Not Private Eye
Encyclopedia
Not Private Eye was a one-off spoof of the British satirical magazine Private Eye.
, to celebrate his £55,000 libel victory over Private Eye caused by an accusation of attempted cash for peerages. It was printed using the facilities of the Daily Mirror, of which Maxwell was the owner.
Private Eye, meanwhile, was trying to sell a Christmas edition (at £1 rather than the then-usual 45p) in order to cover the costs of the libel case, estimated at £255,000. W H Smith
was refusing to stock it. During this time Peter Cook
led a "raid" on the Mirror offices which, according to Ian Hislop
, he began by sending a crate of whisky
to the people working on Not Private Eye, guessing that they would prefer not to be doing it. The group then successfully gained entry to Maxwell's office and, after making a certain amount of mischief at the Mirrors expense, were removed by security.
in a Nazi uniform talking to Adolf Hitler
. The speech bubble said "And if anyone objects, we say we were only doing it for a laugh".
Another example of such anti-Private Eye humour was included in the cartoon strips, one of which, entitled "Carlisle St, an everyday tale of libelling folk", featured caricatures of the Private Eye team making attacks against others as a means of making money.
The cover of Not Private Eye also featured an altered version of Private Eye mascot Gnitty, who was shown to be facing the wrong way (compared to his usual pose on the Private Eye cover) and was smiling.
Overview
The spoof of Private Eye was published in December 1986 by Robert MaxwellRobert Maxwell
Ian Robert Maxwell MC was a Czechoslovakian-born British media proprietor and former Member of Parliament , who rose from poverty to build an extensive publishing empire...
, to celebrate his £55,000 libel victory over Private Eye caused by an accusation of attempted cash for peerages. It was printed using the facilities of the Daily Mirror, of which Maxwell was the owner.
Private Eye, meanwhile, was trying to sell a Christmas edition (at £1 rather than the then-usual 45p) in order to cover the costs of the libel case, estimated at £255,000. W H Smith
W H Smith
WHSmith plc is a British retailer, headquartered in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. It is best known for its chain of high street, railway station, airport, hospital and motorway service station shops selling books, stationery, magazines, newspapers, and entertainment products...
was refusing to stock it. During this time Peter Cook
Peter Cook
Peter Edward Cook was an English satirist, writer and comedian. An extremely influential figure in modern British comedy, he is regarded as the leading light of the British satire boom of the 1960s. He has been described by Stephen Fry as "the funniest man who ever drew breath," although Cook's...
led a "raid" on the Mirror offices which, according to Ian Hislop
Ian Hislop
Ian David Hislop is a British journalist, satirist, comedian, writer, broadcaster and editor of the satirical magazine Private Eye...
, he began by sending a crate of whisky
Whisky
Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Different grains are used for different varieties, including barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and corn...
to the people working on Not Private Eye, guessing that they would prefer not to be doing it. The group then successfully gained entry to Maxwell's office and, after making a certain amount of mischief at the Mirrors expense, were removed by security.
Content
The spoof edition largely copied the style of Private Eye but attacked its editorial team, including a cover which portrayed the editor Richard IngramsRichard Ingrams
Richard Ingrams is an English journalist, a co-founder and second editor of the British satirical magazine Private Eye, and now editor of The Oldie magazine.-Career:...
in a Nazi uniform talking to Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
. The speech bubble said "And if anyone objects, we say we were only doing it for a laugh".
Another example of such anti-Private Eye humour was included in the cartoon strips, one of which, entitled "Carlisle St, an everyday tale of libelling folk", featured caricatures of the Private Eye team making attacks against others as a means of making money.
The cover of Not Private Eye also featured an altered version of Private Eye mascot Gnitty, who was shown to be facing the wrong way (compared to his usual pose on the Private Eye cover) and was smiling.