In June, it was announced that Alan Bates is to be knighted in the King’s Birthday Honours. The former sub-postmaster became a household name following his portrayal in a TV drama series which charted his campaign for justice for those affected by the British Post Office scandal. While Bates’s activism was undoubtedly tireless, the success of his campaign (albeit not yet fully realised) has been widely attributed to the dramatisation of the postmasters’ story. But why did this drama have such an impact? And are there lessons here for researchers?
Early in 2024, millions of UK viewers tuned into ITV’s Mr Bates vs The Post Office – a dramatised depiction of how faults in Horizon accounting software led to the wrongful prosecution of hundreds of sub-postmasters due to apparent shortfalls in their accounts. The mini-series chronicles the experiences of some of those people and the decades-long fight, spearheaded by Alan Bates, to clear their names.
What’s remarkable is that this was not the first time these events had come to public attention – the story had been reported in the media, and a group of sub-postmasters had won a High Court case against the Post Office. However, the TV dramatisation was a turning point. The series sparked widespread outcry and prompted the government to announce plans to compensate and exonerate victims, introduce new legislation and launch a criminal investigation into the Post Office. This drama made people care. It created change.
The power of drama
Of course, Mr Bates vs The Post Office is not the only dramatised (or entirely fictional) story to capture the public imagination and shine a spotlight on societal concerns. Even within the context of UK television, there are many examples. In the 1960s, the BBC play Cathy Come Home brought the reality of poverty and homelessness into the nation’s consciousness and prompted policy change. Or consider the Netflix series Black Mirror, with its tales of near-future dystopias, which has inspired audiences (including academics) to interrogate society’s relationship with social media and technology.
There is much to celebrate when such dramas create awareness and positive social change. However, at the same time, it might seem shocking that the Mr Bates dramatisation was necessary to achieve justice. As one headline asked, ‘Why did it fall to TV execs to fight for victims of the Post Office scandal?’ However, when we consider how storytelling works, perhaps it’s not so surprising.
How do stories make a difference?
One distinctive aspect of stories is their ability to transport audiences into other worlds. In the case of Mr Bates vs The Post Office, writer Gwyneth Hughes based her screenplay on actual people and events, but she also changed details and imagined some scenes. This means that the drama is not an exact replica of ‘real life’ but, like many good stories, it does plunge us into the lives of characters, allowing us to experience what they experience – which can make their world feel very real indeed. As viewers, we share in the characters’ horror when massive deficits suddenly appear in their computerised accounts. We flinch when stony-faced Post Office officials march into the characters’ homes and businesses, accusing them of criminal activity. We rankle when judges airily dismiss the characters’ protestations of innocence. We are being shown, not merely told what these people went through.
Equally striking about Mr Bates vs The Post Office is that its form is recognisable from many other stories. As Gwyneth Hughes notes, Alan Bates’s quest for justice already contains the kind of ‘desire line’ that also drives many Hollywood films. Alan Bates wants something, and he must fight to get it. The events are contemporary, but the story is archetypal. This is a tale of a righteous hero pitted against a powerful adversary, where the stakes are high – characters stand to lose their reputations, livelihoods and even their liberty. From ancient myths to modern movies, such stories take audiences on a journey that’s both deeply familiar and irresistibly compelling.
Using stories in research
When dramas like Mr Bates vs the Post Office generate empathy and captivate audiences they can make a difference in the world. But what does this mean for research? Can researchers – who might also want to push for social change, influence legislation and policy, or simply get people talking – learn from these popular stories? We think so. As we argue in our book, Fiction and Research, there are multiple ways that researchers can harness the power of stories and fictional forms (even if they might not reach the millions of viewers commanded by high-profile TV shows).
Stories – from fictionalised versions of real events to entirely invented fictional tales – have been used by many researchers wishing to capitalise on the potential of these stories to immerse, engage, entertain and ‘show’ rather than ‘tell’.
Social researchers have created fictional stories in comic form to make their research accessible and engaging. Some have produced fictional films based on their work. Others have written novels and short fiction to share findings and insights. Some researchers ask participants to invent their own stories, such as speculative or science fiction stories which imagine possible futures. And others draw on well-known fiction to talk about their research in new ways, for instance by invoking characters from familiar folk and fairy tales (which, after all, are perhaps some of the very first stories many of us are told).
Thinking about research through the lens of stories – and exploring dramatic and fictional forms – can bring opportunities. However, it’s not a panacea. Like any method or technique, it comes with its own challenges and potential problems. We aren’t suggesting that telling or using stories, or creating fiction, is right for all researchers or research questions. However, we do think that exploring the influence of stories in people’s lives can open up exciting and useful perspectives for researchers. And that stories – when they entertain, intrigue, or carry audiences into their imagined worlds – can also have meaningful, real-world impacts.
Becky Tipper is a freelance writer and researcher. Leah Gilman is Wellcome Trust Research Fellow in the Department of Sociological Studies at The University of Sheffield.
Fiction and Research by Becky Tipper and Leah Gilman is available on the Bristol University website. Order here for £14.99.
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