The audience was treated to a wide range of sketches in this week's Smoker, with something for every humour. If there was a link between them, it was that they were generally absurd. There was a mix of familiar Footlights faces and comedy newbies, all of whom built up a good overall rapport with the audience; there were no weak links, no sketches that fell flat or failed to appeal to at least some people in the theatre. Pacing too was good in general, and a couple of particularly long sketches still kept our attention – a token to the strength of the performers' stage-presence – as well as being balanced out by shorter sketches running one-liners, such as the Guinness World Book of Records parade of unlikely candidates. (The world’s least ambidextrous man: a man with one arm).

Milo Edwards started the show with one of its surprisingly few stand-ups, about targeted advertising on Facebook, leading to discussion of the possibility of a “gay friendly orthodontist” club night. A number of themes recurred in sketches throughout the evening: several sets incorporated playing on lyrics, such as Shaggy’s defence in court, where the judge tried desperately to hear him say that “It wasn’t me”; a spontaneous shared rendition of Nikki Minaj at a urinal; and a glimpse into the current day job of Duncan from Blue.

There were quite a few storytelling-based sketches, such as a grown-up “Tiger Who Came to Tea”, and a drugged-up fairytale most effective in its twist – that he was telling the story in a classroom to prevent the police taking him away. Alex MacKeith’s Hollywood director telling the biographical film of the nun, Sister Goodenough, fizzed with energy. Master Greystone/Ben Pope’s increasingly curt Austen-like love letters, read with a lisp, were also particularly well received by the audience.

In the more physically-based comedy, the sketches' ordering was a slight obstacle, as several sketches incorporating intense physical ‘fits’ came relatively close to each other, meaning the later ones lacked the element of surprise. But Sam Grabiner’s repeated hysterics to get out of paying a library fine were particularly effective, as was James Bloor’s “worst public speaker” routine, which resulted in him stripping while playing with the seemingly never-ending string tried inside his clothing.

Other sketches that were particularly well-received included: a charming Vladimir Putin (Oliver Fraser) and his misleading homophobic translator, Jamie Armitage and smoker newcome Raph Wakefield involving in an ambitious worker’s implicated killing spree, and Sam Grabiner’s heartfelt confession and proposal to Georgia, a blow-up doll. The show may not have been mind-blowing, but a quick look around the theatre at its close revealed a definitely contented audience: another successful Smoker.