Reginald D Hunter interview

Reginald D Hunter is embarking on a tour of the UK with his latest stand-up show, The Man Who Attempted To Do As Much As Such. The 45 date run follows a hugely successful 12 months for the comedian, a year which has seen him filming and performing around the world.

Hunter, who is originally from Georgia, has been living in the UK for just under two decades now. In that time he has become one of the UK's best-known performers thanks to his distinctive take on subjects including race and sexuality. His work can be brutally honest and is often considered to be controversial but it is always meticulously thought out. He has never been afraid to face challenging issues head on, even when the focus is on his own principles or beliefs.

Audiences and critics are certainly on board with his style of humour. The Telegraph notes: "In an age when comedians tend to hammer audiences with material and play the self-promotion game for all it's worth, he's a refreshing change. Stand-up comedy's coolest customer." Meanwhile The Independent observes that, as part of an evening with Hunter, "searing social commentary, Deep South wisdom and juicy punchlines are pretty much guaranteed." Meanwhile, The Times sums Reginald up as, "Poised, provocative, brilliantly funny."

Coming back to stand-up after a period abroad making the BBC Two TV series Reginald D Hunter's Songs Of The South, he is now relishing the chance to appear on the British stage once again. "I love stand-up," says the comic, the broad grin on his face confirming as much. "Every time something new works on stage, it's definitely a great high. It's really satisfying."

Reginald reckons that there is another positive aspect to performing stand-up. "It makes me smarter. I spend a lot of time alone in hotels and airports. When you're locked away, you do a lot of thinking and come back smarter."

The comedian loves to push the boundaries on stage. "I remember as a boy watching Richard Pryor and thinking, 'That's brilliant, but don't stop there. Go further!' Now I try to create the sort of stand-up show I'd like to see - and then take it further."

However, in the past when he has taken it further Reginald has sometimes been accused of courting controversy. But the comic dismisses the charge with his trademark easy charm. "I mostly work in front of over-privileged white people, and they're easily shocked by things they don't already believe - 'how dare he espouse that view!'

"I get a sense of contrived outrage from them. It's amazing how many people go out of their way to be offended by what you're saying. There is also a group of people who believe that misrepresenting what you say is a weapon of debate. I hate wilful misconstruction generally, but I'm even less of a fan of it when it's done to me. There are loads of people, too, who are intellectually vain and want to regurgitate what they've just read. It's not evil, but it's not for me. "

The comedian proceeds to reflect that, even though he still has his provocative moments, overall he has mellowed as the years have passed. "I'm not as ferociously angry as I was. I've now figured out the stuff that was making me angry. For example, political debate doesn't make me mad anymore because I've seen through it. 'That politician didn't do what he said he was going to do? He's surely the first politician in history to do that!'"

Reginald continues: "It's bad to be angry. Anger is very powerful, but it's toxic. It'll burn you out if you fly on it for too long. All your emotions are your children. If you leave them in the basement, eventually they're going to grow up and hate you."

Hunter has made very well-regarded appearances on TV shows such as QI, 8 Out Of 10 Cats, Would I Lie to You?, Live At The Apollo and Never Mind The Buzzcocks for many years now, but he has always proved especially popular as a guest on Have I Got News For You.

The comic, who has a very British grasp of irony, has a theory why HIGNFY audiences like him so much. "Because I don't say much on that show! People say to me, 'I know what you're doing on Have I Got News For You. I admire your technique. You sit there looking totally uninterested - and then you pounce! It's absolutely brilliant. I've never seen such a technique before on a panel show. It's unprecedented'."

Reginald closes by underlining that he has a particular affection for British audiences. "That's why I'm here," asserts the comedian. "Britain is both my real home and my comedy home. British audiences like being surprised comedically. The problem with Americans is that they just want you to get to the funny part.

"British people will come up to you afterwards and say, 'I wasn't sure about the punchline, but the bits before that were extraordinary'. There should be an organisation called the British Anoraks of Comedy. It's very nice to get that response. In my head, the person I'm writing my shows for is British. If you make it as a comedian in Britain, then you can branch out to the colonies!"

Reginald goes on to explore the further differences between the UK and the US. "In Britain, you can be rude about the Royal Family. But if you say anything which they deem unpatriotic in the US, they say, 'Get the hell out of here!' It's easy to step on that fuse-box. Patriotism is the last refuge to which the scoundrel clings."

The comic concludes that, "Unlike people in the US, Brits won't say, 'You're too deep' or 'You think too much'. I'm not a social outcast in Britain because I use words of more than five letters. That's one of the many things I love about Britain." And that is one of the many things we love about him!

Reginald D Hunter's "The Man Who Attempted To Do As Much As Such" is touring until 28th June. Click here for tickets