Tatiana Ostrakova

Jo Selby as Tatiana Ostrakova at the 2009 Funny Women final

Claudia Wass

Jo Selby's character of Russian comedian Tatiana Ostrakova, fresh from Jongleurs Minsk, was a highlight of the night. Her stern, clipped delivery and unsmiling demeanour make laughter seem forbidden, and so all the more likely as she unemotively recounts her lost-in-translation jokes.

Her glove puppet Mr Twinkles tries to teach us some stark home truths, too, but we are deemed unworthy of his wisdom. This is a distinctive character, skillfully performed with a real sense of comic purpose rare in someone so new to the circuit. More please.

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