Rounding off the first two weeks of the Paramount Brighton Comedy Festival, this event purported to bring together the best of the festival comedians.

The host, Jason Byrne, was certainly entitled to be called the best. Taking the stage around the supporting acts, he was the highlight of the evening.

His style of abusing the audience and, in particular, those members who were foolish enough to answer his questions, was masterly.

Running through his act was the theme of misogamy, never better illustrated than by the account of his wedding night.

Sadly the other acts palled in comparison, apart from the stand-out Andy Zaltman, looking and sounding like a bemused physics teacher with his dry delivery style.

He provided the political thrust to the evening and his demonstration of the right of a householder to defend himself from a burglar with a cricket bat was a sheer delight.