One of the great pleasures of this job is briefing the various celebrities that we have appearing on the Retail Risk stages around the world.

In the UK, past hosts make up an illustrious line-up of British comedy talent including  Ed Byrne, Andy Parsons, Milton Jones, Tom Holland and Simon Brodkin.

One of the latest stars to light our stage is Hal Cruttenden (Live at the Apollo, The Royal Variety Performance). And it was my pleasure to brief him for the upcoming Heroes Of Retail Risk Awards (“HORRAs”).

Hal has been described as “one of the finest stand-up comedians alive”. Fresh from another run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, he has been wowing audiences around the country with his UK tour of Hal Cruttenden: Can Dish It Out But Can’t Take It. His run has been extended until June 2026, with new dates added from Glasgow to Exmouth.

So we are very, very fortunate to have Hal gracing our stage for the HORRAs, and if you have not yet seen his post announcing his appearance look it up on the Retail Risk website… it is hilarious!

Suffice to say I spent 30 minutes in Hal’s company along with agent Rachel Parfitt (daughter-in-law to former Status Quo rock legend Rick Parfitt) where he was super professional, totally focussed on how to give the audience a great, great set, and inevitably side-splittingly funny.

Best of all he is a lovely, lovely man. I can’t wait for the HORRAs.

Remember if you are a retailer wishing to be hosted, or a vendor wishing to host retailers… get in touch with the Retail Risk office at [email protected].