Ryan Duggins talks to comedian Hal Cruttenden, and finds that he never really wanted to be a stand-up...

Very much rooted in entertainment from an early age, Hal Cruttenden was seemingly destined for a career in entertainment, proving that fate can sometimes overpower a person's wanting to diversify.

"To be honest, I desperately, desperately wanted to do anything other than what I do now. I remember going to university at 18 thinking that I wanted to do something grown-up, so I could tell people that I was a writer, or a doctor, or a journalist, but I never could do it."

"Comedy is not something that particularly pleases me when I tell people what I do and so on, and it really does tear your social life apart. But saying that, I don't think I would fit in well in an office if I turned my back on comedy."

It would be fair to say that the witnessing of the jovial, bouncy figure of Hal Cruttenden on our television screens over the last 18-months has been a joy not only gladly received, but quite a little bit overdue. Although the hype of being mentioned in the same breath as the Perrier Award can be misleading, even a burden for a performer, Hal's nomination in 2002 would - in most circumstances - have been a propelling force to the mass audiences...

"My life did change a little bit when the Perrier nomination came about, with various TV networks having a closer look at you and so forth, but those awards are starting to become less-and-less important in terms of stepping up on the career ladder."

These last 18-months have been a ridiculously busy, but exciting, period for Cruttenden, as his own talents were finally being tasted by the masses. Performances on Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow and The Royal Variety Performance have helping Hal get to a position that has previously escaped him.

"When I toured with Rob Brydon just before I got the Royal Variety gig, he told me that I do have a broad audience, so I need to watch my language. One of the main difficulties is adapting your act from the clubs to the mass audiences, so as I get older I do become more aware of how much I have leant on a swear word to get a laugh, so that was something I began to phase out for the bigger audiences. It's not that I'm prudish about it, but as you get older, the more you're being very sweary and aggressive, the more sad and desperate it looks."

As is the nature of the comedy creature, many fans, followers and critics were growing a little critical of Hal's apparent stalling...

"People do think that comedians turn up, and a year later they're massive. But saying that, people underestimate just how much money comedy performers can make without being on TV. It was always going to be slow for me because I am not a fashionable comic, but it does take a while for performers to 'get good.' Comedians don't emerge fully formed; it takes a while for them to hone in on their qualities. If you look at people such as John Bishop, Micky Flanagan and Michael McIntyre, these chaps were going for quite a long time before they broke through."

"People have a strange misconception that 'if you're not on tele, you must be struggling', and it does make me angry that the most talented comedians won't necessarily be the most marketable for TV, which is a real shame."

Hal is not only passionate about the art in which he thrives on, but is also very aware about the lack of insight the public seem to have on stand-up comedy, which can hit the form hard...

"I often get asked questions like 'are you choosing to do more TV work?'; they have no clue that everyone is racing and fighting to be on TV. It would be nice if I woke up one morning and thought to myself 'Oh, I think I will go on Have I Got News For You tonight', but it really doesn't work that way. TV is a mad scramble for attention."

Like a single man earning a living writing poems for valentines cards, Hal always had the Crutt-entials (nice, I know) to impress; as his own words, ideas and performances were aiding many a performer in their own live acts and shows. But once the words of Mr Valentine were heard by a wanting lover, there was no turning back...

"It made it so much more gratifying doing the solo tour, as I have spent quite a bit of time writing for different performers, and supporting and so on. And it's lovely to have people come along to see you, because that's the sort of thing that can form the base of a career, having a loyal fan base that come and watch you. It certainly gives you more leeway in terms of material, as you are given the nod, if you like, to go off on a tangent and not explain yourself."

Aside from comedy, Hal has quite a significant back catalogue of straight-acting work, including parts in Kavanagh QC, Shackleton, Mrs Dalloway and EastEnders. We're pretty sure he didn't play a Mitchell brother though.

"I believe in doing as many things as I possibly can. It's essential to a successful career, because you never know when the arse will fall out of one part of the industry. We are all looking out for this massive comedy crash where people will just stop going to see live comedy. Taking 1980's America as an example, the industry just crashed very suddenly. There was a recession and too much stand-up on television, and suddenly people stopped going to comedy clubs, which left performers who relied on their live comedy completely ruined."

"I love acting, but because of the terrible payment to the performers, the only way I could earn a living from that is if I did a comedy gig afterwards; it really is that terrible. The guys working with The National Theatre or the RSC are living on an absolute pittance, which is disgraceful. But if you look back on the careers of people who have been successful, people like Ben Elton and Stephen Fry, they have both diversified into loads of different areas which I completely aspire to."

Comedy is, as Hal describes it, a constant battle for attention, so whilst his name starts to become a regular chime in the back of peoples minds, he realises that a break would be a risk...

"Because this is my living, although I do have moments when I pat myself on the back, I can't at any point take it for granted, so I am always looking to sustain my success. I am currently working on my own sitcom, which I hope to be throwing in the faces of various people by the end of 2011, and also I need to write some more material for the tour as well, so it really is non-stop. But that is my major goal this year, to write this sitcom and hope it succeeds."

[i]For all things new in the world of Hal Cruttenden visit www.halcruttenden.com