Hugh Grant Is Even More Lovable After Berating News of the World Editor

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And here we thought Hugh’s best stuff came in confessions of love.

The British actor, best known for his affable charm in romantic comedies like Notting Hill and Love, Actually, was one of the targets in the News of the World phone hacking scandal. He appeared on the BBC on Friday to explain how he managed to turn the tables.

After editor Paul McMullen admitted to hacking Grant’s phone, the actor arranged to meet him in a pub for a chat. During their conversation, Grant had his own recorder running and he transcribed their conversation and ran it in the New Statesman. That’s right, Hugh Grant hacked the hackers. (The New Statesman title makes pretty much the same joke, but they use a less polite, but also very British, phrase than we did.)

(MORE: Former News of the World Editor Arrested)

The above video is Grant’s recount of the incident on the BBC as well as another confrontation with the editor, Paul McMullen. And while we may have fallen in love with Grant for his bumbling charm in his movies, his skewering of the seemingly unscrupulous editor has really sealed the deal. That last line? Swoon. (via Mediaite)

Megan Gibson is a reporter at TIME. Find her on Twitter at @MeganJGibson. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.