National Nitwit

(London) Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, authors of the 1982 work The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail , are suing Dan Brown, who wrote the 2003 bestseller The Da Vinci Code.

"The dude even went so far as to use the same characters - Jesus Christ, Mary Magdalene, they're all there," said Baigent. "And, to add insult to injury, they even have the main character thrown up on a cross like ours. Unbelievable."

If the writers succeed in securing an injunction to bar the use of their material, they could hold up the scheduled May 19 release of "The Da Vinci Code" film, starring Tom Hanks.

Baigent said that he and Leigh only want what they are due as copyright holders.

"Look - Brown even used a lot of the same settings, like churches, castles, and deserts," he said. "And the whole Eucharist bread and wine deal? That was totally ours, too. The man has no shame."

Among the most egeregious of the alleged plagiarisms, according to Baigent, was Brown's use of French kings and secret societies.

"We created those Merovingian kings, and all of a sudden Brown is throwing around the name 'Clovis,' like it was all his. Hello?!?!" Baigent asked rhetorically. "And me and Leigh spent a whole night dreaming up the catchy name for the Knights of Templar, only to see Brown pilfer it, the bloody wanker."