I don't know whether it was the magical powers of interval alcohol on the audience or the luck of the draw again, but the second half was definitely stronger. First up was the decidedly strange Lois Mills (Pictured by Steve Ullathorne), who started off weird and then removed her dress (she had something underneath...) and got weirder, screaming at the audience and doing a spot of interpretive movement while pining for Yorkshire. I thought it might divide the judges, but I was not alone in enjoying Mills' warped mind and she was declared the winner.

Mills was a tough act to follow, but duo Moon, also distinctive in their white overalls, had a go. The trouble was that their white overalls were the most distinctive things about them. They were clearly skilled performers but lacked that magic ingredient to make them stick out from the pack.

Male trio Bad Clowns similarly looked as if they had given a lot of thought to their appearance, pitching up in sporty shorts and vests. The joke was that they were attempting to break the world record for the most jokes. There was plenty of intentional comedy – and a hint of classic sketch combo Pappys – watching them fail miserably of course, but they missed out on a place as well as the record.

Birds came on in a rush but in a good way, with a sketch about a skydiver forgetting their parachute. Not an earthshakingly original idea but done with charm and wit. Similarly the punchline to their hotel checkout routine was visible a mile off, but they had the skill to get away with it. No prizes but clearly plenty of potential. 

And so the the final act, the male/female Agenda Benders. Anna Mann thought it was the best name of the night, I actually thought it was the worst. But lots of their jokes were among the best of the night. They certainly squeezed in a lot more gags than Bad Clowns. And if they hadn't had the irritating habit of clicking their fingers between each quip they may have had more. But they did more than enough to earn second place.