He's often seen as a controversial figure in comedy but Reginald D Hunter says nothing could be further from the truth.

The American comic, known for tackling challenging and sensitive subjects, has found himself in hot water over the language he uses and the topics he discusses in his shows.

He was even accused of racism by former footballer and Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) chairman Clarke Carlisle after a performance at a PFA event in 2013.

However, Hunter says he does not see himself as a controversial comic.

He said: "How can a comedian be controversial? You already know he's going to be standing up there saying jokes, it's ain't like I go to parliament and say some s**t, it's a comedy club.

"The people who make money off me love the controversial label but I'm only controversial really to white people that don't feel agreed with.

"I mean controversial is like coming out and saying I think the way to stop climate change is to start beheading babies, if I'm saying some s**t like that then ok."

The comedian has also had his fair share of troubles on social media, famously getting into spats on Twitter and Facebook with people who complained about his show and style of comedy during his last tour.

He said: "There are some people who just want to flex and a lot of times people just want to appear to be smart.

"People think that they appear smarter if they seem to be derisive about something.

"I try to pace myself because when that happens I suffer from Obama disease, I think that if I can just reasonably explain people will understand."

Hunter, who is a regular panellist on Have I Got News For You and Mock The Week, is currently performing his new show, B****proof at the Edinburgh Fringe, which looks at, amongst other things, the experience of being hated.

He said: "I'm focusing on, in some respects, the experience of being hated and what an unusual experience that is. There are some people who genuinely know and understand what it's like to be hated. Sometimes people felt hated but they weren't and then some people get piled on, like on social media.

"I expect it to be funny and I don't say that in no bull***t way, I mean I've had shows that weren't so funny."

Hunter, who cites his influences as George Carlin, Richard Prior and Steven Wright, believes comedy is about more than just laughter and says he was hugely inspired by Ellen DeGeneres and Whoopi Goldberg.

The US comedian is a Fringe veteran and loves the festival's stripped back approach to comedy.

He said: "It's my alma matter, for years we referred to the Edinburgh festival as exams for clowns.

"I do a lot of tours now and, don't get me wrong, I like theatre and all that stuff but stand-up comedy was born in old basements with sticky floors and smoky rooms."

The American comedian also adores the Scottish audiences, who are always forthright with their opinions on his sets.

He said: "I find the further north I go the cooler the audiences are and the less likely they are to write a letter to somebody because of some s**t you said.

"In Scotland they can sit there and go 'I don't agree' and that's that. In London they be writing to the director of the BBC, they write to your manager, just say you don't like the joke, that's ok."

Hunter's success may mean he's playing bigger venues, but he says sound is a big factor when he's performing and he prefers the subtleties of smaller shows.

He said: "When I play a large venue, I lose some of my tools. When I'm doing a large venue I have to do my big jokes, I lose subtlety, facial expressions. In a comedy club when you've got people sitting all around you, it's a whole other dimension, you can react to their energy because it's like they're with you but when you're in front of a big crowd it's just you, a stage, your jokes and your craft. Your jokes have to be big enough for the venue so they have to have punchlines that basically are like 'tahdah!'"

The comedian, who is originally from Georgia, recently returned to his roots presenting Songs of the South, a BBC Two documentary series about Southern music and it's influence.

He is currently in talks to do a second series.

He said: "It was an uncomfortable return to the Deep South because I had kind of dissed it.

"It's one of those places where people ain't very happy if you're browner than them. I've been living in Britain so long, I'm not used to racism like that no more.

"Filming the show changed my view of the South because I realised that the same reasonable understanding I gave the places I visited, I had not given the place that I come from.

"I've lived in Britain and I've seen and read a lot of things I might otherwise not have had access to back home so when I go home I understand something that they don't, that American racism is an invention of capitalism.

"America has become a big capitalist corporation and so gender issues are up, racial issues are up and it's all business. There are whole industries that are just built on people having conflict and they need the conflict to continue."

No stranger to speaking his mind, Hunter recently caused a debate among Star Trek fans on Twitter after claiming he had proof that Kathryn Janeway, one of the franchises less popular commanders, was the show's best captain.

The comedian is a big fan of the US sci-fi series and says as a child it's life lessons really spoke to him.

"I remember watching it as a boy and I got it, it just made sense to me in a way a lot of other things hadn't made sense yet. Be nice to people, investigate things that are unusual and help other people whenever possible even if they are your enemy, that's what the original Star Trek said."

Reginald D Hunter will perform at the Pleasance Courtyard on August 5-11, 13-17, 19-23 and 25-30.