Mr Bates vs The Post Office: This is where Alan and his wife Suzanne Sercombe are now

When the first episode of ITV’s latest drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office aired on New Year’s Day, viewers claimed they felt sick after seeing the show. Based on true-life events, the series shares the story of thousands of Post Office workers whose lives were destroyed after they were accused of stealing and fraud— when it was actually a computer error causing inconsistencies in the Post Offices’ accounts.

Alan Bates, who the series centres around, took the Post Office to Court in 2019 and has been credited with getting justice for hundreds of victims with a £58million compensation pay out. So, in case you’re wondering where he and his wife Suzanne Sercombe are today, here’s all you need to know about their life after the High Court case:

So, where are the real-life Alan Bates and Suzanne Sercombe now?

A year ago in January 2023, Alan turned down an OBE for services to justice. “I do appreciate that there may well be people who believe that after the many years of my unpaid campaigning, which I led in order to expose the truth, I deserve some recognition for my work,” he said to the Honours Committee. “But I hope you can understand why it would be so inappropriate for me to accept any award at present, while so many of the victims continue to suffer so badly.”

Alan was also recognised in the 2023 Pride of Britain Awards and was named as the Special Recognition winner.”When it all began, I didn’t intend to take a leading role, but it naturally happened over time and when things needed to be done, I just got on with them,” Alan said.

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“From the very beginning I was absolutely prepared to stand my ground because I knew they were wrong in what they were saying, and I knew that I was right. I knew the system was not robust like they said it was. From the beginning my motivation was to expose the truth.”

Alan is now 68 and has technically retired but hasn’t stopped fighting for justice for victims of the Post Office scandal. “At 68, I would love to be able to take my foot off the pedal,” he said. “But I will stay involved until everyone from the original group who is entitled to compensation receives the full financial redress they’re eligible for. Once everyone’s received their money, I’ll feel I’ve done my bit.”

His wife Suzanne has also been vital throughout the ordeal: “Suzanne has, in lots and lots of ways, put her own life on hold and sacrificed huge amounts to this cause,” Julie Hesmondhalgh, who plays her in the drama told The Sun. “She’s stood by him every step of the way, 100% unquestioningly. She’s no walkover, not a little wifey at home by any stretch of the imagination…

“She’s an incredibly creative person; she has a lot to say about things. She has a very interesting life herself. And I feel like Alan has been so much the face of this campaign and the leader of it, that she has retreated into the shadows a little bit…Again, not her choice, that’s just happened. But she’s done that willingly because she absolutely loves and respects him and because she shares a sense of justice and right and wrong.”

And as ITV’s adaptation of the Post Office scandal aired, Alan said of the drama: “Over the years a lot of words have been written about how lives have been wrecked by an out of control government organisation, however they have never come close to expressing the true horrors that have been inflicted on people. I think this drama is the first time anything has come close to getting across the suffering many of the victims have had to cope with.”

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Featured image credit via ITV