Guilfest 2004 on a wet Saturday is not the ideal place for an MC. To be quite honest, a fair number of the crowd in the comedy tent were only there because Rolf Harris wasn't on yet, some more were just looking for somewhere to sit down and drink their beer, and a few were just some random kids that seem to sprout from the ground at such events.

Karl Spain burst into view and promptly dispelled any doubts about whether the comedy timing was right. A short, cheerful Irish chap, his first act to check the swearwords that the aforementioned kids know in order to safeguard himself. When the answer comes back "F***ing k***head!", he laughs and goes for it, unleashing a torrent of comedy including a wonderful tale about an American lady who wanted to buy the Irish flag "but in different colours", a nice line in taking the mickey out of himself ("I've been single for about three or four...stone...") and the joys of Irish living.

The one complaint I had was that given he started more than half an hour late we could have done with a bit less of him and a bit more of the comedians he was introducing, but he held my attention well, eventually relinquishing the stage after priming the audience to enjoy themselves.

In summation, entertaining, enjoyable and only very slightly excessive.