Posted in: Comics, Current News, TV | Tagged: Ian Hislop, private eye

Ian Hislop, Reportedly Shot At, In London On The Way To Private Eye

Ian Hislop was, reportedly, shot at in a London black cab, on the way to Private Eye magazine offices on Dean Street, Soho

It has been reported that Ian Hislop, editor of Private Eye, was shot at in a cab in Soho, London, on his way to work yesterday morning.

UPDATE: Private Eye has issued the following statement: "Ian Hislop wishes to thank everyone for their concern which is greatly appreciated. He can confirm that there was an incident in a taxi yesterday in which a rear window shattered, and the police are investigating. They were initially looking into the possibility of a shot having been fired but have now indicated that there may be another more innocent explanation for what happened. Their most recent press release is reproduced below. My thanks to them and again to all who contacted me."

POLICE STATEMENT:
Police continue to investigate the circumstances around an incident in Soho on Tuesday morning.
The driver of a London black taxi called police at around 10: l0hrs and reported that he was stationary in traffic in Dean Street when a shot was fired towards his vehicle, striking the window and damaging it.
There were no reported injuries.
An investigation was launched and police seized the vehicle.
Urgent CCTV and forensic examinations have been conducted. While enquiries are ongoing, police have found no evidence of a firearms discharge at this time. Initial indications suggest a mechanical fault might have caused the window to shatter. We await further tests.
Police have informed the driver and passenger.

And the Guardian, who initially broke the story, now reports "The Met said initial indications suggested a mechanical fault was a more likely explanation for why the taxi window shattered. They said detectives could find no evidence supporting the cab driver's belief that a gun had been fired."

Private Eye is the long-running satirical magazine frequently appearing in Bleeding Cool, which commissions more cartoons than any other publication in the UK. Ian Hislop is also one of the two regular and long-serving panellists in the long-running satirical BBC TV show Have I Got News For You, which was returning for its 68th series/season this Friday, with the recording set for Thursday. It is likely that Ian Hislop will be making satirical-but-pointed light of the situation in both media. The episode featured fellow regular panellist Paul Merton, guest host Kevin Bridges, and guest panellists journalist and Private Eye writer Helen Lewis and comedian Chloe Petts. The next issue of Private Eye is due to be published on the 9th of October.

Police are investigating a suspected gunshot that hit the back window of a taxi that he had come to a stop in traffic on Dean Street in Soho, London, just after 10am on Tuesday morning. The cab driver told police that he heard what he believed was a bullet hitting and damaging his window. Neither the driver nor Ian Hislop were injured. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan police initially stated that "police were called at 10.10am on Tuesday, 1 October to a report of a firearms discharge on Dean Street, Westminster. The driver of a London black taxi reported he was stationary in traffic when a shot was fired towards his vehicle, striking the window. There were no injuries. An investigation has been launched."

Ian Hislop has been editor of Private Eye since 1986, and on Have I Got News For You since 1990. In his role at Private Eye, he has the reputation of being the most sued man in Britain. He also wrote the stage plays The Wipers Times,  A Bunch of Amateurs, I Object,
Trial by Laughter and the recent Spike. He also wrote for Spitting Image, Murder Most Horrid, My Dad's The Prime Minister, Gush, and has presented a number of documentaries about British society. He is a regular guest on BBC's Question Time.

After the attacks on Charlie Hebdo's offices in Paris, the closest publication to Private Eye internationally, Ian Hislop said "I am appalled and shocked by this horrific attack – a murderous attack on free speech in the heart of Europe. I offer my condolences to the families and friends of those killed – the cartoonists, journalists and those who were trying to protect them. They paid a very high price for exercising their comic liberty. Very little seems funny today"  and at the time, security was stepped up for Private Eye's offices.

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