is performance. "If they've got a better line than one I've written, then great," he says, "because the laugh is still in the room and the laughter makes the show." As the boom in live comedy continues, a talent for banter is increasingly crucial for a comic. Usually used as an introductory preamble ("What's your name? Where are you from?"), it's a way to warm a crowd in a cold room. It is also, however, an effective tool for reminding the crowd that they are watching something live and irreproducible. "As an audience member, I respond best to things I feel are happening just for me," says Riches. "I want to see that person's brain, right there and then, alive. If they get that, the audience feel like it's their show." Spontaneity is also important to Dolan -- "It's risky, but the payback is that it makes everything you do as a comedian present and immediate" -- though he also emphasises banter's combative nature. "[It's] a bit like a boxing match because both individuals have agreed to participate in what might be quite a bruising experience. There's an unspoken contract between the two parties. It's a constructive fight. What are your weapons? Basically, it's wit. It's a battle of wits. A colourful exchange that relies on the quick-wittedness and ingenuity of both parties. But obviously it should all end in a shake of the hand." Unprompted, both Riches and Dolan mention the sort of exchange where humour is replaced with