East London-born comedian Kojo will be returning to the Hackney Empire this week to film a DVD in front of a star-studded audience – and you can be there.

The comic, actor and radio presenter started his career at the Empire in Mare Street and has since appeared on MTV shows Young Gods Of Comedy and Kojo’s Comedy Fun House as well as at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and in Noel Clarke’s movie The Knot.

He is coming back on Friday and Saturday with his new show Live ’N’ Kicking.

It will be the 31-year-old’s first solo outing in five years after he took America by storm, landing his own comedy series on MTV Base and becoming a presenter on Choice FM.

While the main thrust of the night will, of course, be humorous, there is also a more serious point to it too.

Kojo, who grew up on Hackney’s Lea View House estate in Upper Clapton, looks at a range of topics including the capital’s dating scene, being raised in foster care, the likelihood of a black prime minister and the London riots.

He says: “I’m one of many urban voices that need to be heard, as the things politicians ignore are the things we’ve had to make jokes out of to stop us going crazy.”

Kojo previously sold out the Hackney Empire in 2006 and 2007, and this week’s show will be taped for his first live DVD recording, set to be released at the end of the year by Revolver Entertainment.

The shows start at 8pm. Tickets cost �15.50 to �25.

For more information or to book, go to www.hackneyempire.co.uk or call the box office on 020 8985 2424.