These make the somewhat risky business of the D-Day landings in Normandy seem like a traditional summer picnic stroll through the grounds of a country vicarage. The initial forensic assumption in Britain is that the allegedly defamatory words are false and that the plaintiff is of good reputation. Unlike the case in the U.S., the plaintiff does not have to prove actual damage. Unlike the U.S. as well, there is no discovery process to assist the defendant to obtain documentary evidence to bolster his case. Publication too need only be to a handful of people to give the plaintiff victory.
Jokes are especially perilous in British libel cases.
So did an actress after a Brit tabloid published a picture of her face superimposed on a topless woman. The fact that the article was clearly identified as a spoof proved to be no defense. Even innocent typographical errors do not protect. A local council caretaker at a block of apartments in North London won substantial damages because the human resources manager had written in a memo that the caretaker had been sacked because he could not get on with black caretaker colleagues. Hooper cites scores and scores of other examples.