Hal Cruttanden, James Cook

Hal Cruttenden originally trained as an actor at the Central School of Speech and Drama, and has appeared in the likes of Eastenders and Kavanagh QC.

But as a stand-up, his main break came in 2002, when he was nominated for the Perrier best newcomer award for his solo show Hal. He returned in 2003 with a follow-up To Hal and Back, and in 2005 as part of The Monkey Butlers sketch group.

He is now a regular at most the big club on the circuit, and has performed around the world, including appearances at Montreal's Just for Laughs comedy festival in 2004 and at the Kilkenny Cat Laughs comedy festival in 2005.