Brian MacKinnon

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

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, then went on to study medicine at University of Glasgow. He left after failing exams due to an illness. He then returned to Bearsden and found work as a janitor at a health club.

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.

McKinnon was exposed as a fraud by an anonymous phone call to education authorities and newspapers.

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.

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