Stealing the show in style

Ricky Gervais and Eddie Izzard would probably have been flattered - their mimicable mannerisms provided the biggest laughs of the evening.

They shouldn't worry: organisers Kate Smurthwaite and Dave Mulholland aren't in the habit of encouraging comics to nick material from their comedy icons.

But as this benefit for Water Aid revealed, it's a rather nice idea. Those Gervais and Izzard skits came deftly executed thanks to Luke McQueen and Laura Mugridge - and it was an unexpected joy to hear Izzard's scuttling riff on supermarket queuing.

And never mind that some of Mulholland's own material fails to set the room alight - as US comedian George Carlin he was back on imaginative form.

Only Smurthwaite's wry and sharp-tongued Sandra Bernhard is a dud... well-observed but not particularly funny and certainly no way to round off a weird but strangely wonderful evening of doffing one's cap to the greats.

Comedy Covers Night
The Round Table Pub
St Martin's Court, WC2N 4AL