Comedian is sued for £30,000 by her estranged husband

An award-winning comedian is being sued for £30,000 by her estranged husband after using material about their marriage in her Edinburgh Fringe stand-up show.

Louise Beamont, stage name Reay, has been accused by Thomas Reay of defamation in what one leading lawyer described as a test case of whether British judges ‘can take a joke’.

Ms Beaumont, who is also being sued for breach of privacy and data protection, faces being bankrupted if she loses and launched a gofundme page, which raised £5,000 in its first days, to defend against what she calls a threat to free speech. 

Louise Beamont, stage name Reay, (pictured in undated social media photos) has been accused by Thomas Reay of defamation in what one leading lawyer described as a test case of whether British judges ‘can take a joke’

Her show, Hard Mode, was billed as an immersive comedy about life in an ‘authoritarian regime’ but was described by one critic as being ‘at its core… about a very recent a raw heartbreak’. 

Mr Reay wants £30,000 worth of damages in addition to legal costs and an injunction preventing his former wife, who was named 2015 Alternative New Comedian of the Year, from mentioning him in the future. 

His lawyers allege that she aired ‘very serious and inflammatory allegations’ including the ‘entirely false suggestion that our client’s relationship with Ms Beaumont was an abusive one’. 

The comedian wrote on her gofundmepage, which is half way to its initial target of £10,000: ‘[My husband] has a lot more money than me and he says that I accused him of abusing me in my show. 

Her show, Hard Mode, (seen in a promotional poster) was billed as an immersive comedy about life in an ‘authoritarian regime’ but was described by one critic as being ‘at its core… about a very recent a raw heartbreak’

‘And so he’s suing me, which in my opinion is simply an attempt to silence me. As standup comedians, I believe it’s the very definition of our job to talk about our lives and social issues.

‘So this has become a free speech issue – and free speech means everything to me. As a Chinese speaker, I’ve spent many years in China and experienced the social impact when people do not have this freedom.

‘I’ve also spent many years making documentaries for the BBC with vulnerable people whose voices are rarely heard.

‘And, I cannot begin to tell you how difficult an experience it has been to have my Edinburgh show censored. I think therefore it’s really important for me to defend myself in this case.’

Mark Stephens, libel lawyer at Howard and Kennedy, told The Guardian British juries typically found in favour of defendants who had made a joke but this would be the first time such a case would go before a judge.

‘There’s a long history of British juries – before they were abolished [in defamation cases] – not finding in favour of claimants when it’s a joke,’ he said. 

‘This will be the first time [the issue comes] before a judge. It’s going to be a test of whether the British judiciary understands a joke – I mean that seriously.’

Taylor Hampton, who are acting for Thomas Reay, said in a statement: ‘This is not a “free speech issue”, and contrary to how Ms Beamont presents our client’s legal complaint on her fundraising page, there is no question of any censorship taking place. 

The comedian wrote on her gofundmepage, (pictured today) which is half way to its initial target of £10,000: ‘[My husband] has a lot more money than me and he says that I accused him of abusing me in my show’

‘For an extended period last summer, following their separation, Ms Beamont repeatedly performed a comedy show which identified our client verbally and in still and moving images, contained private information about him and his relationship with Ms Beamont, and made very serious and inflammatory allegations of wrongdoing against him. 

‘These allegations included the entirely false suggestion that our client’s relationship with Ms Beamont was an abusive one. At no stage was our client asked for his consent or given any chance to put his side of the story.

‘This was a highly personal attack on our client with no justification whatsoever.’