2023 Edinburgh Fringe
Stanley Brooks distributes fake Fringe magazine to promote his show
Whilst in the Pleasance Dome waiting in line for a show, British Comedy Guide was browsing the rack of free magazines on offer. In amongst the latest editions of veteran Fringe publications like Fest we spotted a title we hadn't seen before: Brooks.
The professional looking magazine, which is subtitled The Best Of The Fest, features comedian Stanley Brooks (played by Lewis Dunn) on the cover. Upon opening it, it soon became apparent that Brooks didn't just feature on the front... he was on pretty much every one of the publication's 20 pages.
Even those slow on the uptake will probably clock on by page 18 that this isn't perhaps a normal Fringe magazine: there's a six star review for the comedian on this page, one which labels his offering as "the single best show to ever be performed at the Edinburgh Fringe, and that includes all those shows about getting pissed and doing a play badly."
Anyway, top marks to Dunn for this inventive marketing ploy. Keep your eye out for a copy of Brooks - it looks like Lewis is surreptitiously dropping off a couple of copies in various venues around the city each day.
Stanley Brooks: I Can Make Me Rich - which was nominated for Best Debut Show at Leicester Comedy Festival - is at Just The Tonic at the Caves at 2pm until 27th August.
Update: We've now found an online copy of the magazine, allowing you to read it in full without having to hunt down a physical copy. View via Issuu