Leeds comedian Ben Randm explains why the world is ready for the message behind his punchlines

Racism, gender identity and male suicide prevention are not topics you'd expect to come up in a comedy show.

But Ben Randm is no ordinary comedian; he's determined to use his platform to bring a deeper message to the masses, as well as promising a barrel of laughs.

The stand-up artist, presenter and all-round entertainer, real name Ben Brown, shunned the traditional comedy circuits, instead coming up through his own comedy nights in Leeds.

His raw style of comedy sees him lay out his life struggles, taking his audience through a journey of laughter and poignant reflection.

“I believe there are three elements to comedy," Ben told the Yorkshire Evening Post.

"You need to understand the science, the art and the magic. The science is the structuring, things that help the set like the rule of three and pacing. The art is the construction of the set. And the magic is being in the moment.

“I feel like a lot of comedians only have two of the three, but I really believe I have all three elements.”

Ben took his debut tour to Australia and has performed at the UK's biggest festivals, as well as presenting for platforms including the Premier League, MTV and Red Bull.

He wants to show aspiring comedians that there are more routes into the industry than performing short gigs across the country, taking their career into their own hands.

The 38-year-old said: “Breaking into comedy doesn’t have to be done in the traditional way - doing the circuits.

"It’s expensive, you don’t get paid as well and if you have a job it takes a real commitment to drive to places like Birmingham or Northampton to do a 10-15 minute set.

“I prefer to be on stage for a longer time, so I launched my own night S**ts and Giggles at the former Hearst's Yard, where I encouraged comedians to perform longer sets."

As the world feels the lasting effects of the pandemic, as well as being confronted by racial inequality in the wake of the death of George Floyd, Ben said there is a newfound appetite for his comedy-with-a-message.

The medium of comedy allows Ben to confront issues that often get avoided in conversations, hoping to subtly change people's points of view.

“It’s in the skill of the writing, because it is a comedy show," Ben added.

"You don’t want to lose people or mislead them; they’re coming to be entertained.

"It’s like a slalom - I’ll start with something really funny, then take them down a trip that’s deep, in the middle of the deepness there’s a joke that comes through to cut that tension, then it goes back to being funny.

“We’re in a world where political correctness puts added pressure on how we’re expected to respond to things. Stand-up comedy is a platform to say anything on stage. But if you’re going to say something, you need to understand the responsibility of what you’re saying - and be able to back it up.

“There’s a lot of research, facts and societal issues that I’ll go at. Because in that domain, everyone can understand it. The material itself will be really funny and highlight the ludicrousness of certain situations.”

Ben has been back on the road this month, performing a revised version of his sold-out debut tour Tales of the Universe at Duke Studios and Brudenell Social Club in Leeds - and he'll perform an extra show at Duke Studios on November 9.

It was "bizarre" to be back on stage, but the last 18 months has allowed Ben to reflect on his message, adding new material that he believes the world is now ready to hear.

He kept busy over lockdowns creating a comedy film, hosting Instagram talk show Loose Lips and preparing for a new tour which he'll premiere across the UK in February.

“It was like hibernating," Ben said.

"The show I’d written was already touching on elements of topi