In anticipation of Doxbridge’s finest comedic gems, I looked forward to releasing a glorious glut of university pride. I could say that it was our vibrant comedic representatives who were the standout stars of the show. I could say that it was our mirthful offerings that most roused the audience to hysterics. I could say all this – but I’d have to transfer to Durham.

This is not to undervalue the talent of the Cambridge Footlights or the Oxford Revue. Every individual on stage last night delivered a solid and energetic performance. The general quality of the material across all three sets fell squarely in the ‘funny’ rather than the ‘unfunny’ camp, and this was married to a consistently high standard of acting. A few slips did little to detract from the overall professionalism of the show. What gave the Durham performers the edge over their Oxbridge counterparts, however, was their unity as a group. The Oxbridge comedians proved to be talented individuals; the Durham comedians formed a talented team. Their chemistry sparkled; their choreography was sharp; and their interaction was natural.

Those from the Other Place, who opened the show, proved themselves to be an impressive comedic force. Their sketches perhaps relied too often on such satirical sitting ducks as soap operas and pretentious thespians, but slick delivery made it a solid set overall. Stand-out sketches included an unconventional army recruitment presentation and a fire safety talk delivered by an uncharismatic firewoman. Unfortunately, a few skits were silly rather than funny and others ended on weak jokes, leaving the actors frozen in awkward silence.

After the Oxonians took their bow, a significant proportion of the audience confusedly attempted to leave the auditorium; luckily, most did not get very far before the curtain rose again for the Durham Revue. This was worth sticking around for: polished performances of witty material (ranging from a wonderfully awkward family Christmas to a hilariously cruel ballet teacher to a brief sly dig at Oxbridge) made their set the highlight of the night.

The Cambridge Footlights, in the second half of the show, continued the trend of excellent physical comedy, glorious accents, and strong acting. However, a few of their sketches had an unfortunate tendency to drag, earning them merely titters from a previously belly-laughing audience. Cambridge’s offering distinguished itself by mingling sketches with stand-up, and individuals such as Phil Wang (‘Love Doctor’) and Pierre Novellie deserve a mention, although the latter, opening the set, would have been better off without the distracting wad of notes clutched in his hand.

It's sometimes easy, given the deserved reputation of the Cambridge Footlights, to forget the comic talents of other universities. Last night, the Comedy Fest proved that to do so would be a mistake.