DamagesBy Steve ThompsonThe Bush Theatre, Shepherd's Bush, 2 June to 3 July 2004Amber Melville-Brown

It's all in the timing - comedy, that is.

And Steve Thompson's new play, 'Damages', just opened at London's Bush Theatre, could not be any better timed.

'Damages' 'examines the dilemmas facing a tabloid newspaper over a photograph of dubious provenance', we're told.

Sounds familiar?

Well, while this play was commissioned long before Piers Morgan's fall from his position as editor of The Daily Mirror, had he taken up the invitation to attend the press night performance last week, he might have felt a shiver of recognition of events that lost him his job.

And, according to some at least, which put lives in danger in the battlefields of Iraq.

While lives are not literally at risk in Thompson's play, jobs, relationships and reputations certainly are, with the characters dealing with the moral, editorial, legal and commercial dilemmas of whether to publish a photograph, sent to them anonymously, of a topless children's television presenter.

The play is set at the office of a red-top tabloid.

Tensions mount as the deadline for the first edition approaches.

Late copy is pouring in to be checked for grammar and style and there is still the issue of getting the contentious stories read for libel.

And what will the front- page splash be?

The play is a four-hander.

Howard is the revise editor, traditional and old fashioned, bow-tied, waistcoated and pedantic.

With red pen in hand (and red wine in the other) his job, he reminds the lawyer, is not just to correct typos, but is to be the guardian of style; John Bett captures this role superbly.

While his desk is centre stage, his plummy intonations, unflustered manner and air of gravitas are central to the play.

Mr Bett appears as much the father figure to his fellow actors as the reliable and respected Howard is to his colleagues.

By contrast, Bas is the young wannabe, an eager yet nervous newly appointed night editor, played by Paul Albertson in floppy fringe and flowery shirt.

He is disliked immensely by the deputy editor, played by the richly Scottish accented Phil McKee, because of the former's inability, in Lister's mind, to be able to make one courageous decision.

Lister is as deconstructed a caricature of old inky-fingered 'I did it the hard way' barking authority that you could want for.

But for all that, a caricature that is entirely credible.

Abigail is the night lawyer, a barrister of some ten years' call, dressed in the ubiquitous black trouser suit and white shirt, played by Amanda Drew.

A stuffed shirt in a starched shirt? Well yes, and perhaps a little too starchy in fact.

The only slight lack of credibility is in her air of superiority in ordering around the editors who, let's face it, while they may have asked for her legal advice, certainly don't want it.

To give away anything about the underlying currents and relationships within the play would not do justice to the various layers and sub- plots woven by Mr Thompson into this relatively short but intense and funny play.

Suffice to say that the breasts that are destined - or not - to grace the front page belong to a children's TV presenter.

And they are lying next to the Lycra-clad buttocks of an anonymous sunbathing man who, by their pertness, could not belong to her 60-year-old husband.

Who sent the picture? Why? Should it be published? What are the legal implications if it is? What are the legal and other implications if it is not? What about libel, invasion of privacy, malice, qualified privilege? What about the moral issues? What about the money?

The play is packed with legal and journalistic references and jargon.

And while no doubt Mr Thompson's knowledge of the inner machinations of a newspaper and the specialist world of libel comes from his research, it can't have hurt that his wife also happens to be a libel expert barrister at a specialist defamation set.

But before I elicit complaints from defamation counsel or writs from newspaper journalists and editors, this is a piece of fiction, although there is a strong flavour of truth about the play.

But the exact extent of its reality will only be known by experts in the field.

In that case, to whom will it appeal? A lawyer in the audience, particularly a libel lawyer, might find fault.

I was surprised, for example, when the night lawyer strolled casually into the office gone six o'clock and proceeded to chat away over old times, worse still, chat over old times over a glass of wine, before even looking at the pages she needed to legal.

Maybe journalists might take issue with other, specialist details.

In contrast will punters off the street, coming to see the play out of pure interest, fail to understand the legal and journalistic jargon?

On reflection, 'Damages' should appeal to them all.

It is timely, funny, well acted, well directed and well produced.

It is also entertaining and thought-provoking.

And most importantly, it is on at a small theatre, so get your tickets now.

Amber Melville-Brown is a specialist defamation solicitor at David Price Solicitors & Advocates and the Gazette's media law columnist