Media series has been streamed 12.3m times in just eight days.

Kevin Lygo, Managing Director, Media & Entertainment ITV said: “The unwavering success of Mr Bates vs. The Post Office demonstrates the undeniable power of TV, particularly public service broadcasting.

“Aside from it being a ratings hit, dramatising the story with such a high calibre of British actors has reignited the campaign for justice nearly 25 years on, for a group of ordinary people - and the entire nation is behind them.”

## How can I watch it?

All four episodes of Mr Bates vs. The Post Office are available to watch on ITVX and STV Player now.

The series is also set to be repeated on ITV/STV next week.

## Check out the best TV dramas to binge right now:

#### Red Eye (ITVX)

Starring Richard Armitage and Jing Lusi, ITV/STV's adrenaline-filled drama Red Eye is set on an overnight flight from London to Beijing and the corridors of power within Whitehall. Fans were quick to binge the six-part drama when it aired in April 2024.

#### Kin (BBC iPlayer)

Series one of Irish drama Kin landed on BBC iPlayer in 2023 and viewers have been hooked since! Starring Charlie Cox, Clare Dunne and Emmett J. Scanlan, the drama tells the story of a fictional Dublin family embroiled in gangland war and speaks to the enduring unbreakable bonds of blood and family. Series two is also now available on BBC iPlayer.

#### Vigil (BBC iPlayer)

It was the BBC's most-watched new drama of 2021, so you don't want to miss out on Vigil, starring Suranne Jones and Martin Compston. Series two was released in December 2023, with all episodes now available to binge.

#### Love & Death (ITVX and STV Player)

Starring Elizabeth Olsen and Jesse Plemons, Love & Death is a mini-series which follows the real-life story of the murder case surrounding Candy Montgomery, who killed her friend Betty Gore, following an affair with her husband Allan.

#### The Tourist (BBC iPlayer)

Viewers were hooked on BBC series The Tourist in early 2022, starring Northern Irish actor Jamie Dornan. Series two landed on New Year's Day in 2024, with all episode available to binge now.

#### Mr Bates vs The Post Office (ITVX and STV Player)

Arriving in early 2024, Mr Bates vs The Post Office is a four-part series based on the real-life story of postmaster Alan Bates, who led the campaign to expose what is considered the most widespread miscarriage of justice in British history. Toby Jones, Katherine Kelly, Will Mellor, and Julie Hesmondhalgh all appear.

#### After the Flood (ITVX and STV Player)

Landing on ITV/STV in the first few weeks of January 2024, After the Flood stars Peaky Blinders actress Sophie Rundle as PC Joanna Marshall. The six-part series follows Joanna leading an investigation after she finds an identified man dead in a lift in a underground car park after a devastating flood.

#### Trigger Point (ITVX and STV Player)

Vicky McClure plays the role of EXPO officer Lana Washington in high octane drama Trigger Point. All six episodes from series one are available to watch now, with series two also now out on ITVX and STV Player.

#### Blue Lights (BBC iPlayer)

Set and filmed in Northern Ireland, Blue Lights follows three rookie police officers working in Belfast. All episodes of series one are available to stream, as is series two which was released in April 2024.

#### The Long Shadow (ITVX and STV Player)

The Long Shadow follows the five-year manhunt for the serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, commonly referred to as The Yorkshire Ripper. The seven-part drama stars the likes of Katherine Kelly, Charley Webb, Mark Stobbart, Liz White and Toby Jones.

#### Inside Man (BBC iPlayer)

Starring David Tennant and Stanley Tucci, BBC drama Inside Man has left viewers on the edge of their seats with lots of twists and turns.

#### The Suspect (ITVX and STV Player)

Aidan Turner stars clinical psychologist Dr Joe O'Loughlin in ITV/STV drama The Suspect.

#### The Capture (BBC iPlayer)

After series one aired in 2019, the BBC released series two of hit drama The Capture in 2022, featuring Holliday Grainger, Ron Perlman and Lia Williams.

You can watch both series now on BBC iPlayer.

#### Karen Pirie (ITVX and STV Player)

Debuting in early September, drama Karen Pirie has been a massive hit with fans, as Karen and her team must overcome the judgement of her superiors and find the culprit in time.

#### Crossfire (BBC iPlayer)

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#### The Responder (BBC iPlayer)

Another new BBC crime drama for 2022 is Martin Freeman's The Responder. The drama follows Martin's character, a night-shift copper under stress in Liverpool, as he pairs up with the local rookie.

All five episodes are available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

#### Happy Valley (BBC iPlayer)

Now the third and final series has come to an end, you can watch series one-three on the BBC iPlayer now.

#### Manhunt: The Night Stalker (ITVX and STV Player)

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#### Time (BBC iPlayer)

Originally airing on the BBC in June 2021, fans were loving this drama featuring Sean Bean and Stephen Graham. In 2023, a second series landed, this time taking place in an all-female prison, starring Jodie Whittaker, Bella Ramsay, and Siobhan Finneran.

All episodes from both series are now available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

#### Marcella (ITVX and STV Player)

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#### The Fall (BBC iPlayer)

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#### Coma (Channel 5)

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#### Deadwater Fell (All4)

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#### The Bay (ITVX and STV Player)

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#### The Missing (BBC iPlayer)

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#### Red Eye (ITVX and STV Player)

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Following the uproar from the drama, one million people signed a petition to ask former Post Office boss Paula Vennells to hand back her CBE, which she was appointed in December 2018.

Paula, who stepped down from her role in 2019, has now handed back her CBE.

In a statement released on 9th January, she said: “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.

“I am, however, aware of the calls from subpostmasters and others to return my CBE. I have listened and I confirm that I return my CBE with immediate effect.

“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.”

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