“The lawsuit, described by a leading lawyer as a test case [for comedians], relates to a show by Louise Beamont (stage name Reay). Hard Mode was billed as a ‘provocative show [that] explores censorship and surveillance’, though one critic described it as being ‘at its core … about a very recent and raw heartbreak’. Thomas Reay is also suing his wife for breach of privacy and data protection, is seeking £30,000 in damages plus legal costs and wants an injunction to prevent her publishing statements about him, she said.”