Maisie Trollette - the doyenne of the cabaret circuit and national treasure, was treated (if that's the right expression) to a Comedy Roast evening in aid of THT South. If you haven't see the concept on Comedy Central, or more recently, Channel Four, the format is that a member of the great and good sits serenely on a chair, whilst 'friends' take to the mic to tear strips from them - with hilarious consequences. And tonight was no exception, although all done with a lot of affection.

Sitting upon her throne (perhaps more of a chair to be fair, and one whipped from the Serviceair lounge at Heathrow by the look of it) balanced somewhat precariously on a podium at the front of the Charles Street cabaret stage, Maisie was treated (again, not sure about the syntax here) to the full velocity of a tongue lashing from Dave Lynn, Lola Lasagne and Miss Jason - all disarmingly seated breakfast-television-style on a sofa on the opposite side of the stage.

The evening was hosted by the marvellous Cassidy Connors who treated us to a few numbers and kept the evening swimming along.

Dave Lynn, first to the lecturn, delivered a relatively gentle collection of anecdotes and a unique insight into the fascinating world of cabaret past and present. Lola, chomping at the bit, then proceeded to roast the other roasters before setting her sights on Maisie in a monologue that brought the house down. Miss Jason concluded the roasting in her own self-deprecating style, lulling us all into a false sense of security before the barbs were fully felt. However sharp the stings, there was, nonetheless, a great deal of fondness for Maisie from everyone and, as always graceful as the target of a bit of banter, she certainly appeared genuinely touched by the attention and love in the room. Her chance to reciprocate became more of a group hug which left the audience with a warm glow, rather than the awkwardness that can come with the television version that masquerades as a thinly veiled opportunity for personal annihalation through fixed smiles.

A lovely evening all round and a big high-five to all involved, including Ruby Roo and Charles Street for staging the event. We look forward to future grillings - all in the name of charity, of course...