4. Ten comedians over 60

Edinburgh's often very focussed on the young and the new. But forget those whipper-snappers, complaining about the weight of turning 30, what about those with real experience of the world? Here's our round-up of just some of the over-60s hitting the festival. In ascending order of age:

1. Charmian Hughes, 60

An alternative comedian since the circuit's earliest days, the still eccentric stand-up hit 60 last month, which she says feels like 'an invisible age'. She adds: 'Realistically I know that ahead is the winding down of life, fast or slow, so questions of Who am I? What have I done? are resonant. Maybe I should be disappointed not being a rich or famous telly comedian, and my younger selves would equally question why I am not  a tantalisingly difficult cult novelist or a champion showjumper. The reality is that it is such a huge relief to have escaped the living death of my original family that everything else in life is a bonus.'

Cowgatehead, 15:30

See also: Now We Are Sixty, as comparatively newer act Maxine Jones tackles the same subject. Sabor, 16:00

2. Angus Deayton, 60

Yes, the one-time enfant terrible of British comedy turned the big 6-0 in January. He was in his early 20s when he first got noticed at the Fringe, as part of an Oxford Revue show that spawned Radio Active, now being revived at this year's festival, where he'll be appearing with original co-stars Michael Fenton Stevens, Helen Atkinson-Wood and Philip Pope.

Pleasance Courtyard, 16:20

3. Rod Hunter and Les Sinclair, 62

Well, that's their average age, given that the combined vintage of their three-hander with 48-year-old Raymond Mearns is 172. Their show, Two And A Half Old Men, is the fifth year the mature stand-ups have performed on the Fringe, and given their years, they say it's inevitable they will talk about 'physical decline, the iniquities of the pension industry and the price of mince'.

Scottish Comedy Festival @ The Beehive Inn, 14:40

4. Ivor Dembina, 65

Another veteran of the comedy circuit, Dembina – who started coming to the Fringe in 1991 and founded the Hampstead Comedy Club in North London in 1994 – brings his Old Jewish Jokes show back to the Fringe, mixing traditional gags with reflections on his life . He also has a work in progress show at the Stand 5 for the last couple of weeks, promoted with the tag: 'See him before he's dead.'

Laughing Horse @ Finnegan's Wake, 13:15

5. Norman Lovett, 69

He's still best remembered as the apparently senile face of Holly the computer in Red Dwarf – a role he played when he was just 41. Now he has the age to warrant the world-weariness… although his new show promises to include an unlikely topic: The Sugababes. Really. 'I love the original Sugababes,' he's said. 'I think their singles were great and I love Mutya's voice.' This from a man who supported The Clash in 1980

Heroes @ Dragonfly, 18:00 from 16th

6. Lynne Jassem, 70

The daughter one of the legendary Rockette dance troupe, New Yorker Jassem was a child performer on the Perry Como Show and in the resorts of the Catskill mountains in the 1950s. Her Edinburgh show, from Como To Homo, covers that time in what she promises will be 'a bumpy ride into the world of mortality and tap dancing'. All this and gender dysphoria too…

Sweet Grassmarket, 14:15

7. Richard Wilson, 81

Believe it. Richard Wilson recreates a classic episode of One Foot in the Grave, in which he plays all the characters. Not that much of a change, admittedly, for The Trial boldly,featured only Victor Meldrew and no one else, not even extras, when it aired on TV. Wilson's performance also includes a Q&A with the actor

Assembly Roxy, 17:30, from 16th

See also: Former Likely Lad Rodney Bewes, 78, talking about his career at Assembly Checkpoint (14:40)

8. Barry Cryer, 81

Sadly only two shows this year from a favourite not just of the Fringe, but of the entire comedy world. The gag-writing legend is again joined by Ronnie Golden to mix songs, patter and Barry's gag about being so uncertain how long he's got left on the planet that he doesn't even buy Green Bananas any more…

Gilded Ballon Teviot, 16:30 on August 22 and 18:00 on August 23

9. Lynne Ruth Miller, 82

While Barry's just working on stage for two hours this Fringe, the indefatigable Lynn Ruth Miller – 'the poster girl for growing old disgracefully' – is working up to three shows a day, not counting any guest spots. As well as her main stand-up show, This Is Your Future (details below), she has a daily storytelling cabaret show about her romantic life, I Love Men (C Nova, 18:20), and an 11-night run of a new double act with Canadian Larah Bross. Gran Slam is about a comedian and her future self, and written by comic Keir McAllister.

Just the Tonic at The Caves, 21:00, August 4 to 14; then Just the Tonic at The Community Project, 20:15, August 16 to 28.

10. Nicholas Parsons, 92

Ninety-fricking-two. Older than the Queen, and you don't see Her Maj braving the cobbles and hills of Edinburgh to watch Fringe comedy shows in grubby pub rooms. But Parsons is still going strong, with his Happy Hour showcase of the Best Of The Fest returning for yet another run.

Pleasance Courtyard, 17:10

• Ten shows from the sons and daughters of famous people.

Published: 21 Jul 2016