Hit-and-run comic epic

When is a comedy gig not just a comedy gig? When it is last night's epic line-up of sketch and character comics raising cash for Comic Relief, raising their profile in front of invited TV bigwigs and also plugging a forthcoming play about Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, Come Again, which opens at the Venue in March.

Come Again's rising stars Tom Goodman-Hill and Kevin Bishop, who will be familiar to viewers of C4's series Spoons, compered the first section.

But not in role and minus a script they were easily upstaged, particularly by Katy Brand's raucous Charlotte Church impression and waspish Chris Neil's fruity readings from Jodie Marsh's autobiography.

The hit-and-run nature of the night worked in favour of the more accessible acts. Striking trio We Are Klang were instant hits with their mucky song about first love, while the likeably quirky Congress Of Oddities had to work harder due to their obscure concept - it is not every day you encounter a spoof music hall duo called Chlamydia and Calamine.

Superb second compere Robin Ince lifted the mood just as energies were flagging by bemoaning his advancing years. At 36 he recently found himself "laughing at a young person's trousers".

Highlights on his watch included Tom Meeten as paunchy Euro-crooner Franco Franco and John Hopkins and Gareth Tunley as bantering cowboys topping each other's acrobatic wordplay. Hopkins is undoubtedly a star-in-waiting.

Lizzie Roper and James Bachman also deserve commendations and Jimmy Carr, who hardly needs the publicity, had a good gag: "I went on Jeeves and asked 'Why is Google so much better?'"

After four hours, however, the audience's obvious fatigue proved that you can have too much of a good thing. There has never been much comedy at Ronnie Scott's, but last night's endurance test was enough to last a lifetime.

Pete And Dud - Come Again