Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical and current affairs magazine, edited by Ian Hislop.

Since its first publication in 1961, Private Eye has been a prominent critic and lampooner of public figures and entities that it deemed guilty of any of the sins of incompetence, inefficiency, corruption, pomposity or self-importance and it has become a self-styled “thorn in the side” of the British establishment. It has always received criticism from some quarters for its irreverent style and for its willingness to print stories that are controversial and allegedly defamatory. This was reflected in the past by the large number of libel lawsuits against it, a phenomenon for which it became notorious.

As Britain’s best-selling current affairs magazine such is its long-term popularity and impact that many recurring in-jokes from Private Eye have entered popular culture.

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