Even if they are long gone (and worse, had their bonce dispatched), there are some historical figures you just can’t keep down. Mary, Queen Of Scots is one such icon, and beyond the high-profile Scottish Ballet production there is a further flurry of Festival events which are either a nod to or direct portrayal of Liz I’s cousin. After a glorious Fringe debut last year, Mary, Queen Of Rock! storms back to recommence her battle against music censorship during the Reformation. In similar vein, Knot Tied’s Mary: A Gig Theatre Show takes a poke at the misogyny of those times through spoken word and folk rock.

At a more leisurely pace is The World Of King James VI & I, an Art Festival exhibition all about Mary’s boy child who was the first to rule over Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland. Back at the Fringe, The Thistle And The Rose explores the letters which zipped to and fro between Mary and Elizabeth, while Regina Vagina is a raunchy musical comedy about that period. And at the Book Festival, Kate Anderson, Rosemary Goring & Jade Scott will discuss their books about the House Of Stuart, and the curious allure it retains to this day.

Mary, Queen Of Rock!, Underbelly Bristo Square, 31 July–24 August, 7.45pm; Mary: A Gig Theatre Show, Gilded Balloon Patter House, 14–21 August, 9pm; The World Of King James VI & I, National Galleries Scotland: Portrait, until 14 September; The Thistle And The Rose, The Space Surgeons’ Hall, 11–16 August, 7.30pm; Regina Vagina, PBH Free Fringe CC Blooms, 2–24 August, 5.30pm; Kate Anderson, Rosemary Goring & Jade Scott, Edinburgh Futures Institute, 20 August, 12.45pm.