With York's RailFest extravaganza in full steam, what better comic to kickstart the last show in this season's Other Side programme than a former British Rail fireman.

Ivan Steward claims to have shovelled coal on the footplate of the world famous Flying Scotsman.

Fortunately, unlike the historic loco - which experienced an engine glitch on its way to York on Friday - Steward arrived on time and did not have to be towed in from Doncaster.

Sure enough, Steward stoked last night's crowd up like a seasoned professional, despite a jittery, edgy style that produced a few nervy stutters and stumbles.

But the Londoner's genial nature shone through, especially when recalling his time as a station announcer at Kings Cross - "Trains all late today; lucky I caught the bus."

All in all, Ivan was far from terrible.

Headliner Simon Evans took the Lord Snooty snob stereotype, multiplied it by ten, stuffed it with caviar and sent it into a country estate to be ripped apart by wild dogs.

Decked out in a Harry Hill-style suite and a generously sized collar, Evans rifled through a set hellbent on offending the entire country.

Geordies, the homeless, maniac drivers and school-run mums in space wagons the size of Somerset were all savaged in his reactionary rants.

Confident, assured and swatting away booze-addled banshee hecklers with nonchalant ease, Evans whetted the appetite for great days ahead at the forthcoming York Comedy Festival.

So what have been the highlights in a stunning spring season at the City Screen?

Obvious stand-outs included the madcap musical japery of Duncan Oakley, the Tommy Cooper inspired buffoonery of Jim Tavare and a scintillating, measured performance from Roger Monkhouse. However, a clear winner amid a multitude of Sunday stand-ups was Anthony J Brown.

Dubbed the Leonard Cohen of comedy, Brown chillingly stroked and caressed his microphone, delivering an imperiously deadpan set dominated by eerie silence.

With a delivery as slow as an Arriva train, the award-winner poked fun at Doncaster's state-of-the-art Ceefax cafs and fondly recalled being booted out of Robot Wars for wrapping his Rottweiler in tin foil. Magnificent.

Meanwhile, compere Dan Atkinson's off-the-cuff observational humour and rampant enthusiasm for the comedy cause has managed to whip up even the most slovenly Sunday audience into a gentle round of applause and a mildly deflating whoop. Quality control has rarely dipped since February, so credit to Atkinson for securing week after week of top talent, making the Other Side Comedy Club a resounding success.

Updated: 09:57 Monday, May 31, 2004