Russell Kane: The Prince's Trust has put me in the most ridiculous situations

Founded in 1976 by Prince Charles, The Prince’s Trust has been helping help young, vulnerable people get onto the track for success for decades.

Comedian Russell Kane, who has been an ambassador for the charity for a few years now, says it’s changed his life – not least because of some of the situations it’s put him in.

Speaking on White Wine Question Time, Russell recounted one particular situation that involved tipsy Lords with guns.

“I've been running into all kinds of situations, you wouldn't believe,’ he told podcast host Kate Thornton. “I did a clay pigeon shoot after party. I mean, if you can imagine a clay pigeon shoot in the Lord's ground?

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“No one's heard of me, and they don't watch stand up. So you're battling the fact that no one knows who you are, mixed with the awfulness of no sound, no light and everyone's getting drunk with guns hanging over their legs.

“It doesn't stop me though. I just get a buzz out of jangling them and seeing what cash falls out for fundraising, which was why I was there.”

Russell said what he initially thought was a charity that was about “posh white people running up Snowden high-fiving”, is actually a charity that helps “broken or almost crushed individuals”, which has changed his perspective on life.

“I'm not trying to play down what I do obviously – I get all the normal knocks of a showbiz career mixed with live 400 people rejection,” he laughed.

“It's a tough, tough, tough, tough, tough business, but thanks to the work I've been doing with The Prince’s Trust that has changed me, because I just think, 'Oh I'm not really like what that lad went through that I heard talk the other day' and it's changed my perspective.”

Russell and his wife Lindsay also encountered another interesting situation – when her trousers split at an important red-carpet event for the Trust.

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Russell explained to Kate that he and his make-up artist wife were running late to the event, due to a phobia he has.

He said: “I've got this fear when I do a red carpet of being late and then being on the red carpet at the same time as the high-profile guests. You know like just behind Tom Hanks, like a nobody or something. I like to be first with all the Geordie Shore lot and really shine.”

On the way to the event, his wife’s trousers ripped, which she managed to mend with a sewing kit, and the couple rushed to the event to find that they were the last guests to arrive. Russell then started doing a typical – or so he thought – red carpet interview.

“I'm in full press mode – it didn't occur to me that this is being broadcast live into the theatre and I just thought this was some random bit of media that I could say what I like, and they would edit it on another day.

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“As we're talking, Lindsay has bent down to pick up a bag off the red carpet and her trousers have split again. Where the camera man has gone 'What's she doing, is she doing something funny?' he’s accidentally filmed her knicker-less split leather trousers and broadcast her actual bum hole into the theatre!”

“When we walked in, about 600 people all cheered! And I thought, 'I'm doing so well at the moment, even celebrities are cheering me', not realising what everyone has seen. It was on the Daily Mail website within 30 minutes.”

Find out how you can help The Prince’s Trust support young people during the pandemic, by visiting the official website

Listen to Russell Kane talk more about his wife and their life in lockdown with their dolly-obsessed four-year-old on this week’s episode of White Wine Question Time. Listen on iTunes and Spotify now.