COMEDIAN Tom Allen has found his comedy voice so he can do comedy which in his words ‘makes people feel less alone’.

He is not your usual storyteller who starts off with the famous words: “Once upon a time”, that is not really his style.

What Tom does is he starts off by is telling his audience he is gay (to make them aware straight away), then spins his stories all of which connect with his audience down to the smallest minutiae and then wraps it all up with a funny anecdote or a punchline.

There is a rhythm to his delivery, a style which is as sharp as his tongue and his suites, but he also has an eye for detail and a way of engaging you and bringing you into his comedy world.

Tom’s style of humour is winning over new fans and you can become one of them as he will be at the Tacchi-Morris Arts Centre in Taunton on Friday, October 6, with his show Absolutely.

A dapper style is certainly what Tom has with his dress sense as he always goes on stage wearing a suit.

He is fast becoming one of the most snappiest dressed comedian on the circuit.

Tom said: “I think only Jimmy Carr wears suits but his are a bit more expensive than mine.

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"I have to spruce myself up a bit but I like wearing a suit as it makes me feel more like a grown up.

"I am like an old fashioned comedian who likes to wear something formal in the evening.

I want to be armed (wearing a suit like a suit of armour) so I feel safe.

"The more flamboyant I am then people look at me and say he is different and if they call me weird then I will own it.”

As for becoming a comedian he started on this road when he was young as he was always obsessed by comedy.

He loved the Carry on films and his mum used to tape lots of shows and films like The Pink Panther, Spitting Image, One Foot in the Grave, Little and Large and French and Saunders.

Tom said: “I think it (becoming a comedian) was a desire to tell tales and I think I have found a way of channelling that through my comedy.

“You have to take it (comedy) seriously and you have to work hard.

"I do view it as an enjoyable job and I do the best I can for the people who have paid to come and see me.

"There is a joy to be able to see a room full of people laugh at your jokes.

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"If I am telling stories then they have to be done with a sense of honesty.

"You really learn more about what makes things funny and what works and what does not.

“There is a rhythm to it and the more I do the more I learn.”

One of the stories Tom tells is about leisure centres in the 1990s and how the inside of it was made to look like you were at the beach.

Speaking about this story, Tom said: “I am really proud of that routine.

“One of things to do with something like this is to take a leap.

"You tell the audience something which they can connect to even if it is little things (like the plastic water slide being blotted together and leaving a hard joint where it is connected) then it can be very rewarding.

“This all (comedy) makes people feel less alone.”

He does think the number of gay comedians (men and women) is growing in numbers, there are a lot more women doing comedy and he feels this is a good thing as it allows more people to tell their own stories.

Tom said:”Being a gay comedian I always see it as giving me great licence.

"I had a battle with coming out and a lot to celebrate.

"I knew it would never be plain sailing as some of the audience I was faced with in the early days were drunk and people who did not know who I was.

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"I had not been on television so they couldn’t say ‘oh it’s him off the television’.

“I had to explain myself and it felt like I was apologising for being me.

“What I did was to give them a stereo type to cling onto as they had not met a gay comedian.

“If I did not say I was gay then people would think we cannot accept him while I wanted everyone to have a good time.”

Tickets for Tom Allen: Absolutely at the Tacchi-Morris on October 6, cost £12.

These can be bought online at tacchi-morris.com or by calling the box office direct on 01823 4141441.