Brian MacKinnon (student)

Brian Lachlan MacKinnon (born 3 June 1963)^[1] is a Scottish impostor who gained notoriety by returning to his former school by posing as a teenager when he was 30 years old.^[2]

Early life

McKinnon was born in Glasgow to working class parents; his father was a lollipop man and his mother worked at a care home. He originally attended Bearsden Academy from 1974 to 1980,^[3] then went on to study medicine at University of Glasgow. He left after failing exams due to an illness.^[4] He then returned to Bearsden and found work as a janitor at a health club.^[5]

Imposture

Using the name Brandon Lee, McKinnon reenrolled at Bearsden Academy as a fifth year student in 1993, claiming to be a sixteen year old Canadian.^[2] He said that he moved to Scotland to live with his grandmother after his mother, an opera singer, died in a car crash.^[5]

MacKinnon became popular with his classmates.^[2] He portrayed Lieutenant Joe Cable in the school’s production of South Pacific.^[6] He earned five As in his Higher Grade examinations and was accepted at University of Dundee to study medicine.^[7]

McKinnon was exposed as a fraud by an anonymous phone call to education authorities and newspapers.^[2] He was consequently expelled from University of Dundee.^[7]

Media

McKinnon is the author of two autobiographies: the first, entitled Margin Walker, he published on the internet in the late 90s; the second, entitled Rhesus Negative was published by Austin Macauley Publishers in 2016.^[8]

In the late 90s, a movie based on MacKinnon’s life was in development. It was to be entitled Younger Than Springtime, starring and directed by Alan Cumming, but it never materialized.^[9]

A documentary entitled My Old School, directed by MacKinnon’s former classmate Jono McLeod, was released in 2022. MacKinnon agree to be interviewed for the documentary, but refused to appear on camera. Alan Cumming portrayed McKinnon, lip syncing his audio interview.^[10]

As of 2022, MacKinnon is reportedly developing a sitcom based on his life story.^[6]

References

1. MacKinnon, Brian (25 September 1995). "Exclusive: Brian MacKinnon was on holiday when the news broke about his extraordinary deception at Bearsden Academy". The Herald.
2. Brocklehurst, Steven (2 March 2022). "Brandon Lee: The model school pupil who was a 30-year-old imposter". BBC News.
3. Agnew, Megan (21 August 2022). "Too cool for school? No, he was a perfect pupil . . . but he was also 32". The Times.
4. Murray, Tom. "My Old School: The incredible story of how a 32-year-old man fooled teachers into believing he was a teenager". Independent.
5. Bond, Kimberley. "Brian MacKinnon was 31 when he pretended to be a pupil to fool his old school - but how?". MSN.
6. Lyons, Bev (20 August 2022). "I posed as a teen to go back to school even though I was 30 – now I want to turn my story into TV sitcom". Scottish Sun.
7. Arlidge, John (19 September 1995). "Bogus pupil set to lose place at university". Scottish Sun.
8. Didcock, Barry (20 August 2022). "A double life examined: the strange case of Brandon Lee comes to the big screen". The Herald.
9. Ferguson, Brian (24 January 2022). "Alan Cumming: 'It was worth waiting 25 years to play infamous Scottish schoolboy imposter'". The Scotsman.
10. Brooks, Libby (18 August 2022). "'A damaged person': Alan Cumming on playing the schoolboy who was actually 30". The Guardian.