MY FIRST CAR
Hal Cruttenden
Comedian Hal Cruttenden broke down in tears when he was given his first car, a Citroen 2CV.
His sister Abigail, an actress, gave him the keys on Christmas Day. “It was a complete surprise,” he said. “I had no idea she was going to do that. I was overwhelmed.
“It turned out the car was a death trap but it was still a lovely gesture by my sister.
“She was only 21 or 22 but she had a lot of work on and was doing well for herself so she gave me the car.”
Hal, who is currently touring the country, says he often drives to venues. “I would go by train but often they don’t run late enough for me so I have stay in a hotel. It’s cheaper to drive.
“If I had a campaign, it would be for rail services to operate later so people who work late hours can get home.”
Nowadays he drives an Audi Q5, which he loves. “I am considering changing it but only because it has a lot of miles on the clock,” he said.
His dream car? “It would be a Range Rover
Sport. I love the whole 4x4 thing more than speed or power. I like feeling safe and having a good view.”
Hal, who was raised in London, has Northern roots. His father came from Grimsby and he often visited family in the area.
“I am looking forward to playing in Yorkshire on my tour,” he said.
“I have dates in Barnsley [May 12] and Ilkley [April 29], which will be great. Touring is hard work but I get to see so many places.”
He says he quite enjoys driving sometimes but wouldn’t say he was a car enthusiast.
“I quite enjoy getting out to see new places so going by car is a good way to do that for me,” he said. “Even if a train would make more sense if there were more of them and times which suited me.”