One of the UK’s most prolific comedians is on his way to Wareham in Dorset, in the latest of a series of big name coups to appear in the town.
Hal Cruttenden’s name may not be familiar to everyone, but his face certainly will be – as a veteran of Mock The Week, Have I Got News For You, Live at the Apollo, Would I Lie To You, House of Games, and Bake Off’s Extra Slice amongst others, he’s frequently on our screens.
Hal Cruttenden, second from right, back row, was a regular panellist on Mock The Week for years
Comedy break writing BBC traffic reports
Now he’s been signed by Wareham’s Love It Local to bring his 2026 touring show, Hal Cruttenden Can Dish It Out, But Can’t Take It, to The Purbeck School on Friday 27th March 2026.
With other dates on his tour including London’s Leicester Square, Glasgow’s famous Stand club and Cardiff’s Sherman Theatre, the inclusion of Wareham as one of the smallest venues on the circuit has thrilled the organisers.
He follows hot on the heels of music icon Toyah Willcox and politician turned TV star Michael Portillo, whose autumn 2025 dates at Purbeck School both quickly sold out.
Now Wareham is about to welcome the man who got his comedy break writing BBC traffic reports, was voted best newcomer at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and is about to appear as Winston Churchill in The Man with the Plan, a film starring Simon Callow and directed by Oscar nominee Christine Edzard.
The Purbeck School is hosting some big guests through Love It Local
“A face everyone will know”
Director of Love It Local, Malcolm Lewis, said:
“We have been doing events for two or three years now, but not on the scale of celebrity status until we had Toyah Wilcox in October 2025, followed by Michael Portillo.
“We previously organised events with speakers like Chris Packham, Old Grey Whistle Test presenters Whispering Bob Harris and David Hepworth and TV presenter and explorer George McGavin, and we organise the Purbeck Guitar Festival where some of the stars are celebrities in the music world.
“But in terms of speakers Toyah was a really big name to attract to Wareham, followed by the railway loving wisdom of Michael Portillo, and with both of them, tickets were gone almost as soon as they were released.
“Now we’re bringing you a man who is legally obligated to complain about things for 90 minutes – Hal Cruttenden is a face everyone will know, and the tour he is on includes some really major venues.”
An evening with Toyah Willcox sold out at the Purbeck School in 2025
“Some agencies contact us now”
Malcolm added:
“We are delighted to have him coming to Wareham, it is something of a coup for us and it’s good that we can vary the offering for our local audiences – we have had a singer, actor and raconteur and now we have a comedian.
“Some of the agencies contact us now, which is great, and the better names you have, the more chances you have of securing bigger names, so there’s a snowball effect.
“We have just had another name secured for a show later this year, the comedian, author and voice actor Dominic Frisby, who is known both for his witty satirical songs and his commentary on finance and economics.
“We always have to be mindful of the demographic, but we know that there is a lot of interest in stand up comedy in Purbeck, and we think that Hal and Dominic will both do very well in Wareham.”
Hal Cruttenden is a veteran of Live At The Apollo
Middle aged masterclass
Hal Cruttenden’s latest tour is described as a middle aged masterclass in grumpiness, tackling big issues like why dating in your 50s is a nightmare, why social media is a digital circus he didn’t sign up for, and why he’s great at judging everyone else, but suffers a minor emotional collapse if his choice of socks is criticised.
His last tour was extended four times following rave reviews from national media, and he’s one of a select number of comics to have done Live At The Apollo three times and the Royal Variety twice.
He has also appearing on many celebrity versions of TV quizzes including The Weakest Link, Pointless, Tipping Point, Eggheads and Mastermind.
He started his career as an actor, having trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama, with roles on TV and in film in Shackleton, Eastenders, Kavanagh QC, Out of the Blue, Bramwell and Mrs Dalloway.
The comic has appeared on several quiz shows, including Pointless
“I had an audience of eight, I hugged them all”
Hal said:
“I got the odd part and was doing traffic reports at the BBC when a colleague suggested I do stand-up. I thought, ‘Not for me’, I couldn’t bear the idea of people shouting at me. I thought I was too camp and too middle-class and would be ripped apart.
“Then I was given a video of Eddie Izzard and thought, ‘If that man can be that middle-class with make-up on and go out there and not apologise, I can do this’.
“I was 27, had just split up with my girlfriend and my confidence was low when I did my first comedy gig at a restaurant in Notting Hill – the middle-class crowd was very supportive and it went really well.
“If it had gone badly, I’d never have done it again. It was the only brave thing I’ve ever done in my life. Making people laugh is so addictive – in my early career I once had an audience of eight in 2003 but it was a brilliant gig, I hugged all of them.”
Hal Cruttenden says he’s developed into Mr Angry Suburban
“I was doing lots of cuddly shows”
Hal added:
“I really wanted to be a hard-hitting comic, but I couldn’t be bothered to do all the reading, so I’ve developed into Mr Angry Suburban, with an edge of a midlife crisis coming along.
“When you’re aiming to make people laugh, setting yourself up as the target isn’t a bad start. As one TV type said to me, I’ll probably have to wait for Michael McIntyre to die before I really hit the big time.
“On TV, I was doing lots of cuddly shows like The Apprentice, You’re Fired, and I think I was seen as a kind of Pound Shop Michael McIntyre, but on stage I can be surprisingly tough.
“I do a lot on my divorce and a fair bit on politics, as I think you have a duty as a comic to mention the extraordinary way the world is at the moment.
“People want comedy to be edgy, they want it to break taboos, but you have to find out which taboos are the best ones to break – the safest bet is to attack the powerful and to attack yourself.”
1960s legend Donovan will headline the first day of the 2026 Purbeck Guitar Festival
Purbeck Guitar Festival
Love It Local are hoping to make their star name shows at The Purbeck School into a regular quarterly event, but they are currently looking forward to sunnier spring days and their Purbeck Guitar Festival, to be held at the Walled Garden in Upton Country Park.
Its first day, Saturday 23rd May 2026, is being billed as Rock It Saturday, a day of folk, blues, indie, and guitar mastery which will be headlined by 1960s star Donovan.
Donovan is widely regarded as one of the most influential songwriters and recording artists of the 20th century, whose groundbreaking songs helped shape the psychedelic era and influence The Beatles.
Decades on, he continues to perform with remarkable energy, blending folk, jazz and world music, and will appear at the festival alongside local band Galaxy Thief and other artists including Guitar Heroes, Gary Cain, Chris Corcoran Trio, Laura Snowden, and Callum Buckley.
By contrast, Spanish Sunday on 24th May 2026 features fiery flamenco, classical, and Latin guitar, featuring Juan Martin, Rebeca Ortega and Ramon Ruiz, Carlos Bonell, Flamenco Meets Maqam, Flamenco and Miki Cruz.
Further information
- More about Love It Local live events
