大象传媒

Just as quickly as papers rush to press with the latest celebrity sex scandal or expose, lawyers are scrambling to court to either try and stop the stories appearing, or to set the record straight when the damage is out there.

But just what goes on in the normally notoriously private world of a libel or privacy battle, and how easy is it to clear your name, restore your reputation or defend yourself against things that have been said?

Recent actions have seen everyone from the Beckhams to Max Mosley sue over things they did or didn't do, and legal costs and damages reach hundreds of thousands. But is the fight always worth it, and is it just the rich and famous with the money and means that get to do battle?

Through extraordinary and unprecedented access inside Britain's biggest law firms, we follow 12 very different cases as they unfold over the course of 2 years.

Charting the emotional and financial toll a libel action can bring to both sides, claimants and defendants, we follow high-profile figures and serial suers like Uri Geller, Danielle Lloyd and George Galloway as they take on papers and companies alike. We also see journalists and scientists fighting over important public health matters and championing libel reform, as well as very ordinary people risking everything when they feel someone's got their story very wrong.

In this episode, we follow Lembit Opik as he tries to take on the press after considering that his cheeky boy reputation may have cost him his seat in the last election; and Sheryl Gascoigne finally decides, after years of being told it was best to say nothing, that it is time to hit back.