REGINALD D Hunter, currently one of the country's hottest comedians, brings his tour to Dunfermline's Alhambra Theatre on Saturday night.

Originally from Georgia, Reginald left the States for London 13 years ago, planning to have an acting career.

He found his way into comedy by accident one night after an impromptu routine in a near-empty pub.

"There were only about eight people in the bar, as I recall.

"Things weren't going too great with me at the time and I went into a rant about stuff.

"People were p*****g themselves and said I should give stand-up a try," Reginald told the Press.

As an American from the Deep South, who has become immersed in British culture and events, he is much in demand for his unique, sideways take on our society.

He has become a regular on television in top-rated shows like 'Have I Got News For You', 'QI', 'Never Mind the Buzzcocks' and appeared recently on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross.

His unpredictable, straight-talking style lands him in controversy regularly and this tour is no different.

In fact, even the name of the tour has been censored.

"The name of the tour is 'Trophy Nigga' but they won't let me use that on the posters," he said.

"They say some of the venues wouldn't have it.

"It makes me more aggressive when I go on stage and it's a shame for the audience because I'm taking it out on the venue owners." A veteran of many Edinburgh Fringes, he said, "As you travel north in Britain people get more chilled and know what's important and what's not.

"It's in London where white, middle-class people are so uptight about using words like 'nigga'.

"It's 'No, no, we've got to protect the old people and children!' When we go to Edinburgh they're using the title so I don't know if that makes it a last bastion of liberty." His natural delivery may have benefited from his acting background but it belies a hard-working ethos in developing his act.

He spends his life on the look-out for new material with his ever-present notebook there to record observations and humorous remarks.

"I'm alway refining my act, adding to it.

"On tour you can become bored saying the same things every night so you try things.

"I write about 20 to 30 jokes a week but probably only two are any good. The rest will be s**t but you don't think that at the time.

There will be times when you think, 'That's great I can develop that', then you wake up in the morning, look at it and think, 'I must have been high'.

"My father said the great ones in any field make it look easy. In comedy there are about five people at the top, the best.

"There are also a lot who are not particularly good but it's the same in any business whether it's lawyers, joiners or whatever.

"I decided at the start that I would dedicate myself to this, not the business but the art.

"Some people come into comedy and the first thing they want is an agent. You think, 'Write a joke first!' "If you work on the craft the rest will look after itself.

"And when people come along to see you, they don't care about how you prepare for it, they just want to be entertained." After his show in Dunfermline, Reginald plans to find a bar to relax in and is always happy to carry on the debate.

"I always say make it intellectual don't come with any of that emotional stuff. This is grown-man's comedy. It's not that nice stuff about old ladies and cats." Reginald D Hunter appears at the Alhambra on Saturday night. Doors open at 7pm and tickets are £20.