As the Post Office scandal has dominated Parliament and the news media in the past week, there has been a particular refrain in the debate and commentary. 'Why did it take a tv drama to bring the biggest miscarriage of justice in British history to light?'
For more than two decades hundreds of sub-postmasters throughout the country have been deceived and manipulated, tormented and maligned with devastating consequences.
And despite tireless reporting and campaigning for a resolution, there was horrific inaction by those in the organisation itself, the authorities and the politicians.
It is shocking and, well, terrifying really, that it has taken this long to expose such a horrific and widespread malpractice.
But it does also show the power of television drama in bringing together a body of people engaged with the message in such a way that they were energised to say 'enough'. More than a million people signed a petition after the drama was aired.
The might of this public opinion has finally brought about meaningful decisions in Parliament.
Chris Mason, the BBC's political editor has said of the response to the screening: 'How extraordinary. The power of drama. The momentum it has generated, the public opinion it has shifted, the government it has galvanised.'
We know that the stories we read, hear or see in books, theatre, film or television do open our eyes. We are moved and changed as we empathise with characters in often complex situations.
Gwyneth Hughes who wrote 'Mr Bates vs the Post Office' says of drama: 'It's for reaching out across the stage or through the screen, grabbing you by the throat and saying: care about me. And when it works, it's incredibly powerful.
'In this case, it's been put to the service of this terrible event in our country's history. If you want to really get people's attention, tell them a story. And in this case, a true story.'
Looking forward, let's hope more hard-hitting, meaningful drama is commissioned, though also as a society we might become better equipped at dealing with righting and preventing wrongs, and not wait twenty years for them to be televised?
Thank you for reading.