

ShortList’s guest editor — and the most sued man in English legal history — Ian Hislop offers his top tips on how to leave a courthouse smiling.
“Firstly, you must be 100 per cent sure you’re correct.”
“Ensure your principal source/witness doesn’t bottle out the night before. During one case, we had a witness promise they’d support us but on the day, we got a call saying, ‘I’m afraid they’re not coming.’ Who was it? [Laughs] I’m not telling you.”
“Don’t lose your temper or make jokes. I do both of these — I can’t resist. One barrister described me as flippant and I said, ‘Have you heard yourself recently?’ It doesn’t go down well. The court and the judge hate it.”
“Finally, if you want to win in court, do not get me involved.”
Get exclusive shortlists, celebrity interviews and the best deals on the products you care about, straight to your inbox.

As Content Director of Shortlist, Marc likes nothing more than to compile endless lists of an evening by candlelight. He started out life as a movie writer for numerous (now defunct) magazines and soon found himself online - editing a gaggle of gadget sites, including TechRadar, Digital Camera World and Tom's Guide UK. At Shortlist you'll find him mostly writing about movies and tech, so no change there then.