Mixed bag at Funny women awards

The talent search, now in its sixth year, was won by Canadian Katherine Ryan, whose dark remarks about her cancer treatment and sugary innocence made a striking combination.

From the outset, the standard was high. Musical pasticheur Pippa Evans opened in the guise of acidic C&W singer Loretta Maine, strumming a couple of murderously funny ballads.

The hit-rate continued with Irish comedian Grainne Maguire’s persuasively rendered riff about English birds wanting English birdseed when wintering in Africa. Duo Girl & Dean had chemistry and neat lines in a skit in which their revolutionary WI group mixed knitting with petrol bombs. Mancunian Rachel Fairburn felt like an Identikit northern club comic, yet the judges gave her a special mention.

After the break, another guitar-based performer, Rowena Haley, had a fetchingly twee studenty style, while the boyish Sarah Campbell’s engagingly whimsical persona hid a lack of material. The contrasting bleak misanthropy of Rachel Stubbings had much more impact and was enough to earn her a deserved runner-up place.

Elaine Malcolmson never recovered from a stumble, a tired gag about al Qaeda and a less-than-topical jibe at Heather Mills. It was left to breathless Sara Pascoe to inject energy at the close with a cocky-cum-quizzical delivery that resembled Russell Brand minus the libido.

Pascoe was a worthy fellow runner-up, but the real winner was the thoroughly entertained audience.

The Nivea Funny Women Awards Final
Comedy Store
Oxendon Street, SW1Y 4EE