Long gone are the halcyon days of the variety show - three painful hours of Little & Large, The Crankies and Max Bygraves snatching laughs from Middle England and the Queen Mother.

Thankfully ITV has long since stopped dedicating hours of prime time Saturday telly to this turgid artform.

Yet the idea of mixing different styles of entertainment remains a good one, especially if the entertainment in question is tiptop. In this respect Medium Rare is a unique and highly satisfying proposition.

Hosting evenings of cabaret, comedy, film, magic, music and even opera in venues with good table service and fine dinner, their reputation for being champions of independent thinking and adventurous programming precedes them. The burlesque, wit and satire from performers such as Jimmy Carr and Sean Lock has been matched by on stage antics from the likes of The Asterix Experience and Gunter The German Porn Star.

Impeccably picked by hosts Mat Whitley and Milly Sanders, the next Medium Rare comes to what was once Raymond's Review Bar in the heart of Soho, before winging its way to one of this summer's hottest tickets, namely the Lovebox festival in Victoria Park on July 23rd and 24th. A rare treat indeed.