Quick jump to...
About Hal Cruttenden
Hal Cruttenden is an award winning, highly accomplished comedian, actor and writer at the top of his game.
Hal originally trained as an actor at the prestigious drama conservatoire The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and has appeared in numerous TV and films roles.
As a comedian he regularly performs on the BBC and Channel 4 on programmes including, The John Bishop Show, Live at the Apollo, Have I Got News For You, Great British Bake Off and Channel 4’s Comedy Gala, as well as a long list of Radio 4 and 5 shows, including two series of his own sitcom Hal, about a hapless house husband trying to cope with a mid-life crisis and doubting his every move.
Hal has also completed four nationwide tours in the last few years and plans to take a fifth tour on the road later this year.
Watch Hal Cruttenden: Straight Outta Cruttenden
Hal brings this character to life with repressed, middle-class insecurities and gags that speak intimately to our inner curmudgeon. This is a celebration of the neurotic, as he grumbles through everyday trivia, yet there is an undertow of serious thought about the nature of modern masculinity, emphasising his ineffectualness and undermining his authority at home: a disappointment to his wife, a wannabe action hero curiously overlooked by Hollywood and a standing joke to his teenage children, resulting in an intelligent, laugh-packed show.
Reviews and Awards
Edinburgh Best Newcomer Nominee
Perrier Awards 2002
‘Not your typical comedian…’
The Stage
An hour of comedy that can’t fail to delight
Metro
‘He’ll make you laugh…a lot’
Daily Mirror
Three Time Chortle Award Nominee
Chortle Awards
‘Believe me this is as good as it gets’
Channel 4
‘He had the audience eating out of his hands’
Chortle
‘Best solo stand-up show to date’
Daily Telegraph
Hal Cruttenden Tickets
There is plenty of opportunities to see Hal live throughout the UK and around the globe. Click here for his current gig listings.
Can’t wait to see him live? Stream his full show now
Short Clips
Biography
An entertainer was born on 9th September 1969.
English stand-up comedian, writer and actor Hal Dominic Bart Cruttenden, grew up in Ealing, west London, and thanks to his wife Dawn Coulter-Cruttenden, and two daughters, he has plenty material for the countless and memorable shows Hal has entertained audiences with, the world over.
At the age of 27, he had just split with his then girlfriend and did his first comedy gig at a restaurant in Notting Hill. It was the bravest thing he had ever done and making people laugh gave him confidence and a new calling.
The transition from straight actor to stand-up comic came after his break in 2002, when he was nominated for the Perrier best newcomer award for his solo show Hal.
With several Edinburgh shows under his belt, Hal is now in the premier league of stand ups and has performed at comedy festivals around the world in Melbourne, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland and tours to India, Bermuda, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Indonesia, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Falkland Islands, Cyprus and Germany.
He has taken four tours nationwide: Straight Outta Cruttenden in 2015/16, Tough Luvvie in 2013/14, The Tiny Rage Tour 2011 and Lively 2010. He plans to tour again from the Autumn of 2018.

Named after Shakespeare’s Prince Hal, Hal Cruttenden, always had thespian ambition. He trained at Central School of Speech and Drama and had stints on EastEnders and Kavanagh QC.
Hal has become a regular fixture on television, and in radio he has appeared on a range of shows including;
Mock the Week, Live At The Apollo, Have I Got News for You, The 11 O’Clock Show, and The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice. He has also written for The Omid Djalili Show and The Rob Brydon Show.
In 2014 his sitcom ‘Hal’ was aired on Radio 4, with a follow up second series in 2017.
You can follow Hal across social media and visit his website for all his latest news, insights, tickets and chatter. Catch him on: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Website,
Get More Hal
Want more of Hal Cruttenden? You’re in luck – his full stand-up comedy special is available to watch on NextUp – a digital comedy club where you can stream instantly over 120 comedy specials from some of the exciting names in comedy. Start watching free, no credit card needed.