By BBC News Online's Mark Davies

The sheer tension and excitement of London's mayoral campaign kicked off for real on Wednesday as people used a hustings meeting of candidates to catch up on paperwork, read the paper or take forty winks.

During what should have been Frank Dobson's first hustings session with his rivals for London mayor - those from other parties that is - Christian Democratic candidate Ram Gidoomal listed the qualities needed for the city's leader.

"Leadership...drive..inspiration...motivation," he told the audience in the old library at the Guildhall.

Precisely none of which were in much evidence during almost two hours of debate.

True, there was one glorious moment when we thought we had a heckler, but it was only somebody asking one of the candidates to speak up a little.

Indeed, Tory candidate Steve Norris will probably be relieved that he didn't make it to the meeting (stuck in traffic, we were told to ironic laughter).

And as for Ken Livingstone...well, perhaps those on the platform were just a little distracted wondering what his next step will be rather than stunning us all with their qualities of leadership, drive, motivation, inspiration......

But at least until we actually knew for sure that Mr Norris wasn't going to arrive there was something to look forward to.

Perhaps he would go for a grand entrance? Would he crash through the stained glass windows? Swagger down the ornate wooden stairs? Or swing through the air, Gladiator-like, from light to light?

Anything to lift the gloom which seemed to hang in the air.

Perhaps it was unfair to expect too much. The event had been organised by the London Voluntary Service Council, and those present had, understandably, precise concerns they wanted to hear addressed.

It was just that for the most part, only rarely did any of the candidates do that.

Backbiting, sniping, knives in the back; no, there was none of that either. Indeed, on the whole, it was all terribly polite.

There was, admittedly, a moment when Labour's Mr Dobson became irritated because Liberal Democrat Susan Kramer interrupted him, and there was a fairly entertaining spat about the future of London's tube service which saw the Labour man in a significant minority (about five) when he argued for a public-private approach to the problem.

But beyond that, with London Lord Mayors of the past looking down from the stained glass windows, this had none of the barnstorming, exciting, boisterous behaviour we might have hoped for.

Soon, indeed, we were on to a question about "sensible spatial planning", which at least one candidate managed to turn in to a debate about the tube.

Indeed, Mr Gidoomal ventured the quite astonishing concept that the mayoral race was becoming too politicised; no, never, you won't get Labour, the Lib Dems and the Tories getting mixed up in anything as unpleasant as that, Mr Gidoomal.

A man nearby took a nap with his head in his hands as we heard about "agents of regeneration". Another flicked through the Daily Mail as someone talked about "a Christmas cracker to achieve the triple bottom line", whatever that is.

Mr Dobson swapped London anecdotes with Ms Kramer. He was involved with a children's play area in his constituency, he said.

Ah yes, said Ms Kramer, I remember playing there as a child (and she might as well have added, "But you didn't because you grew up in Yorkshire.")

And towards the end, like a football crowd towards the end of a dull, goalless draw, the audience began to drift away.

By now, we were on to "bio-diversity strategy" and had to resist the temptation to chant: "We can see you sneaking out" to those departing.

Mr Gidoomal, meanwhile, talked about the "have-nots" in London: did he mean Ken Livingstone, we wondered?

But at least there was a moment of humour to lighten the load; told Mr Norris was stuck in traffic, the Green Party's Darren Johnson responded: "He wouldn't be stuck in traffic if I were mayor."

OK, so it's hardly inspirational, but that was as good as it got.