Hal Cruttenden Climb Every Molehill

One of the secrets of all good art is that it manages to capture or articulate something that appears perfectly obvious to the audience, but in a way that no one else has done before. That is exactly where Hal Cruttenden taps into the art of stand-up comedy.

Unlike most star comedians, he is amiable, polite and seemingly uninterested in his own sex appeal or in the subjects of sex, drinking and football. In fact, he is a self-confessed member of the middle class, "slightly political" and "slightly religious" (the latter is tongue in cheek, but you'd better hear that delightful explanatory punchline for yourselves). And in the process of climbing the molehills and mountains of his everyday fears, he imparts some really exciting views on wedding rituals, the Olympics and the codes of conduct of various tradespeople.

Certainly not your typical comedian – and this is where he wins hands down over most others. Instead of relying on tired, old cliches for his humour, he actively sets out to attack and dismantle them, thus opening up those obvious new ways of seeing the world. Immensely satisfying.