The 2005 extended version was released theatrically in the UK, U.S., Australia, and other countries and sold to TV around the world, notably to BBC 2 (as part of their prestigious "Storyville Classics" season, where it achieved one million viewers at 10pm on a Sunday night) and CBC in Canada.

McLibel features courtroom reconstructions of the trial directed by well-known UK film director Ken Loach, who gave his time for free.

It also features interviews with Eric Schlosser (author of the 2001 book Fast Food Nation), Morgan Spurlock (writer/director of the 2004 film Super Size Me), Keir Starmer (who provided free legal support to the McLibel defendants for many years), and Howard Lyman of Oprah/Mad Cow infamy.

[6] The Seattle Times said “An irresistible David and Goliath tale ... you can’t help but cheer along”, and The Sydney Morning Herald called it “An extraordinary example of independent filmmaking”.

The DVD version was released in 2005 and features more than six hours of extras, including a spoof McDonald's commentary track from comedian Rob Newman.