Earlier today, UK outlet The Guardian published its ranked list of the best UK video game magazines, an event which has caused a fair amount of activity online as disgruntled 40-somethings seek to furiously complain that their favourite childhood mag didn't get a higher placing.
However, one reaction to the list was especially interesting, as it connected us with a piece of UK journalism history of which we were previously unaware: Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker ringing up EDGE magazine to complain about one of his own cartoons.
As recalled by comic book scribe Kieron Gillen – himself an erstwhile games journo – Brooker did a series of these prank calls (known as "Charlie Brooker's Haranguing on the Telephone") to companies such as Virgin Interactive, Eidos, BMG and even the fast food restaurant McDonald's, but his 1998 phone conversation with the late, great EDGE editor Jason Brookes is the one that truly stands out.
Posing as a concerned parent, Brooker asks for an explanation as to why an advert had been printed in the magazine which shows a dog's head being blown off. In case you weren't aware, Brooker was involved with the high street swap shop CeX at the time and created their brilliantly funny print advertisements.
They featured a character named Toby who would indulge in all manner of naughty activities, ending each comic strip with a hearty endorsement of CeX's prices and retail locations. You can view the cartoon that Brooker was referring to below.
The call becomes increasingly absurd as Brookes attempts to stand his ground while Brooker attacks him and his publication (which, upon being told has a circulation of around 30,000 readers, brands "a parish magazine") and concludes with some rather spirited shouting on Brooker's part.
Brookes sadly passed away in 2019.
We'd highly recommend you listen to the whole set of these calls, especially if you fancy a chuckle on a Friday afternoon.