It all started with warm congratulations and wishes of merry Christmas.

Then the Santa hats came off.

Kezia Dugdale in her first go at quizzing Nicola Sturgeon got straight to the point. No long winded pre amble, no jibes designed to embarrass or unsettle her opponent. Just a straightforward question.

"There is an oil crisis, Scottish jobs are at risk, what is the Scottish Government going to do?"

Ms Sturgeon responded in kind and said what assistance was on offer for skills development and in calling on UK government to reduce financial burdens placed on the industry.

The main players may be new but we were in danger of slipping into the same old same old of Johann Lamont and Alex Salmond exchanges where she challenges him and he says it's all Westminster's fault.

But the tone is different, Ms Sturgeon again repeats here mantra of seeking consensus and there are no insults traded or barbed comments bandied about. It allows questions to be asked and answers to be given.

And in that Ms Dugdale was direct, the Scottish Government got it wrong on oil price projections, she said, would it set up an inquiry to understand why to get it right in the future? She asked.

Let's talk, replied Ms Sturgeon and find common ground to help the industry.

No-one sought to humiliate the other or played up to the back benches.

How things change in only a few weeks Mr Salmond, the target of five leaders or stand ins over seven years sat four rows behind Ms Sturgeon and the SNP front bench.

Ms Lamont was also four rows behind on the Labour benches.

Even further back, nine rows behind and in row four of the public gallery was Labour Scottish Leader Jim Murphy.

Not an MSP so the only seat at Holyrood he can take is with the public.

Until he finds a way in, Ms Dugdale will be asking the questions.

On the basis of her first performance, it may well be December, but the pantomime season could be over.