The Footlights Smoker: a stalwart fixture on the ADC’s programme, a historic part of the Cambridge experience, and notoriously variable. The Footlights cast are the uncontested elite of the Cambridge comedy scene, yet this smoker, like many before it, oscillated manically between utter brilliance and the downright bizarre. The best moments of the show were fast paced, tremendously acted and met with a unified chorus of belly laughs from the audience. But these tumultuous occasions were too often followed by an overstrung sketch returning only strained laughter.

The most consistently well received sections were contemporary; refreshingly up to date material captured the zeitgeist of the student audience. A sketch acting out a conversation that had been Google translated from French demonstrated impeccably well written, intelligent comedy, and had the audience in hysterics. Similarly, Jamie Fraser slung Cantab references (freshers’ week and Sainsbury’s) towards an appreciative audience, followed by a hilarious showcasing of his ‘snapchat face’ – all to the delight of a hysterical audience.

The mix of stand up and sketches provided a much needed re-injection of casual charisma into a show that felt occasionally forced. The second stand up, Ben Pope, began promisingly with the cultural differences experienced on his recent trip to the US, but his casual hilarity dissolved when he fell into a quagmire of clichéd metaphors describing his Mother’s snoring.

The squirm factor was unfortunately evident in sketches that edged carelessly close to issues like cancer and bereavement; this culminated in an awkward silence as we watched Matilda Wnek grate the microphone across her teeth and pretend to retch.

The show regained its youthful energy, however, with sketches about video games, a gruesome parody of Deal or No Deal and a game of Dead or Alive which dropped quick fire celebrity quips covering Nelson Mandela to Nigella Lawson at machine gun speed.

However, it dulled into mediocrity again when the material reverted to dated comedy styles. A predictable collection of puns in a detective scenario chugged painfully, and a joke about a magical watch suffered from over-extension. The attempt at audience participation looked promising, but the ‘Footlights dating service’ became a cringe-worthy silence as the two participants proved unwilling.

In conclusion, this wasn’t Footlights at their best; the overstretched variety of inconsistent sketches left the show in disarray, slipping into outdated or predictable territory, whilst the only attempt at consistency saw an earlier sketch revisited with little value added. However, high calibre comedians like Fraser and Pope illuminated the weaker material with their charisma. When the material was good, it was utterly brilliant.