The beginnings of this theory date back to late last year, when I was able to acquire DVD copies of two live ELO performances, namely 1978’s Wembley Stadium show, promoting their double album Out of the Blue, and the 2001 show with a new ELO line-up, intended to be the kick-off for a national tour to promote the new album (which, however, was by and large a Lynne solo project) Zoom. With these discs as visual reference, I was able to become very familiar with Jeff Lynne’s visage, particularly with his most defining features: his frizzy, permed hair, his large aviator sunglasses, and his beard.

Some time later, I saw the film How To Kill Your Neighbor’s Dog,enjoyed it immensely, and recommend it wholeheartedly. During the whole viewing, however, something indescribable, yet inescapable troubled me. At the same time I was laughing at the movie’s boundless humor, there was something puzzling me about the film. It seemed to focus, I noticed, on leading man Kenneth Branagh’s appearance. I had seen him in films before, but this time, something in particular caught my attention. And then, still mid-film, it hit me like a bolt of lightning, a spark of divine inspiration.

"Eureka!" I cried. "You may think me mad, but I am almost positive that Jeff Lynne is merely Kenneth Branagh in disguise!"

Could it be? thought I. When one strips away the sunshades and enormous hair of rock’s most underappreciated geniuses, is one then confronted with the countenance of a respected film thespian? Indeed, seeing Branagh bearded, it is not difficult to picture in the mind’s eye a pair of aviators and a large afro wig transforming him into Lynne. Nevertheless, I had to find a way to be certain. But how?

It was then I hit upon the idea of using computer technology to try and confirm my suspicion. Using a top-secret, sophisticated, and very powerful graphics-manipulation program codenamed "MS Paint," I took a picture of Branagh, added--in lifelike detail and realism--glasses, poofy hair, and a beard to the image, and was validated but still completely shocked to the core to be confronted with the very figure of Jeff Lynne himself.

I repeated this process on multiple images and found a positive match every time. A gallery of the results of these experiments can be found below, followed by futher theories postulating on the nature of Branagh-Lynne's existence.

GRAPHIC EVIDENCE GALLERY

Here is an early test image that let me know I was on the right track:

Even on a younger black and white-photo of Branagh, the resemblence is unmistakable, with the simple addition of hair, glasses, a beard, and a fashion accessory:

When Branagh is bearded, the resemblence is even further brought to one's attention:

The unique smile that Lynne and Branagh share betrays the illusion:

Emboldened by the early results, I digitally altered this montage and found that Branaghs throughout history match identical to Lynne:

Not only does this image show the spiritual side of Branagh-Lynne, revealed to him by close friend George Harrison, but it requires very little manipulation to see that Branagh and Lynne are the same man.

The crown addition and color scheme of this picture made image manipulation tricky, but not impossible:

Could this be Branagh-Lynne's reaction to the commercial failure of his 2001 album, Zoom?

If you match this outfit with the one Lynne is wearing on the first picture in the "How I Uncovered The Secret" section, they are a close match:

A cover of Entertainment Weekly...as it should appear:

And just to be sure:

Now that we have proven that Branagh and Lynne are, in fact, the same person, we must ask ourselves certain questions about the nature of this deception.

How is this deception achieved? For starters, Branagh and Lynne never appear together in the same place. This is easy enough to achieve without arousing suspicion, as the two identities operate in seperate facets of the entertainment industry. It would seem logical that the face we have come to identify as "Kenneth Branagh" is the "default" face, while the "Jeff Lynne" face is the disguise, achieved with the addition of glasses, a wig, and a false beard (although, as seen in many of the above pictures, the beard is often a part of "Branagh" as well).

Which is the "real" person, Branagh or Lynne? Which identity is false? There are three schools of thought on this matter:

• Branagh is real and Lynne is the alter-ego: This is the conclusion one might arrive based on the assumption that Branagh's face is the default, and that Lynne's is achieved through disguise. Indeed, Lynne had been photographed without his famous sunglasses through much of the 70s, but it wasn't until 1979's Discovery album (the same year "Branagh" was accepted into the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts) that the sunshades became a permanent fixture, even in press photos.
  
• Lynne is real and Branagh is the alter-ego: Thus, Lynne began his career as a musician under his real name. He co-founded ELO circa 1970 with Roy Wood and took over the operation before creating the Branagh identity in the late 70s and becoming an actor via an alternate persona. He shaved his beard and trimmed his hair, and used a wig and false beard when he needed to become Lynne again.
  
• Branagh-Lynne is a split personality: This would make it difficult to determine who is "real" and who is the "alter-ego," as both personalities would think of themselves as real. Indeed, they may both be alter-egos of a mystery third "real" personality. There is, however, no evidence to think this is the case.

Why would Branagh-Lynne perpetrate such a hoax? Again, we must look at this from more than one possibility until we can ascertain more about the nature of the Branagh-Lynne connection:

• Branagh is real and Lynne is the alter-ego: As the "real" personality intending to go into acting, Branagh perhaps feared he would not be taken seriously on the stage if he had previously been a pop-rock musician. Thus, the identity of "Lynne" was created years before his acting career even started. This would explain why "Lynne" was a less prominent figure in the 80s, as he would be preoccupied with acting as Branagh. It also explains why Lynne did not push for his cancelled tour more, as he would be busy with acting projects. Thus, "Lynne" is more of a "side project" for Branagh.
  
• Lynne is real and Branagh is the alter-ego: Perhaps Lynne was worried that he had lost sight of his original goal with ELO: to mesh new music with classical influence. Worried that he had become too pop-oriented, he may have become "Branagh" as a way to mesh "new" and "old," but this time in acting. Indeed, after 1979's disco-flavored album, Lynne returned in 1981's Time (taking a long two year break to produce it...hmm...) with a more conceptual, less pop-y record. OR: perhaps Lynne had tired of the pressures inherent in being in the spotlight with ELO, and became "Branagh" as an escape.

One, of course, may not take this theory seriously. "Anyone," a critic may say, "digitally manipulated with such a look may appear identical to Jeff Lynne.

To disprove this, I took a random sampling of celebrities, and submitted their images to what I now call the "Jeffing-Up Process" of adding the components digitally. The results, as shown below, show that it is indeed Branagh's face that makes the Lynne, and not mere glasses and hair.

Even after Jeffing-Up, Tom Cruise does not match Lynne's face.

Jack Black, of Tenacious D fame. Talented? Yes. Hilarious? Yes. Jeff Lynne? No.

Using this scene from Twins, clearly neither Danny Devito nor Arnold Schwarzenegger match Lynne, no matter how much digital manipulation is applied.

The lovely Julia Roberts certainly looks nothing like Jeff Lynne, even with enhancements. How could you suggest such a thing by doubting my theory?

Jeff Lynne: Spider-Man? Definitely not.

Shrek, also, is a far cry from Lynne, and the comments on the "storybook" behind are just an insult to Branagh-Lynne if you liken them to him.

Need I go any further?

Thus, it is not simple digital manipulation that makes Kenneth Branagh into Jeff Lynne. It can only be that they are...the same person.

Proving that Kenneth Branagh and Jeff Lynne are one and the same is only scratching the surface, the tip of the iceberg. In addition to the above theories on the nature of Branagh-Lynne's existence, endless speculation is now open as to how the dual-identity factor has affected their work. Is Branagh's portrayal of Iago betraying his captain Othello a parallel to the way Lynne felt he had been betrayed when drummer Bev Bevan started his own "Electric Light Orchestra, Part 2" band? Is Lynne's moonlighting as Branagh the inspiration for the 1986 track "Secret Lives"? Does Emma Thompson have anything to do with the more introspective songs on the Zoom album? Only time will tell.