CHARMING comedian Russell Kane has made a living from gently poking fun at his own life, and his new tour, Smokescreens And Castles, is no different.

Born in Enfield, Essex, to a cleaner and a sheet metal worker, Kane wasn’t encouraged to be academic by his parents, yet he managed to get a degree in English.

His family life and childhood, particularly his strained relationship with his dad, is the main focus of his Smokescreens & Castles gig, but he makes sure he never takes it too far.

“There are certain things my mum’s asked me not to speak about and I respect that as long as she lives.

"The moment she pegs it – come and see the show, it’ll be interesting,” he jokes.

Starting with the outrage that swept his street as a child when his dad bought his own council house and built “a modest extension” (hence the reference to the castle, the name given to the Kane family home by jealous neighbours), the show takes in all manner of sociological silliness and high-energy contortions.

* Russell Kane's Smokescreens and Castles is at The Lowry, Salford on Tuesday, February 15; Unity Theatre, Liverpool, on Friday May 6; Grand Theatre, Lancaster, on Saturday May 28.