Reginald D Hunter: The Regal, Oxford (From The Oxford Times)

Reginald D Hunter: The Regal, Oxford

2:38pm Wednesday 28th July 2010 in

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has managed to build the following and reputation he has from doing TV panel shows. Watching him on stage, he seems like the last comedian on earth suited to them. Born and raised in Albany, Georgia, he has a carefully considered Southern drawl and gentle comedic style, which gives him more the demeanour of a kind friend than the rapier witted men and women who excel on Have I Got News For You. Maybe this is what marks him out as an individual with an audience of his own. He takes his time over his words, pausing a great deal and constantly referring to the audience for reassurance, not full of lightening ripostes like Jimmy Carr or Dylan Moran. These days, though, he’s a prominent member of the UK’s stand-up community as he warms up for his sixth Edinburgh festival in front of a sold-out Regal.

Hunter is not one for taking on topics in his set, with his material almost entirely anecdotal. In his hour he will tell stories about failed relationships, about his attempts to understand British culture and how his upbringing shaped him. He will occasionally touch on politics or the media, but he never rants and certainly doesn’t offer any particular agenda. His material is so pleasantly put across, in fact, that the punch lines never seem to come. This is because you find yourself laughing throughout his yarns rather than at the end of them, making the Regal ripple with chuckles throughout his set.

Given his slow, but steady rise to prominence, it seems unlikely Hunter will do a Michael McIntyre and be catapulted straight into the UK’s arenas. But when he’s next back on the road, he can book much bigger venues than the Regal with confidence. Any evening with him is one worth having.