Hal Cruttendon is a very good traditional comic. Although he doesn’t do anything particularly novel, he is very successful in what he does and that is making audiences laugh.
The set centred itself around whether Cruttendon is more of a ‘toughie’ or a ‘luvvie’, and indeed there was evidence for both. He talked of his moments of heroism, only to bring them down with confessions of ulterior motives. Similarly whenever he said something a bit naughty or controversial he would pause to enjoy the cackle it received and then swiftly take it back, apologise and explain himself.
This focus gives him the opportunity to prattle on about pretty much anything he fancies, as long as he can back it up with examples of his being either tough or lovely. We were treated to his musings on America’s warfare, Scotland’s approaching independence and Europe’s economic crisis, although he also saved time for sports, his wife and gender stereotyping.
He kept the audience laughing throughout and would sometimes have to pause for lengthy periods between jokes just to let us calm down. His style of comedy may not be fantastically unique, but it is uniquely fantastic.
