Originally posted by oddoneout
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Recommended Television Programmes
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Originally posted by EnemyoftheStoat View Post
Having been familiarising myself with the scandal via the BBC4/Soundz pieces and the official website - expert witness statements etc - and blogs, I was half expecting this programme to be a bit "fluffy", but I found that no punches were pulled. Even knowing that it's only ever got to the stage of a public inquiry - "lessons will be learnt" and such tosh - and an actual police investigation (let alone prosecution of the real guilty parties) is unlikely, I still found parts 1 and 2 gripping. In fact I had to turn off part 2, so dark had it got, although I will finish it and watch the rest soon.
I'm resisting the urge to watch the remainder straightaway on ITV X.
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Originally posted by LMcD View Post
I'm resisting the urge to watch the remainder straightaway on ITV X.
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Originally posted by Serial_Apologist View Post
I find knowing the facts and what lies behind them quite enough for me - it's sad if the public (not of this forum, I am sure) need goading into a sense of injustice by having the plights dramatised depressing in the extreme.
There is also the aspect that visual presentation can be more effective than aural or written.
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Adam Crozier
Crozier was CEO of Royal Mail at a crucial period in the Post Office scandal when the Post Office was still part of Royal Mail, in which hundreds of sub-postmasters were falsely accused of, and prosecuted for, theft or false accounting. Prosecutions were conducted based on revenue shortfalls identified by the Post Office's Horizon computer system. These were erroneous and the result of bugs and errors in the system. Post Office officials knew about the bugs as early as 2002, but chose to continue with the prosecutions regardless​
Crozier left the Royal Mail in 2010 to become the chief executive of media group ITV plc.[17][18]
Crozier does not feature in the current ITV drama! I wonder why?
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Originally posted by burning dog View Post
Crozier does not feature in the current ITV drama! I wonder why?
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I see there is a documentary about the PO scandal to follow the last episode of the drama version, 10-45pm on ITV
Not sure I'll have the stamina to watch both(or be able to stay awake) but could be interesting to see how a factual approach differs from the drama one.
Nick Hilton seemed to want more drama and thinks viewers won't stick with the 4 episodes, but would be more likely to view the documentary(which apparently will use bits from the drama - a gimmick which I hate) as it's a single one hour challenge to concentration. I'm not so sure about that.
(I managed to read the greyed out version; rejecting cookies as is my habit, brings up the clearer version but also all the gross ads.)
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Originally posted by oddoneout View PostNick Hilton seemed to want more drama and thinks viewers won't stick with the 4 episodes, but would be more likely to view the documentary(which apparently will use bits from the drama - a gimmick which I hate) as it's a single one hour challenge to concentration. I'm not so sure about that.
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Originally posted by EnemyoftheStoat View Post
Me neither. I suspect the general appetite for drama is greater than for documentaries, notwithstanding Mr Hilton's misgivings about "clanging dialogue" and "the focus on the story rather than the telling".
Caught up this lunchtime with the 1st episode of 'Truelove' on Channel 4, which, at least for me, passed the 'Do I want to see the next episode' test.
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Well I have just watched the documentary version of Mr Bates v the Post Office. What a tiresome waste of time would be my considered verdict. I admit that could be coloured somewhat by having seen the dramatised version, as there was nothing in the doc version that wasn't in the dramatised one, and seeing the real life people simply showed how very very good the casting for the drama was.
The documentary was done to the now seemingly standard method - silly noise effects and camera work, bursts of "music", and cuts to dramatised bits presented as factual. I imagine the Independent's TV critic Nick Hilton will have found it satisfactory - more drama and faster paced - but I think it failed on two counts. It wasn't a very good presentation of the salient facts and timeline and neither did it convey the sense of helplessness and mounting horror felt by the victims as their lives fell apart.
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Originally posted by oddoneout View PostWell I have just watched the documentary version of Mr Bates v the Post Office. What a tiresome waste of time would be my considered verdict. I admit that could be coloured somewhat by having seen the dramatised version, as there was nothing in the doc version that wasn't in the dramatised one, and seeing the real life people simply showed how very very good the casting for the drama was.
The documentary was done to the now seemingly standard method - silly noise effects and camera work, bursts of "music", and cuts to dramatised bits presented as factual. I imagine the Independent's TV critic Nick Hilton will have found it satisfactory - more drama and faster paced - but I think it failed on two counts. It wasn't a very good presentation of the salient facts and timeline and neither did it convey the sense of helplessness and mounting horror felt by the victims as their lives fell apart.
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Originally posted by LMcD View Post
Oh dear - I've recorded it, so I might well have a peek with my expectations well and truly screwed down. I think the drama was a valuable supplement to Nick Wallis's excellent programmes on Radio 4 and may well have brought the whole sorry saga to the attention of a wider audience.
My concern about the whole appalling mess is that Fujitsu continues to be a firmly favoured contractor for government IT projects(including an extension to the Horizon contract) , and also was involved in an expensive NHS IT contract wrangle. Will the Post Office affair ensure that there is sufficient scrutiny of such contracts and their delivery? The phrase "lessons will be learned" is often bandied about but how often is it ever accompanied by meaningful action?
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Originally posted by oddoneout View Post
Don't let my jaundiced view put you off - the things that annoyed me might not be such an issue for you, especially if you didn't watch the dramatisation. My expectations were too high! If it brings the matter to more people's attention then it will have served a valuable purpose.
My concern about the whole appalling mess is that Fujitsu continues to be a firmly favoured contractor for government IT projects(including an extension to the Horizon contract) , and also was involved in an expensive NHS IT contract wrangle. Will the Post Office affair ensure that there is sufficient scrutiny of such contracts and their delivery? The phrase "lessons will be learned" is often bandied about but how often is it ever accompanied by meaningful action?
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