You knew the landscape had changed on the Post Office Inquiry when you saw hordes of cameras and journalists waiting outside the Aldwych building an hour before it was due to restart yesterday morning.

One cameraman, setting up a live broadcast, asked if this was the inquiry's first day, perhaps giving an insight into how much attention these proceedings have attracted (they have been going almost two years now).

Inside the building there was a blur of excited sub-postmasters being grabbed by people with mics for interviews, while reporters battled to get a seat in the press area.

No-one minded this sudden influx of activity – the journalists who had covered the inquiry before it was cool could feel smug and help guide newbies through the technicalities, while the sub-postmasters were relishing every moment.

You knew things had changed by the free biscuits on offer: cheap multipacks were now replaced by Twixes and Toffee Crisps. The power of the media.

Jo Hamilton, one of the victims featured in the ITV drama that changed everything, could barely move for people wanting a soundbite, to the point where she had to (very politely) turn one away – ‘I desperately need some lunch’, she told them, 50 minutes into the lunch break.

Stephen Bradshaw, the Post Office investigator giving evidence, had been due to appear last November when he would barely have merited a mention in the national media. Ironically, his appearance was postponed due to the Post Office failing to disclose evidence in time, and by now he was the lightning rod for the media storm, appearing in BBC live feeds and trending on social media. He is unlikely to be sending his bosses any Christmas cards this year.

The press pack waited outside for him for more than an hour until word spread that Bradshaw had slipped out through the back exit to the building.

The sub-postmasters who had stuck around didn’t seem to mind. The tide had turned and they were riding the wave. This scandal and their stories would never again lurk in the shadows.

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