Once again, the revue talent is spread so thinly that three universities have to combine to provide one evening's entertainment (I use the word loosely). There were five performers from Durham, Cambridge Footlights contributed 14, and Oxford Revue 13 the programme wasn't very clear on that. At least there was a programme this year, though it gave no running order or cast details, and enclosed a substantial errata slip those guys are well on the way to success in academic publishing.

The foyer had a sold out' notice, so as well as that bevy of players there was a huge hyped-up, utterly uncritical audience, whooping and screeching throughout and just one Grumpy Old Woman (me) to regret the loss of satirical wit and its substitution by noise and fury and the interminable repetition of the same four-letter words.

The Durham contingent set the tone with an unremittingly noisy set, very fast, with some good company movement . They included a German sketch, like last year, but coarser. They also had several company songs, always a mistake except with thoroughly professional performers to get the words across. None of their items sticks in the memory, lost as they are in a welter of swearing and shouting. One of their more enthusiastic supporters immediately behind me may be partly responsible: my ears are still ringing from her approval.

Just as I was thinking that the microphone should be kept out of the hand of all aspiring revue actors, the Footlights appeared, offering somewhat more sophisticated material, with monologues and sketches that would have benefited from better projection. The references were definitely upmarket Newton, the 3rd Law of Thermodynamics, even the Trinity but the delivery was smudgy and laboured. Their best sketch was a parody on the endless plays about family skeletons crashing out of closets at parents' funerals: caviar to the general, though.

Oxford, last on stage, and home ground, had more resources but similar defects of voice and delivery. A driving-test sketch was jabbered, some of the quickies' were inconsequential, while two of the extended pieces were too long-drawn out. Hit of the show was Ballad of the Pushy Mummy by Rose Heiney. Real quality there. All the teams are off to the Edinburgh Fringe. I wonder what awaits them.