Golden oldie Nicholas, the man of the minute, is back with an hour of mirth
AT 92, Nicholas Parsons will be the Fringe’s oldest performer – but he is keen to stress his show will be far from old-fashioned. The veteran broadcaster, best known for hosting Radio 4 panel show Just A Minute and ITV gameshow Sale Of The Century, is returning to Edinburgh for his 15th year with Happy Hour. But he told the Scottish Mail on Sunday: ‘I may be 92 but there is nothing old-fashioned or genteel about what I do. If I didn’t keep up with the times and what is going on I would be finished. ‘People ask me if I am ever going to retire but I tell them that I will keep going until I can’t do it any more.’ Age can in fact work to his advantage: ‘I have been in the business a very long time so I know what works and what doesn’t. Comedy is a delicate balance and it takes experience to get confident in front of an audience, which is so important when delivering jokes and ad-libbing.
‘I don’t think about my age when I am on stage, I think about what I can do. I love walking out to face the audience and engaging with them.’
Although born in Lincolnshire, Parsons spent five years as an apprentice engineer in the Clyde shipyards. He helped clear rubble during the Clydebank Blitz and handed out tea to locals left homeless by the German bombing.
Nicholas Parson’s Happy Hour, at the Pleasance Courtyard’s Cabaret Bar, will feature different special guests, but his wife Annie is always in the audience to support him.
He said: ‘There is such a wonderful atmosphere in Edinburgh. Nothing beats it and it makes me keep coming back.’