Giant games of Connect 4. witty five-minute sketches and jokes about the soaps.

Yes, it can only be the variety bag that is the latest Mek Mi Laugh comedy gig at Harrow Arts Centre this Saturday.

The over-18s night, renowned for its mixture of British and international stand-up comics, has been running for four-and-a-half years with great success.

Saturday's bill is bursting with five professional gagsters who have all graced this stage before.

"Come with an open mind," said organiser Carlton Thomas, 42. "Oh, and don't eat too much because you're guaranteed to laugh!"

Lead by headliner Felix Dexter, all the comics - Special P, Kwaku, Mr Cee and Lateef Lovejoy - will mull over the latest lifestyle trends and current affairs in their own unique 20-minute slots.

Carlton said: "It's usually about observational humour and there's a lot of improvisation and interaction because we do ask for audience participation.

"Sometimes the setup is like a little gameshow - simple stuff like a game of giant Connect 4 with two teams - to break up the night.

"You end up losing yourself in two and a half hours and just laugh all the way through."

The name of the company comes from the Jamaican patois way of saying, "Make me laugh", and reflects the night's roots: promoting - although not exclusively - black and Asian comics who may not be seen on the mainstream circuit.

And Mek Mi Laugh has thrown up several gems, from high profile black female comics to little-known Iranian jokesters.

It's all down to Carlton's simply quality assurance policy: "Comedy is comedy, and if you're funny, you're funny."

* Doors open 7pm for an 8pm start on Saturday, June 7. Tickets £11.50 from Harrow Arts Centre, Uxbridge Road, Hatch End, the box office on 020 8416 8989 or online at www.eggmeg.co.uk.