A city daily depicted a mime artist as Lord Kitchener as part of an appeal for readers to take entertainers into their homes.
The Edinburgh Evening News published the unique take on the famous First World War poster, which has been spoofed on regional press titles’ front pages numerous times in the past.
The EEN decided to parody the recruitment call after a plea was launched for people in Edinburgh to take performers at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival into their homes this year due to concerns over “soaring rents”.
To illustrate the point, a picture of a mime artist from the newspaper’s archives was used instead of the former British Secretary of State for War on yesterday’s front page, pictured below.
Editor Euan McGrory told HTFP: “There is a real sense of anticipation in the city about the return of the Festivals this summer.
“The Fringe last year was fun, but a shadow of its pre-pandemic self with so many restrictions still in place. This year the Fringe is aiming to be much more like the inspired mayhem that millions have come to know and love.
“The Festivals are really important to Edinburgh; economically, to the exceptional quality of life here, and to the city’s identity.
“The shadow on the horizon is the growing affordable housing crisis which is impacting on life in the city in all kinds of ways. Incredibly, one recent survey found it was more expensive to rent a one-bedroom flat in Edinburgh than in London.
“A lot of the entertainers who come to Edinburgh don’t make much money, in fact lots of them lose money, effectively paying for the opportunity to be part of one of the world’s great cultural events and maybe the chance to catch the eye of TV talent spotters.
“With the city cracking down on AirBnBs, it is becoming harder than ever to stay affordably in Edinburgh in August. Hopefully the Fringe’s appeal to residents to put up a performer will help to keep the show on the road.”
Here is a selection of other Kitchener spoofs from regional newspapers that have been covered on HTFP.
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