dock10 TV Moment of the Year: Mr Bates vs the Post Office

The nation watched in horror as Jo Hamilton, the sub-postmistress of South Warmborough Post Office consults Horizon’s IT support for help with a £2,000 discrepancy in her accounts. Her relief at being given instructions to follow quickly turns to dismay as she presses the final button.

The amount of apparently missing money doubles in front of her eyes – and, in the ultimate “computer says no” moment, the formerly friendly voice on the end of the phone coldly tells her it is her responsibility to pay the sum. All the while, the Horizon computer unit whirs ominously in the background.

The series as a whole sparked national outrage, prompting emergency legislation to ensure that victims of the Horizon scandal were given long-overdue compensation and were finally exonerated.

But it was this scene in particular which brought home to many viewers the sheer injustice, fear and hardship inflicted on thousands of ordinary, innocent people across the country as a result of faulty IT equipment and the Post Office’s callous refusal to acknowledge it.