Harrow Arts Centre is playing host to some big names from TV, stand-up and radio this weekend. Stewart Lee is one of those taking part in the Edinburgh Bound Comedy Weekender, which runs from Friday until Sunday at the Travellers Studio.

Probably best known for his TV work with Richard Herring, namely Fist of Fun and, more recently, This Morning with Richard Not Judy, Stewart began his comedy career at Oxford University.

Upon moving to London he broke into the stand-up comedy circuit by winning Hackney Empire's New Act of the Year Award in 1990. His technique has since been described by one critic as 'artfully crafted...specialising in a sort of intellectual bafflement at the stupidity of the world around him'.

Writing for radio with Richard gave Stewart another string to his bow. Leonard Nimrod's Inexplicable World, broadcast on Radio 1, drew the public's attention to his dry, intelligent, cynical and sometimes downright nonsensical comedy style.

Four series of Lee and Herring's Fist of Fun on both radio and television followed, and TV ratings soared to 2.5 million by 1996. This high profile, coupled with the job of hosting the Festival of Fun at the Montreal Just for Laughs Comedy Festival, meant that Stewart had the chance to not only meet but work with many of his heroes. When asked about his influences, he suavely admits: 'A lot of them are people that we know now.'

One of them is Harry Hill, whose show Stewart was involved in writing last year, and even before that he was writing material for Radio Four's On The Hour programme, which helped launch Steve Coogan, Armando Ianucci and Chris Norris onto the comedy scene.

With his own material and stage persona, Stewart admits to being daring. 'There are times when it's best to leave some things to the imagination,' he says, hinting that he and Herring have thought up even more shocking material, even if they're discerning enough not to include it.

As it is, characters from their hit shows have included Peter the Stinking Welsh 32-year-old Virgin, The Girl Who Smelt of Spam, the Unusual Priest and Simon Quinlank, the man of hobbies ('very strange and obsessive ,, I know lots of people like him'). Stewart enjoys the reactions he can cause: 'There is a certain group of people who deliberately watch programmes like Fist of Fun to look for something to complain about.'

Lee and Herring's latest joint venture was a dig at daytime TV. In This Morning with Richard Not Judy, Stewart got to dress up as Judy Finnegan but insists that the show was actually targeting Richard: 'Madeley is an unintentionally hilarious character,' he says.

On his own, Stewart's been working hard on a film script, Saturated, which goes into production next year: 'I wanted to make an international movie, something which transcends genre pigeonholing,' he said of his off-putting attempts to sell it to Hollywood. 'I don't want it to be part of the 'next wave of Britsh comedy talent'.'

Nevertheless, he seems to be following the path mapped out by Britain's 'comedy talent' ,, like Ben Elton, Adrian Edmondson and Stephen Fry, he's got a novel coming out next year, The Shape of Rattlesnakes.

The Edinburgh Bound Comedy Weekender takes place at the Travellers Studio, Harrow Arts Centre, Uxbridge Road, Hatch End, from Friday, July 21 to Sunday, July 23. Tickets for all shows are £5 and can be obtained by calling the box office on 020 8428 0124. Performances begin at 8pm.

Stewart's appearance is on Saturday night. Friday's line-up is bearded eccentric Dan Antopolski, winner of the BBC New Comedy Award, and last-minute addition Garth Marenghi, who brings his unique journey into horror to the stage.

Sunday night's comics are The League Against Tedium, aka Simon Munnery, who worked with Stewart on confrontational cabaret Cluub Zarathustra in 1996, and Dave Gorman.