But after a worry that the highlight of the second half might be the free pizzas arriving for the judges things suddenly got better with double act Mudfish – two distinctive teachers, one female soft and sensitive, the other male and militaristic. Their well synchornised routines contrasted comedically as they drilled their classes. It was clever, fast and funny and even if the ending was slightly predictable, with opposites inevitably attracting, it was very well thought out and constrcuted, giving them a well-deserved third place.
Next up were Burger And A Pint, who initially looked like a single act with a troublemaker in the audience until it turned out their 'heckler' was part of the act. This isn't too much of a spoiler as the heckler was swiftly up onstage – and providing the first big laugh of a set peppered with superior zingers, touching on areas including sexuality and race, but mainly focussing on fast-paced humour with a bit of youthful charm thrown in for good measure. They delighted both the audience and the judges and there was no argument about them being crowned winners, bagging £500 and a gig at the nearby Museum of Comedy.
The title of the show might be Sketch Off but this is basically an umbrella term for anything that isn't stand-up. Karismaaa was more of a character act than a sketch act. A glitzy, wiggy pyschic who never quite got round to doing her Tarot readings. What she was good at though was crowdwork, with some very enjoyable banter. She was an instant crowdpleaser, brimming over with confidence which is never a bad thing. It didn't feel original enough to justify a placing but it kept the second half standard high. Duo Eva and Hudson were another act with a quirky edge - in fact with their quickfire quirky characters and their tiny mice they very much leaned into the quirkiness theme. Big on orignality, not so big on laughs.
Final act Jonathan Oldfield, on the other hand, was bigger on laughs, smaller on originality. We've seen countless spoof crooners over the years, from Lenny Beige to Christian Jegard, who came second in the New Comedian final here last year. I'm not sure if Oldfield brought much that was new to this comic cabaret act conceit, but he was certainly committed to the role, striding arrogantly around the stage and kicking the mic stand over with carefree abandon. Going out on a song is always a good way to end a night and Oldfield's mock-middle of the road style was enough to land him second place.
Very much a game of two halves then. From nil-nil to a veritable goal bonanza, Which apart from anything else, is a nice reminder that with sketch comedy you never really know what you are going to get.
Picture of winners accepting prize from producer David Hardcastle by Steve Ullathorne
*the other judges were Tim Harding (Chortle), Gemma Leader (Above Your Nerve) comedian Amy Gledhill and Mark Boosey (British Comedy Guide).
