Why were self-proclaimed ‘superfans’ troubled by the Post Office inquiry?
People who have no connection with the Post Office have told the BBC how they became involved in watching the public inquiry into the Horizon IT scandal.
It almost became a box office must-watch – reaching over 20 million views on YouTube – largely helped by the ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office, which brought the scandal to the attention of the wider public.
It was the story of ordinary people going about their working lives who were victims of a faulty IT system, leading to disastrous consequences. Some were ruined financially, some went to jail. Some people died while waiting for justice.
The plight of the sub-postmasters impressed many, and some “superfans” keenly followed every step of the inquiry, both online and in person.
These “superfans” told the BBC what upset them and what they hope for now that the investigation is over 298 witnesses participated in the 225 day hearing,
‘My boss gave me time to go and see’
Anthony Abdul thinks he is one of the few “superfans” who has not watched the ITV drama. Instead, he heard about the scandal in the news and watched the investigation online at home and found it “deeply touching and insulting”.
“The more they got into it, the angrier I became,” says Anthony.
That’s when he decided to take part and took time off from work to go. Anthony, a freelance advertising copywriter, says he was “very lucky” that his boss let him take a total of nine days of paid vacation.
His coworkers were also supportive of his decision to participate and regularly asked him for updates.
“I think it reflects the widespread importance that people attach to the investigation and I can’t think of anything I’ve been interested in that has rallied the public in this way.”
During the investigation, Anthony posted on X and made friends online with others interested in the story. He says he’ll be interested to see if they want to remain “Twitter buddies” or whether we’ve reached the end of our journey.
And now that the questioning is over, he says: “Okay, I have to get back to work!”
‘It has inspired me to look at other miscarriages of justice’
Isabella Thomas, 19, took part in the inquiry for a week’s work experience in the summer.
“I feel truly humbled to be in the presence of so many incredible people, working to ensure that those who deserve it get justice,” says the second-year law and politics student.
scamIn which more than 900 sub-postmasters were prosecuted for theft due to incorrect information from the Horizon computer system, it has been called the most widespread failure of justice in Britain.
“This experience inspired me to such an extent that I chose a module called ‘Miscarriage of Justice’ for my degree this year.”
After attending the inquiry in June, she continued to watch it online.
She says she has been amazed by the bravery of the sub-postmasters themselves, many of whom have “lost homes, jobs, freedom and even lives to keep fighting for themselves and others”.
Isabella is now pursuing other inquiries regarding the injustice, but still thinks “the job is not done” when it comes to justice for the sub-postmasters.
‘I became obsessed. I heard it on the beach’
Carey, 63, first heard about the Post Office scandal on the news before watching the ITV drama.
“Once I realized Inquisition was available daily on YouTube, I was hooked! I was on holiday last February and I found myself sitting on the beach with earbuds in, listening to the personal accounts of sub-postmasters. “
She also listened to several of the Fujitsu engineers who were responsible for Horizon because she wanted to understand more about bugs and errors in the software.
“I became somewhat obsessed and went back to watching a lot of the videos, realizing things I had missed in the past,” says Carey, who is retired.
She tried to watch the inquiry daily and became a fan of Nick Wallis, a journalist who has been reporting on the scandal for years, even attending one of his tour days and reading his book Also bought.
She says former sub-postmaster and campaigner Sir Alan Bates and Joe Hamilton are two of her “investigation heroes”, as well as Jason Beer, the inquiry’s lead counsel.
Mr Beer has emerged as an unlikely cult hero due to his interrogation of key witnesses at the inquest.
“He was fantastic to watch,” says Carey.
She is now waiting to read the report by inquiry chairman Sir Win Williams, which is expected to be published next year.
“I’d like to see a lot of people prosecuted, although I doubt that will ever happen,” she says.
‘I weaved Paula Venales’
Abi Smith, 55, watched the inquiry online and said she became more drawn to it after hearing former Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells give evidence.
Ms. Vennells, who has not spoken publicly about Horizon for nearly a decade Interrogated for three days in May In the most anticipated appearance of the interrogator.
Abi, who works in education management, says she found it “quite bizarre” and “unbelievable” that a chief executive could claim “she didn’t know that much”.
She was so inspired by the events that she decided to knit a post box topper of Ms Vennells being interrogated by Mr Bear.
“I really wanted to make a statement,” she says.
Abi, whose grandfather and aunt worked for the post office, thinks the scandal affected so many people because “it’s always been a very trusted institution”.
She describes these events as a “tragedy of trust” and thinks it will take some time to inspire her to weave a scene of such impact.
‘I watched from Australia. Jason Bear is awesome’
As an expat living in Australia for the past 12 years, Paul Duckett initially watched Mr. Bates vs. The Post Office to “reconnect with his homeland”.
He says, “But I was also compelled by concern for the people among whom I lived my whole life.”
The 56-year-old serious psychologist and university lecturer started posting about the inquest hearing on his YouTube channel.
He is another member of the Jason Bear fan club. One of his videos, titled “What Makes Mr. Bear Great?”, currently has 80,000 views.
He says that Mr. Beer’s intelligence was amazing. “He was sharp, recognizing immediately when answers were vague or when witnesses presented fiction as fact. He used humor sparingly but effectively, often highlighting the absurdity of some explanations.
“If you asked Mr. Beers, I suspect he would attribute the success of the investigation to the team around him and, in doing so, he would demonstrate his greatness. This humility is one of his defining qualities.”
However, Paul, encouraged by the inquiry, is glad it is now over and hopes “meaningful action” will be taken.
‘I felt compelled to photograph some of the hearings’
Pe Kan Su first heard about the post office scam when his wife mentioned the ITV drama.
After watching online and seeing “the extraordinary complexity of the entire case”, he decided to attend the hearing in person a total of 29 times.
“It has been the most eye-opening but exhilarating experience,” he says.
Pe Kan is a litigation lawyer, although he is not currently practicing, and an artist. He always carries paper and pencils with him and attending his first inquest hearing was no exception. He began regularly photographing the room while listening to evidence.
“Drawing helps one to see. I have some paintings of inquest hearings, some of which I thought I should paint to express my thoughts about the witness and the lawyer.”
Pe Kan hopes the investigation will give lawyers “food for thought”.
He says, “I hope we never lose the moral clarity to stand up when we see the little guy getting beaten, and that the public will always support those who need it most.”
Additional reporting by Emma Simpson and Essilt Carr