Hi, I have written a fictional diary covering events in the UK from a couple of decades ago. The writer is a purely fictional character, however he does come across various politicians and the odd celebrity of the time, which he records in his diary. It is a comedy and the situations and things that happen with these celebrities are clearly nonsense and obviously did not happen. However, does anyone know the legalities of writing in such a way. My gut feel it that it is fine, as if not, how would such comedy shows as spitting image etc be made. But any thoughts or advice would be appreciated. Or indeed any pointers to relevant areas of law.
Many thanks
Areas of interest
Defamation laws protect individuals from false statements that harm their reputation. If you make false and damaging statements about real people, even in a work of fiction, there is a risk of facing defamation claims. It's important to ensure that your portrayal of public figures is clearly fictional and not presented as factual.
I guess you would need to make it clear that the events were not real and are dramatised for comedic effect.
I have the same doubt. My novel is autobiographical and fantasy at the same time. It is based on events that happened in my life but were told in a fantasy way and mixed with events that did not happen. All names of characters based on real people were changed, but I am afraid somebody who knows me personally might recognise those characters, and I might have a legal issue.