The annual Teenage Cancer Trust fundraisers reach a turning point this week. The Who's Roger Daltrey, having stewarded them since 2000, is stepping down. But if last night's hugely entertaining comedy evening is any guide, this will be a punchy farewell party for the microphone-whirling frontman.
This latest laughter-fest was hosted by Kevin Bridges. The assured Glaswegian is the natural heir to Billy Connolly, an instinctive storyteller with a ruthless eye for detail. The besuited superstar is now 37 and acknowledged his transition from youth to proper adulthood with a fine running gag about domestic contentment between irreverent quips.
First up was mischief-loving prankster Joe Lycett, who broke the news that he is in love with a woman, "which has come as a great surprise to my boyfriend..." A jaunty set concluded with another unexpected revelation – an account of a prawn sandwich stand-off in Boots with TV's Robert Peston.
Joanne McNally is very much a rising star. The Irish comic is set to appear in the new series of Taskmaster on Channel 4 later this month but really needs to be seen in the flesh, where she is a veritable powerhouse. Vivid stories about sex, marriage and Brazilian women being far too attractive won her a swathe of new fans.
First half final act Rob Beckett explained how relocation from south-east London to the countryside has triggered seismic culture shock. He cannot get a decent takeaway and did not expect badgers. He has not spotted any foxes though, "They are all in Lewisham."
After the interval there was a moving account of the Trust's work. Since 2000 it has raised £32 million to go towards special care for young patients. And then it was back to the less serious business of stand-up and Paul Chowdhry delivering the most topical joke of the night with the suggestion that the Princess of Wales has a side hustle editing dating app pictures. (Joe Lycett had made a passing reference to the Princess too.)
Biggest hit of the gig was Seann Walsh. His riff about our dependence on phones might not have had a particularly original premise, but there were soon more layers to his highly relatable tale of misplacing his mobile than there are layers of chocolate in a Viennetta. The result was a veritable masterclass in comic exasperation.
If the evening had ended there it would have already been a classic TCT night but special guest John Bishop was the cherry on the comedy cake. The genial Liverpudlian's closing tale of travelling first class to Australia included a gloriously intimate description of Bishop enjoying an in-flight shower. A truly memorable image on a night that put the fun in fundraising.
Royal Albert Hall, Teenage Cancer Trust events run to March 24; teenagecancertrust.org
