The Post Office Inquiry: What Captivated Its Dedicated ‘Superfans’

Individuals unrelated to the Post Office shared with the BBC their deep engagement with the public inquiry investigating the Horizon IT scandal. The inquiry garnered significant public interest, accumulating over 20 million views on YouTube, partly due to the ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office, which heightened awareness of the scandal. This narrative involved ordinary individuals whose professional lives were devastated by a defective IT system, leading to severe repercussions. Some faced financial ruin, others were incarcerated, and some passed away before receiving justice. The challenging circumstances of the sub-postmasters resonated with numerous people, prompting certain “superfans” to diligently track each phase of the inquiry, both digitally and physically. These dedicated followers explained to the BBC what captivated them and their aspirations now that the inquiry has concluded, following 225 days of proceedings featuring 298 witnesses. Anthony Abdool believes he is among the minority of “superfans” who did not watch the ITV drama. He learned about the scandal through news reports and subsequently followed the inquiry online from home, describing it as “profoundly moving and outrageous”. “The more they got into it, the more outraged I became,” Anthony stated. This led him to decide to attend in person, taking leave from his job. Anthony, a freelance advertising copywriter, expressed that he was “very lucky” his employer granted him a total of nine days as paid leave. His colleagues also supported his choice to attend and frequently requested updates from him. “I think that reflects the wider importance that people attach to the inquiry and I can’t think of anything I’ve been interested in that united the public in such a way,” he remarked. Anthony used X to post updates while at the inquiry and formed online friendships with others following the narrative. He mentioned his interest in seeing if they will remain “Twitter mates or if we’ve reached the end of our journey”. With the inquiry concluded, he commented: “Well, I’ll have to go back to work!” Isabella Thomas, aged 19, spent a week at the inquiry for work experience during the summer. The second-year law and politics student stated: “I was truly humbled to be in the presence of so many incredible people, working to ensure justice is served to those who so deserve it.” The scandal, involving the prosecution of over 900 sub-postmasters for theft due to erroneous data from the Horizon computer system, has been labeled the UK’s most extensive miscarriage of justice. “This experience inspired me to such an extent that I chose a module called ‘Miscarriages of Justice’ for my degree this year,” she explained. After attending the inquiry in June, she continued to follow it online. She expressed profound admiration for the courage of the sub-postmasters, many of whom have “lost homes, jobs, freedom and even lives, to keep fighting for themselves and others”. Isabella is currently monitoring other inquiries concerning injustices but maintains that “the job is far from complete” regarding achieving justice for the sub-postmasters. Carrie, 63, initially learned of the Post Office scandal through news reports prior to viewing the ITV drama. “Once I realised the inquiry was available daily on YouTube, I was off! I was on holiday last February and found myself listening to the personal accounts of sub-postmasters whilst sat on the beach with earbuds,” she recounted. She also paid close attention to many Fujitsu engineers, who were responsible for Horizon, seeking to gain a deeper understanding of the software’s defects and malfunctions. Carrie, who is retired, stated: “I became somewhat obsessed and backtracked to catch up with a lot of the videos I realised I’d missed from earlier in the inquiry.” She endeavored to watch the inquiry every day and developed an admiration for Nick Wallis, a journalist who has covered the scandal for years, even attending one of his tour events and purchasing his publication. She identified former sub-postmasters and campaigners Sir Alan Bates and Jo Hamilton as two of her “inquiry heroes,” alongside Jason Beer, the inquiry’s lead counsel. Mr. Beer gained recognition as an unexpected cult figure due to his rigorous questioning of crucial witnesses during the inquiry. “He was fantastic to watch,” Carrie commented. She now anticipates reading the report from inquiry chair Sir Wyn Williams, which is slated for publication next year. “I would dearly like to see a number of individuals prosecuted, though I doubt this will ever happen,” she stated. Abi Smith, 55, followed the inquiry online and noted that she became more engaged after listening to the testimony of former Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells. Ms. Vennells, who had remained publicly silent about Horizon for nearly a decade, underwent questioning for three days in May, marking the inquiry’s most highly anticipated appearance. Abi, employed in education management, described it as “quite bizarre” and “incredible” that a chief executive would assert “she didn’t know so much”. The events so profoundly moved her that she chose to knit a post box topper depicting Ms. Vennells being interrogated by Mr. Beer. “I just wanted to make a statement really,” she explained. Abi, whose grandfather and aunt were former Post Office employees, believes the scandal affected so many individuals because “it’s always been a very trusted institution”. She characterized the events as a “tragedy of trust” and anticipates it will be some time before another subject inspires her to create a knitted scene of comparable significance. Paul Duckett, an expatriate residing in Australia for the past 12 years, initially viewed Mr Bates vs The Post Office to “reconnect with my homeland”. “But I was also compelled by concern for the people I lived among for most of my life,” he stated. The 56-year-old critical psychologist and university lecturer began sharing content about the inquiry hearings on his YouTube channel. He is also a member of the Jason Beer fan club. One of his videos, titled “What makes Mr Beer magnificent?”, has presently accumulated 80,000 views. He noted Mr. Beer’s distinctive wit. “He was sharp, quick to spot when answers were evasive or when witnesses passed off fantasy as fact. He used humour sparingly but effectively, often exposing the absurdity of certain explanations.” He added, “If you asked Mr Beer, I suspect he’d attribute the inquiry’s success to the team around him and, in doing so, he’d demonstrate his own magnificence. That humility is one of his defining qualities.” Despite his fascination with the inquiry, Paul expressed relief at its conclusion and hopes that “meaningful action” will ensue. Pey Kan Su initially learned of the Post Office scandal when his wife brought up the ITV drama. Having watched online and observed “the extraordinary complexity of the whole thing,” he chose to attend the hearings in person, doing so a total of 29 times. “It has been the most eye-opening but uplifting experience,” he remarked. Pey Kan is a litigation solicitor, though not currently practicing, and an artist. He consistently carries papers and pencils, and his attendance at his first inquiry hearing was no different. He started regularly sketching the room while hearing the evidence. “Drawing helps one to see. I have a few paintings of the inquiry hearings, the few that I felt I must do a painting of in order to express my thoughts about the witness and counsel,” he explained. Pey Kan expressed his hope that the inquiry would provide lawyers with “food for thought”. “I hope we never lose the moral clarity to stand up when we see the little guy being beaten down, and that the public will always back those who need it most,” he concluded. Additional reporting was provided by Emma Simpson and Esyllt Carr. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding their approach to external linking is available.