Post Office drama finale seen by more than 10 million

Actor Toby Jones as postmaster Alan Bates

The ITV series Mr Bates v The Post Office has been seen by an average of 9.75m viewers in the first week of 2024, according to seven-day catch up figures.

The final episode was the most watched of the four-part series, with an audience of 10.32m.

This includes those watching on ITVX on the days before its ITV1 broadcast.

It makes it the most watched episode of TV drama since the final episode of BBC One's Happy Valley in 2023.

Mr Bates v The Post Office dramatised the story of a group of sub-postmasters falsely accused of stealing money from the Post Office.

Many were wrongly convicted. The reported losses were actually caused by faults in Horizon - the Post Office's computer accounting system.

Emergency laws

The drama has had an unprecedented impact, with the Post Office being criticised by politicians and across the media.

Hundreds of those wrongly convicted could have their names cleared this year, after emergency laws were announced to "swiftly exonerate and compensate victims".

The most watched show seen in 2024 so far remains the New Year's Eve Fireworks on BBC One, which were broadcast over the first ten minutes of the year and watched by 11.44m. The show began at one minute to midnight.

In the first week of the year, the first episode of series 13 of Vera on ITV was watched by 6.85m. The Call The Midwife 13th series opener was watched by 6.82m.

Episode one of Netflix drama Fool Me Once was watched by 6.34m, ahead of the FA Cup third round clash between Arsenal and Liverpool which had an audience of 6.02m.

The first episode of the second series of The Traitors was seen by 5.94m.