Comical talents

But having launched in 1986, it is the oldest, apart from the Perrier Award, and has seen countless great names putting their seven wittiest minutes up to scrutiny.

Alan Davies and Omid Djalili are just two who entered and did not even win. But as sardonic compere Arthur Smith chuckled: "They are still big figures in the industry. Unfortunately, it's the steel industry." This year's winner, 22-year-old Matt Kirshen, typifies the rise in professionalism.

Kirshen positively oozed confidence. There have been previous finalists who died, but everyone here completed their allotted seven minutes. There were a couple who should have been pulled off for borderline offensiveness, but even they ploughed on to the bitter end.

Yet some of the most promising acts had difficulties making the most of their slots. Slick American Brandi Boor made an instant impact with some light-footed breakdancing, but her verbals failed to match her physical humour. TV presenter Simon Amstell, who subverted his Channel 4 Popworld persona with some scabrous bitchery, was barely warming up when he had to stop.

Brownie points to Robin Cousins (not the skater multi-tasking) for topical satire, but he promptly lost them because the Bush gags were so weak.

Rhod Gilbert has already scooped the Leicester Comedy Festival prize this year and is undoubtedly destined for top billing. His perfectly polished quirky tales of growing up in a Welsh village suggest great potential. But on Saturday they just felt too well-honed, as if the pauses for laughter had been computer-calculated.

By contrast, Matt Kirshen had an easygoing manner and his material, though probably just as rigorously rehearsed, had a engagingly natural feel.

Kirshen was one of the few competitors who had to deal with the real test - well-lubricated audience interaction - but he passed with flying colours.

Much of his material is inspired by his impossibly youthful looks, but he clearly has the talent to generate winning material until he is old and grey.

A personal favourite was Buddy. At the moment he is still finding his voice and is a little too derivative of the grab-bag surrealism of Harry Hill, but there was more than a glimmer of greatness. He's already got an appealing look, a manic thrift-shop cross between a young Woody Allen and a distressed Hugh Grant, though his rather naff single name could do with a makeover.

There was a sense of allshallhave-prizes in the judging, which reflected overall consistency. Boor, Amstell, Buddy and spoof scrubber Nina the Cleaner were runners up, while too-real-tobeoriginal Lloydy the Illegal Street Trader was third (which perversely beats runner-up), Rhod Gilbert was second. The winner certainly shone though. Matt by name, glossy by nature.