Raising laughs for Comic Aid

When the comedy brotherhood gets together to raise money it certainly pulls out all the stops. Last night's all-star Comic Aid benefit gathered up the cream of the entertainment establishment to support the Tsunami Appeal.

Lee Evans hurtled across London on a motorbike following his appearance in The Producers.

Black Books star Bill Bailey sauntered over from his home a mile away. Alistair McGowan and The League Of Gentlemen were also among over 30 performers in fine form.

This marathon of mirth was so big it needed five hosts: Jonathan Ross, Jack Dee, Graham Norton, Lily Savage and Julian Clary.

The result was a marvellously well-drilled show that ran like clockwork. Almost. The anarchic Johnny Vegas proved to be as unpredictably compelling as ever, berating fans and lurching into the auditorium to kiss an unsuspecting
female before Jessica Stevenson from Channel 4 sitcom Spaced dragged him into the wings.

Others were more relaxed, although an initially flustered Dee announced that he very nearly did not make it. His new car has an indecisive navigation device which says: "You could go right, you could go left. Or you could just chill out."

Ardal O'Hanlon has been revealing his choice of Desert Island Discs reading matter for nearly a decade, but the idea of "a big plastic inflatable book" is still as funny as ever. And Jimmy Carr's business-like one-liners fitted the bill perfectly. He recalled how he was once taunted with the threat "do you like hospital food?" and replied, "I'm with Bupa, it's delicious."

Eddie Izzard struggled to hit his surreal stride but redeemed himself when he asked why foxhunters had such feeble trumpets. Maybe if they had used bigger ones and played the theme from Tomorrow's World their pastime would not have been banned. Polished party pieces worked well. Dawn French revived her turn as a scarily buxom Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Bailey delivered his musical spoof after bemoaning the state of pop by declaring that "there is more evil in our charts than in an al Qaeda suggestion box".

An appearance from Ricky Gervais or Little Britain might have made the occasion more cutting edge, but the relentlessly gothic League Of Gentlemen flew the flag for dark comedy with a superbly creepy intrusion.

As the evening drew to a close the concern was whether Evans would make it through the snow.

Just as it looked as if a very slick event was about to be derailed by the British weather, he appeared amid a blizzard of gags.

This wiry little man may have already been on stage elsewhere all night, but he still oozed enough energy to light up W6. If Vegas was the loose cannon of the gig, Evans was undoubtedly the surefire hit.