The real scandal behind the ITV drama being filmed in North Wales

It is the story of subpostmasters who were wrongly accused, and in some cases imprisoned, of stealing money.

It took decades and an arduous legal battle to prove that the computer system, Horizon, installed by the Post Office, was faulty and they were innocent of any wrongdoing.

Julie Hesmondhalgh is seen outside the St David's Hospice. The charity shop has allowed ITV to recreate the post office in their shop. (Image: Glenda Tobin)

It was the conclusion of the campaign started by Craig-y-Don's Alan Bates; a campaign which eventually beat the Post Office

Filming for the new drama series Mr Bates vs the Post Office has been taking place in a number of places around Llandudno.

St David's Hospice on Queens Road, Craig-y-Don, being used as the main location - being recreated as the post office where Alan Bates was subpostmaster.

It has been returned to represent the wool and clothes shop, known as the Wool Post, and Post Office.

A banner is on show with the wording: "Justice For Post Office Victims".

Summarising the new TV drama, ITV said: "For over a decade, the Post Office wrongly accused, harassed, and prosecuted hundreds of innocent sub-postmasters for theft, fraud, and false accounting due to Horizon, a defective IT system.

"This is the real life story of their ten-year battle to prove their innocence culminating in a High Court trial, and paving the way for more than eighty wrongful convictions to be overturned."

DJ Peaks photography snapped this photo of Toby Jones outside the recreated Post Office [St David's Hospice charity outlet has been transformed into the Post Office]. (Image: David Peacock of DJ Peaks photography.)

Toby Jones (Captain America, The Detectorists, and The Hunger Games) is portraying Alan Bates in the show.

He has been seen in Llandudno along with co-star Julie Hesmondhalgh, best known for playing Hayley Cropper in Coronation Street.

Earlier this year, Kevin Hollinrake, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Business and Trade, made a statement before a debate on Horizon compensation.

He said: "The Horizon scandal was a truly appalling episode in this country’s history.

"Our postmasters—those hard-working, thoroughly decent people, who give so much to our communities right across the country—were made to suffer horrifically and for many years.

"We want the postmasters who fought to expose that injustice through the High Court to receive compensation on a similar basis to their peers.

"I put on record our thanks to Alan Bates and the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance, and to many others, journalists and parliamentarians, who were key to the campaign."

Gaerwen subpostmaster Noel Thomas was one of those wrongly imprisoned after allegedly stealing money.

He spent 13 weeks under lock and key in Kirkham Prison in Lancashire for a crime he did not commit.

He describes his time there as “difficult” especially when his family would visit and on their return home.

Noel Thomas.

He remembers meeting with Alan Bates in the early days of the campaign.

“One of them, Alan Bates, lived in Rhos-on-Sea in the county of Conwy and kept Craig-y-Don Post Office on the outskirts of Llandudno.

"They said he had taken money but Alan didn't pay them and he lost his post office of course. His background was in computers ... ”

Noel was invited to a meeting in Warwickshire in England, and it was the first time he had met around 30 other sub-postmasters who had also been accused.

"This goes back to 2010-2011 and it was over a cuppa that we chose Alan as chairman. Over the years we met in different places and more and more came to us.”

Filming is expected to continue in Snowdonia this week, with the drama due to be broadcast by ITV early next year.