The regulars
One thing we noticed when we examined this year's Fringe brochure was how many regulars weren't in it. There are certain people who seem like permanent fixtures at the Fringe, until one year they stop going, which is always a shock.
Boothby Graffoe hasn't performed at the Fringe for a few years, but was one of the busiest performers in Edinburgh every August. He told me he suddenly realised he hadn't had a summer holiday with his family, and so just stopped going to Edinburgh. His currently regular musical partner, the incredibly talented Nick Pynn, is also missing from this year's line-up, but a previous Boothby musician Antonio Forcione does have a show this year, which I will certainly be attending.
Last year, one of my favourite shows was Rich Hall's Hoedown, but the grumpy American comic, who, it seemed, we used to see on every street corner in Edinburgh, is also absent this year. And so is the brilliant animator and comedian Howard Read, who is currently in the middle of a national tour with his animated sidekick Little Howard.
One show that does seem destined to be around forever, as it doesn't depend on one performer, is Newsrevue, now in its 35th year in Edinburgh, again featuring the best of the year's satirical songs and sketches from the world's longest-running live comedy show at Canal Café Theatre in London.
A youngster in comparison with only his 21st consecutive Edinburgh appearance but still one of the most established and respected theatre producers on the Fringe, Guy Masterson once again brings a varied programme of seven shows, including Masterson's own adaptation of George Orwell's Animal Farm which he directs with a cast of 21 Georgian actors (with English surtitles) and his own solo performance in commemoration of the centenary of World War I, Anthem for A Doomed Youth.
Another show that comes back year after year but never fails to amuse and bring a tear to the eye is Puppet State Theatre's wonderful The Man Who Planted Trees. I've given it so many five-star reviews in the past that I've run out of things to say about it in a review, so this year I've bought a ticket so I can sit back and enjoy it. Even after many viewings, it still seems fresh and entertaining.