Libel (C5)

THERE was a serious point struggling to get out of this documentary about libel, which is defined in legal terms as "a published statement damaging to a person's reputation", but it took a long time getting there, namely that having your good name besmirched can earn you more in damages in court than losing a limb.

It hardly seems justice although there's no denying the entertainment value of a juicy libel case - provided you're not the newspaper that printed the slur. There's nothing like a spot of name-calling and hints of naughty goings-on to satisfy the public appetite for tittle-tattle about the rich and infamous.

Many's the libel case that has provided hours of harmless fun starring the likes of the Hamiltons, Jeffrey Archer, Elton John, Jonathan Aitken, Mohammed Al Fayed, Linford Christie and Gillian Taylforth. Former editor of The Sun, Kelvin MacKenzie, seemed the perfect person to present the programme, although we had rather too much of him and not enough of other people.

We did get a re-run of the hilarious reconstruction of ex-EastEnders' actress Taylforth's alleged sex act in a Range Rover on a slip road off the A1, as well as that home movie starring Gillian and a sausage. Her case demonstrated that going to court doesn't always work out the way you expect. No wonder she collapsed when the verdict was announced - and probably hasn't been able to eat bangers and mash since.

You can't always tell who you can rely on. Ted Francis, whose revelations about a false alibi led to Jeffrey Archer facing perjury charges, was understandably described as a "former friend" of the former Tory MP and would-be London Mayor.

MacKenzie also talked to Jonathan Aitken and John McVicar about their libel cases, and to author Rupert Allason "who, when he's not in the law courts, writes books". He's currently fighting his 19th action. Even if you win, warned MacKenzie, you can end up bankrupt through the legal proceedings.

It's all become a bit of a lottery since the 1980s when juries started awarding ludicrous amounts in damages. But it still pays better than losing your arms in an industrial accident.