Please Keep Me Anonymous with Russell Kane

1 Jul 2026 · 50 min · 22 chapters

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In short

Russell Kane discusses his new children’s book When Brian Met Terry, his upcoming Romeo and Juliet role, and broader topics including accents, family resemblance, social energy vs introversion, sex education/nudity norms, and comedy industry hiring practices. He also tells a comic “anonymous” story about accidentally leaving detailed medical voicemails for a local chippy.

Guests

Russell Kane, comedian and mimic; he’s known for stand-up and for acting out accents/characters. He lives with his wife Lindsay and their two children (ages mentioned: 10 and 5). Co-hosts are Chris and Rosie (podcast hosts).

Key claims

People often resemble their partners and can identify a bride’s father from the husband’s appearance; cats can’t count (only presence/absence), making multi-pet introductions easier; better hiring requires searching longer in diverse talent pools; British people are more sexually repressed than Germans.

Notable examples

When Brian Met Terry centers on bringing a new pet into a household and learning to love a sibling; Russell’s Romeo and Juliet adaptation sets the lovers as 40-ish and reframes Capulet’s role as a toxic/narcissistic mother; his “anonymous” eczema story ends with voicemails sent to “Doc’s” the chippy.

Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.

Chapters

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Russell Kane's Book and Play

1:12 to 1:40

Discussion about Russell Kane's new children's book and his role in 'Romeo and Juliet'.

“I don't have to keep saying our five-year-old.”

Mimicking and Comedy Skills

1:40 to 3:30

Exploring Russell's comedic skills and his talent for mimicking accents.

“As far as comedians go, he's one of the best mimics that I've ever seen in comedy.”

Relationships and Family Dynamics

3:30 to 6:10

Discussion about relationships, family resemblances, and personal anecdotes.

“And people marry outside of their racial groups and they marry same genders, obviously.”

Ambivert vs. Extrovert

6:10 to 7:40

Exploring the differences between being an ambivert and an extrovert.

“And then you've got the maghams and the george.”

Interpersonal Communication

7:40 to 10:00

Conversations about social interactions and personal boundaries.

“having to switch into persona if they're in my house on my front door.”

Fetish Night Experience

13:07 to 14:01

Russell shares his experience at a night out with a fetish dress code.

“It's time building confidence and curiosity.”

A Night Out at a Unique Nightclub

14:01 to 17:47

Learn about an unconventional nightclub experience with a fetish dress code.

“It's a house music nightclub, but the dress code is slightly fetish.”

Cultural Attitudes Toward Nudity and Sexuality

17:47 to 19:48

Explore the differences in sexual attitudes and nudity between cultures, particularly comparing Germany and the UK.

“It was like the Bellagio fountain, a little smasher into the next suite.”

Russell Kane's Theatrical Aspirations

19:48 to 27:44

Follow Russell Kane's journey as he discusses his desire to act and his upcoming role in a new interpretation of Romeo and Juliet.

“So by the time they get to 18, 19, nudity is not sexual.”

Support and Breakthroughs in Comedy

27:44 to 28:00

Hear a conversation about personal breakthroughs in comedy and pivotal moments in Russell Kane's career.

“ever even showed even one percent of on stage so I'm hitting myself but like everything I do I can imagine the amount of insane Rocky montage training I'm doing.”
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Russell's Curry Expertise

28:00 to 28:39

Learn about Russell Kane's unique approach to choosing curries.

“So this is a man who, sorry, can I just say, you don't know this.”

The Comedy Breakthrough

28:40 to 30:04

Discover how Russell's recommendation led to a significant career opportunity.

“But all I look at is, are you a funny person?”

The Importance of Diverse Talent

30:05 to 31:16

Understand the need for diversity and representation in comedy and entertainment.

“So maybe just spend an extra week or two just double checking because it doesn't get looked in enough.”

Russell's Career Insights

31:17 to 32:41

Insights into career decisions and how they can impact future success.

Pets and Writing

32:42 to 34:18

Learn about Russell's experiences with pets and how they inspired his writing.

“If I click a train, if I click, they all come, they all sit, they all high five in a row.”

The Impact of Children's Literature

34:19 to 36:19

Explore the significance of children’s literature and reading with kids.

“So I did a first book, which was a dog and cat breed guide for children.”

Understanding Cats and Their Behavior

36:20 to 38:22

Insights into cat behavior and how it affects pet dynamics.

“It's like that, just that little bit of connection before bed.”

Getting a Dog: Russell's Advice

38:23 to 39:59

Russell shares practical insights on choosing the right dog breed.

“It's got two skulls and both kill children.”

A Hilarious Miscommunication

40:00 to 42:00

A funny story about a voicemail mix-up related to a medical issue.

“I used to work in a nursery and there was a mum who would be like, Henry's eczema's flaring up.”

Voicemail Mishap at the Chippy

42:00 to 43:19

A hilarious recount of leaving voicemails for a chip shop instead of a doctor.

“I called the contact docs on my phone and they didn't answer.”

Cultural Differences in Food

43:20 to 45:42

Discussion on the differences in food culture and preferences between regions.

“I give myself the ick any time I think about it.”

Fitness Journey and Men's Health

45:43 to 47:45

Russell shares his experience of being on the cover of Men's Fitness and dieting challenges.

“Do you know what I've never had, which really upsets us?”
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Transcript

Automatic transcript. May contain errors.

0:00Legally, we can't say drinking Storm makes you smarter and more focused. But with zero sugar, 200 milligrams of caffeine, and immunity support, you're smarter and more focused for drinking Storm. Storm. Good energy in, good energy out. Energy for life.

0:15Rosie Ramsey:So good, so good, so good. New summer arrivals are at Nordstrom Rack stores now. Get ready to save big with up to 60 % off brands like Rag & Bone, Levi's, Adidas, and Free People. Join the Nordy Club to unlock exclusive discounts, shop new arrivals first and more. Plus, buy online and pick up at your favourite rack store for free. Great brands, great prices. That's why you rack. Hello, you are listening to and hopefully watching Shag Married and Oid. Please keep me anonymous. This week we are joined by the extremely funny. So funny. Chris's long lost friend. Yes. Russell Kane. Russell Kane. He's here chatting about his new book, a new children's book, which is called When Brian Met Terry, which is available now.

1:02I'm holding it up now.

1:03Rosie Ramsey:It's really, really funny. So I know that my five-year-old will love this. Your five-year-old? Our five-year-old. There it is. Why have I got to keep doing that? Our five-year-old. He's clearly our five-year-old. I don't have to keep saying our five-year-old. Well, if you listen to this for the first time, you don't know who we are. It just sounds like it's your five-year-old. But look, when he's been a pain, you're welcome to him. Yeah, fair enough. I'll have him all the time. And also, which was so interesting to find out, he's playing Romeo in a new production of Romeo and Juliet in September this year.

1:33Yes, and that opens at the New Vic in Newcastle Under Lime. So that's the New Vic, not the old Vic, New Vic in Newcastle Under Lime. Not our Newcastle.

1:41Rosie Ramsey:It sounds really, really interesting. Yeah, he explains it all. It sounds great. And you know what it is, right? As far as comedians go, he's one of the best mimics that I've ever seen in comedy. He's a phenomenal stand-up, but he's mimicked when he's doing people's accents, when he's doing anything, acting out. so it just makes sense that he would be he's going to be phenomenal in it and we will and I'll definitely go and see it so yeah enjoy enjoy please like and rate and subscribe on YouTube as well yeah we had a fight about the jingle we couldn't settle on a jingle so this is the jingle we hope you like the jingle jingle

2:21Rosie Ramsey:jingo Obviously you've got to mention the fact I look completely different as well. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've never seen you with facial hair. I want to talk about that vision. I've got a lot more heartthrope. And you look something different. I do this character for Lindsay. My name is Antonio. I offer him, it's not erotic, it's release. Maybe if I show you, put the hands on the pelvis, it's okay. And it's me, more comfortable if you wait outside for the husband.

2:52That's fucking great.

2:54Rosie Ramsey:He was like, I'll do it again. Oh my God, I love him. I love it. You must, like, especially if you look at this now, you must have the weight as in Spain just talking to you in Spanish. Yeah, I do, yeah. Yeah, you must have. My granddad was like that. Yeah. And Lindsay, because Lindsay's Italian heritage, but it's bizarre, isn't it? They say you end up with someone. if you had a decent-ish childhood, not too traumatic in any way, you normally end up with someone that looks a bit like you or shares your... Not always. Obviously, there are massive exceptions. Massive. And people marry outside of their racial groups and they marry same genders, obviously.

3:35But broadly speaking, when you study it, you look a bit like the person you're banging. And the person you're banging normally looks a bit like your dad or your mum as well. Yeah, I look like a brother. So me and Lindsay, when I was first dating, they thought it was my sister. You do look like each other, actually. And then we'd be snogging and then all the Cornish people would be wanking watching. No, but they did this amazing study with students where they took, let me get this right. They took the wife and they took the husband and they said these are the people getting married. then they muddled up a load of pictures of older men and they could find the bride's father.

4:17They didn't show the bride. They could find the bride's father based on what the husband looked like 80 % of the time. Not always.

4:22Rosie Ramsey:So what is that? Is that just a familiarity thing? I suppose it's an emotional safety. A connection. The first love you have is with your parents as a baby. What's the whole, what's the Freud thing? Oedipal. And in reverse, it's Electra. so if you've got a daughter that's like no mummy sleeps in the spare room and daddy doing that over the shoulder to the mum right i've got uh that's that's that's electric okay so i'm living i call my wife and my daughter i always come in to some sort of but yeah russell it's like seven to nine she's been daddy like i've got my barristers wig every night right okay and the other way i've got an injury so i couldn't go on a holiday that i was supposed to go on i've got an ear like a perforated eardrum so i couldn't fly and uh that's the best time just I had no work because I thought I was going to be on holiday.

5:12I was literally just home alone. And then on the day before, I coined the phrase, Glenn Close and Glenn Closer, because both fatal attractions were returning. Fantastic work. You know the meme where she's just turning the lamp on and off. I'll not be ignored, Daddy. I swear there's a sensor on my toilet seat. When my arse hits it, Daddy! Yeah, we've got that. It's a sensor. There's a sensor.

5:36Rosie Ramsey:Well, we've got two boys, so I've just got two little Chrises, which is awful. Really? Well, yeah, you know them. You know them. Wow. Are they better at reading, though? Right, yeah. I've always struggled with me reading, Russell. I thank you not to bring it up on you. All the words muddle up in my head and I lash out in that.

5:57Rosie Ramsey:For all our listeners, it took Russell 30 seconds. I said when we're getting ready, I went, he's going to do the accent under 30 seconds and it was literally almost as soon as I said that. That's why you're very nicely, you're quite sort of refined northeast accents. See, well, actually, that's the South Shield accent, isn't it? Yeah, it's a sand dancer. Yeah, the sand dancer. And then you've got the maghams and the george. It's because you can't open your mouth too much because the sun's blowing in your face. Is that too much? He's crazy. Why is he even called, we need to go into deep sort of sand dancer heritage.

6:26I don't know why it's called sand dancer.

6:27Rosie Ramsey:Well, I heard it was just because back in the day, there would dance on the beach for the ships coming in. And that's as simple as that. When the boat comes in. When the board comes in. That was it. But why do you never meet anyone from North Shields? Why do I never, ever meet anyone from North Shields? Does it not exist or something? It fully exists. It's fully there. Sam Fender is from North Shields. Sam Fender's from North Shields. There he goes, one. One. It doesn't get the same. I do believe they just say Newcastle. They're the same side of the river. See, we're the Sunderland side of the river.

6:53So everyone assumes that we're Sunderland fans or Maccams, like, you know, like we're part of Sunderland, like, and Sam Fender and all them, they're the north side of the river. So they're just like immediately, he will just tell people he's from Newcastle like when he was on holiday probably not now yeah yeah but when he was on holiday when he was younger he would just say I'm from Newcastle we used to have to see Newcastle when people didn't know anything about the country

7:10Rosie Ramsey:I don't know if Sam knows this but anytime you are in North Shields the taxi drivers and people there will just tell you where he lives yeah yeah yeah like it's actually we nearly told someone like maybe she's can't fucking do that let me ask you because you two are like a friendly like kept to your normalness type people like me I like to think I am all my friends are all my original friends when I go out the weekend about with my family. I've tried to, it's held me back a bit, but I've tried to resist the show busy bit. Yeah. But when someone's at my front door, I'm not a fan of having to switch into persona if they're in my house on my front door.

7:44But then I feel like, am I an ungrateful, unfriendly twat? So I had a postman knock him for a signature and he went, you didn't reply to my comment on Facebook. Why have you not replied? And I'm like, what? I'm in my dressing gown. I got, Minna was a bit younger. I got a kid. I'm trying to, like he's having a go at me.

7:58Rosie Ramsey:Yeah, it is. That's a bit much later. But why do we feel guilty, though? You shouldn't feel guilty. I feel like I should be allowed to be a twat from the doorstep inward to strangers. As long as I'm not horrible ever to anyone outside, I'm allowed to be grumpy indoors. Yeah, I agree. I would agree. Well, yeah, it's a mad world. I had a doctor send me a letter asking if I would do an Instagram post. It's about cervical screening. Am I allowed a bit? Cervical screening. Yeah. An influencer for the NHS. Who wants more patience on the NH? Will you tell people not to come? Maybe you misread it. Please tell people to stop turning up.

8:39We don't dance when the boats arrive anymore, do we? Get that flag up, Gabby. I'm spraying both my ankles dancing on the sand.

8:48Rosie Ramsey:Yeah, no shields don't dance on the sand. I don't know why. Not as nice. But yeah, it's a wild sort of line, isn't it? Yeah. But we don't get much bother. I think people are used to it now where we live. We're kind of just like, oh. If you never had anyone, it's a guy like, he was blowing the leaves off in the area and came into our driveway and was like, I've got this script. Oh, no way, man. I'm in my fucking, I'm in my pants. Do you not think if I was that good at getting a scripts commission, I'd be on my ninth sitcom by the way? And he got me on a bad morning with a perforated eardrum feeling sorry for myself.

9:26And I went, oh, it's quite easy. All you need to do is gig for free for three years, then put in some time, do a couple of scripts that are rejected, possibly battle with mental health and addiction. Then I reckon in the 20th year you'll be good to go. Do anything else?

9:42Let's shut him up.

9:42Rosie Ramsey:Facebook, Russell T is an absolute prick. No, it was worse than that. He went, oh, right, thanks for that. I'd like to have given him genuine advice. And then asked myriad follow-up questions. You can't win, man. Oh, my God. Anyway, I'm not horrible. I just, I have to, because everything I do is very high energy, I have to recharge when I'm at home. I've discovered I'm an ambivert. I always thought I was an extrovert because I'm the first one on the dance floor, love being on stage, attention, attention, attention, talking to everyone everywhere, but I love being on my own to recharge. Oh, see.

10:15So I get my energy from being alone, whereas a true extrovert, the true meaning of the word extrovert is where you draw your energy from. so I draw my social energy from everyone I can't dance and just be dancing on my own look at me I'm dancing I have to be in the middle of the dance hall so I draw my but I draw my recharging energy from self which is what an introvert does meaning I'm an ambivert that's so interesting they just came out with like six or seven new verts didn't they has been taken for quite some time in comedy by another Russell as well he's quick you know he's fucking quick this guy

10:52Rosie Ramsey:honestly he's quite funny He's the man. He's the man. That's really, I think I'm an introverted extrovert. You're an ambivert. You recharge by being alone, but when you're out, look at me, look at me. Yeah. Right, you're ambivert. Okay, that's so... Whereas I'm... He's just told you the exact word and you said, no, I'm going to call it introverted extrovert. He's just told you the specific word. No, but sometimes, it's hard because sometimes I am a bit of an introvert when I'm around people. Sometimes, yeah. And also, I was to say to you, I end up overcompensating conversations and I really want to stop doing it.

11:24Rosie Ramsey:Because if the conversation takes a lull, I will tell everybody, me deepest, darkest... It's happening right now, ironically. It happens all the time. It happens. This is what we do for a living. But I don't want to do it anymore. Well, don't worry about it. But I can't stop. You've monetised it. Relax. It's the other question. What are you like, Russell? It fucking drives us mad. What are you like, Russell, if you're in a room with someone who is just the quietest person ever? Do you just fill the space? I sometimes make an excuse to, oh, we're going to go and grab a coffee and then I'll go and read around the corner after the social energy's not there.

11:56Right. Or I will initially try to fill the void. I fill the void. I fill the void. I'm literally pulling my pants down. Look at the stain. Look at how I got that scar. It's a form of filling the void to leave the room. But my child, I think, is a true extrovert. So, Daddy, come to the toilet. Talk to me while I'm in the bath. Talk to me while I'm in the toilet. I've got friends, like in this business, who when you arrive at the hotel, bags dumped, and they'll be downstairs talking to the barman. They have to have constant social contact to get energy. That's a true extrovert.

12:24Rosie Ramsey:It's like people who go on cruises. Yeah. Well, I like Hampstead Heath, but parts of it. They love talking, just love chatting. Is that to London, that joke? I got it. No, I got it. It's in the northeast. It's a notorious gay cruising area. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. Babadoo, babadoo, babadoo, bah. Do you hear that? Sounds like breakfast is ready. because Quaker's coming in hot with morning nutrition, 100 % whole grain oats, and a good source of fiber to fuel the rhythm of your morning and kickstart your day. And that sounds absolutely delicious. Fuel to start whatever's next. Quaker, official sponsor of FIFA World Cup 26.

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13:22Rosie Ramsey:Give now at feedingamerica.org slash summerhungry. I've got a question. You don't have to answer it. Obviously, everything can get taken out. And because you are promoting a children's book, you might not want to talk about it. But I'm also promoting a grown-up play about love and suicide. Brilliant, exactly. Which we'll get to. Which we'll get to. There's plenty in there. We talk on our podcast about swinging a lot. Yes. We're not swingers ourselves, but we get a lot of people from the swing community tell us about stories. Because we get horror stories, but then we also get really great stories.

13:51Rosie Ramsey:I saw on your Instagram that you and your wife, Lindsay, went to a night. You didn't say it was a swinging night. It wasn't a swingers night. Right, OK. But it wasn't swinging. So what was it? It's a house music nightclub, but the dress code is slightly fetish. Right. It's not gimp masks. So there's no shagging. It's not gimp masks and leather. Fetish. But yeah, it's fetish-ish. So as long as you're dressed in a slightly sexy way, like a German would think, you can get in. So for me, I couldn't go and take myself seriously in like leather hot pants. And I just, it's not my thing, fetish gear. I just, I don't judge you, but I feel too silly in it.

14:33I judge. Easy, easy for a woman. Lindsay's got like a strip black bra, these black hot pants. Fishnets. It's fucking amazing. I had to recite South End United starting 11 just to keep the boner at stage to get in the queue. But for me, I went for more broke back. So I went like a cowboy hat. I had a gilet, so no arms, no body, but furry, topless and some leopard skin. They were like swimming trunks, but they're the short ones, but tight. And then some leopard skin boots and shades. So it sounds minimal, but the effect is quite sort of like gay cowboy type. Sexy Woody from Toy Story. Right. He did sexy Woody.

15:12We got to the front of the queue. Obviously, it's cold, so you're wearing some overclothes. And you have to get in. You have to show them either in a bag what you're wearing or you have to show them otherwise you won't get in. So I said to Lindsay, you go first. You're going to fucking, she'd knock out my wife. I'm like, you're going to get us in. The doorman was like that. He opens his mouth and goes, and what will you be wearing? And I opened my jacket. He went, oh, my God, come in immediately. Lindsay was like invisible. So we went. we got there an hour early to avoid the queue so if you get there before it opens there's a classical music show and then when it finishes someone kicks their fingers and it turns in to a manic pulsing house party you're into that and it's classical music played naked next to a swimming pool it was amazing four attractive people three girls and a guy playing like and you just sit around drinking your beers there's only about 100 of you 200 of you watch this and then the real doors open and it starts like over the course of the night i would advise you not going into the dark corners because it's mostly gay couples in these corners mostly but when you go downstairs there's like little chill out bits there's a there's a more there's a more um chill out dance floor it's like electro house and a few bars now and again you will just see and because there's doorman it's only hot people whereas i imagine swingers clubs to be full of 80 year olds

16:34Rosie Ramsey:This is the thing, yeah. This is what we always land on. Really hot people who obviously aren't British because we're too fucked up and repressed. Just fucking just... You look through a hole and they're just like making love and there'll be another couple next to it. It's fucking totally hot. How do you call it making love if it's in the corner of an aid club? It's in... It's sort of there. The downstairs is like a wine celery cave type set up and when you look through the door, it's like all candles, like three king size matches. is mostly it's just people talking in there having a drink recovering from whatever substance they've taken if they've taken substances sometimes it's just people chatting there's people talking about art there's someone painting randomly it's not the way if the british did it it would be like here's your bag of johnny's right that's the fuck room like that and they'd be all like gary's wanking with a pint in their hand yeah where this is there's someone painting someone was doing a talk about fetish without any fetish happening, explaining the history of desire.

17:31Someone's braiding, someone's tattooing, and then in one room, two hot couples monogamously making love side by side. Almost like an installation. Fucking hot as fuck. Me and Lindsay, we get home at three in the morning, can you imagine? It was like the Bellagio fountain, a little smasher into the next suite. You're so horny by the time you get home. Because we're British, we're unable to do anything like that because we're so fucked up about

17:56Rosie Ramsey:sex i know because some of this stuff we get sent from swinging i'm just like oh my god like yeah i'll be honest with you you made it sound not mucky which i've never that's never been done before i think it would be quite interesting because it's not the night's focus is music and some people do stuff like that as an adult it's not a sex there's loads of sex if you want to go to a sex club germany's the place to go there's fucking hundreds of them good to know Good to know. But I personally would rather be in an erotic environment, dancing, fully clothed, because I am as liberal as I am, born and fucking raised on this island.

18:31I know, I know. Sex education at 14. We're repressed. Yeah, yeah.

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18:35Rosie Ramsey:And as well, do you know why I think we're also a little bit repressed? Because it's cold here. Maybe, yeah. I think in the sun, everything's sexy. Everything's free. It's a totally different vibe. In hot countries. You obviously weren't looking at me when I was eating that club sandwich. someone hasn't researched north german weather

18:56they're very naked the germans so there's a park in berlin just a regular park like our hide park and people just sunbathe naked at lunchtime well yeah no romans are masturbating in bushes there are no blokes pretending to sunbathe whilst perving it's just a healthier attitude to nudity and sexuality and girls in particular you've got boys haven't you yeah two boys so when we raise girls in this country as every female listener will attest women aren't educated about pleasure you know you weren't sat down at 12 in sex education well that's the mechanism but this is how the body works this is what a female orgasm is this is how it's no it's completely undiscussed you have to just pray you meet a bloke probably when you're about 23 that finally is willing to understand the female body it's just fucking unacceptable whereas in germany fucking 11 you'll go this is my clitoris this is how it works why do we not teach girls how their bodies work?

19:49What is the fucking issue? So by the time they get to 18, 19, nudity is not sexual. It's just the body. So there you go.

20:00Rosie Ramsey:I love it. Tell me about Romeo and Juliet. Yeah. Tell about your facial hair. Yeah. So my bum fluff, I'm going here. Listen, he's always wanted to say this. Why have you got facial hair, Russell? Yeah, I'm doing it for a part. How is it? My whole career. Instead of, no, it's a slight midlife crisis and I'm trying to change the way I look because I can't accept ageing. No. I'm growing it for a part. Tell us about the part. Which is masking the real reason I can't accept it. No, so what happened... Why did you take the part? What happened was the last tour was just so big. I finally got just 10 % sick of stand-up at the end.

20:33I never thought it would happen to me. I'm the most enthusiastic stand-up out there. Unpaid, no mic, no lights. I'm warming up and take it. Every gig is the Albert Hall. I don't... Whatever it is. That's how I've approached it from my first open spot. I've never dimmed. However, two years, seven countries, 90 minute show, big emotional ending, making everyone cry. I was like, I'm going to continue to do stand up two, three times a week because I always stay in the gym, as I call it. But I'm not going to do a tour till 28. So what can I do in between something that's new to challenge myself? Because I believe that is the ultimate biohack to stay young, is to do new things.

21:11I've always wanted to I've toured three of my own plays just like silly comedy plays and I've always wanted to do a proper whatever that means play where everyone goes oh my god you can act I've never had the courage to do it and even when I had had the courage I would have gone to my old manager and said well I want to do it okay you have the meeting with the producer we've got this player coming over it's going to be great for you that sounds good so it's£200 a week and you'll be in the West Ham for eight days I could just see all my Maldives changing into Bournemouth and I'm like

21:42if you start as a peasant you earn the right to brag yeah that's the rules guys yeah i would agree and uh so it's always been about money and coming from a council house you never ever think you've got in you're like what if i haven't got the right to not earn here and i thought no i'm gonna do something that's not about money it might normally those things end up being lucrative look at you guys you started across a kitchen table you do something you love not for the money initially and bang, off it goes. So I was like, what am I going to do? I want to act. I'm going to be in a play. I've got all these sitcom things that I've been developing forever.

22:15One of them's quite near now. I can't rely on that. The one thing you're in control of is if you go on stage. So I thought, I'm going to go and see some local Shakespeare that's good because we don't get as much up north, do we? I live in Cheshire, right in the middle of the country. You have to come to London. There's this one company called Not Too Tame Theatre and they go into northern towns and they stage classical plays, Shakespeare or whatever. but they do it in a way where your average person that goes, I don't normally like Shakespeare, comes out and goes, did they change the words? How come I understood that?

22:44So they're really good at staging it in original ways. The original words are just staged differently. So I went to see Twelfth Night, and they put Les Dennis as Malvolio. And I've got to admit, there was a bit of snobbery in my head because I'm a bit of a London elitist. I couldn't fucking believe it. I'm crying. He's such a good actor, Les Dennis.

23:02Rosie Ramsey:Oh, yeah, yeah. I didn't know he was that good. Apologies, Les, if you're listening. I had no idea you were that talented. I was crying at the end, clapping. And the cast went back to Jimmy, this Warrington firebrand that fucking runs this company. And he sent me a DM. He was like, you were seen in the audience. You would make such a good Shakespearean actor. Meet me for one coffee. Wow. So I met him for one. Love shit like this. And I said, he said, what do you want to do? Now, I don't know if you've ever been approached to do Shakespeare, Chris, but it will be Bottom in Midsummer Night's Dream, Malvary, any of the clown funny parts.

23:33Yeah, yeah. I already know. I'm already a clown. I want to challenge myself. And I would also like to do something that's not been done. So what's not been done that's allowed to be done? It's not like I can be a white Othello. I'd be cancelled. So I thought, old Romeo. Because in the play, they're 17-year-olds, right? But what if they weren't? What if they were 40-ish and they'd never been loved, never fallen in love, and they meet the wrong person they can't be with to the point where people are going to get hurt if you keep seeing this woman because of various things in their families. What would that be like if you two hadn't found each other?

24:12If you were still single now, Chris, and you look across the bar and you're like, I've never felt, has my heart ever loved till now? I've never loved till this moment. I've never seen true beauty before today. You are my soulmate. You kiss at the party. You're like, I'm in love. And she goes, bye, this is my surname. and you're like, oh, fuck, that's Romeo and Juliet.

24:34Rosie Ramsey:And of course, you know what happens next. It all spins out of control and they both end up dead, basically. That's the plot of Romeo and Juliet. Spoiler alert. Yeah, so it's a toxic relationship. And so we've changed the stage in. So Capulet, who's Juliet, we've just got a mum. So we've taken that demonic, horrible dad that's like, you'll be with who I fucking tell you, and turn it into a toxic, narcissistic mother. Because at the end of the day, if you're 40-odd and you're living at home with your mum and she goes, you can't see him. You go... So is she going to be 40 as well? Yes, so we've cast...

25:06I don't know if you've ever watched Hollyoaks, Two Pints of Lager Packet and Chris, all that stuff, but she's also fucking such a talented stage actor, Natalie Casey. Yes! Oh, wow!

25:17Rosie Ramsey:Love her. She's brilliant, terrifying, funny, interesting. She's totally the type of Julia I need, otherwise I'm just going to run riot. I need a woman that would scare me and interest me. After all, I'm married to one in real life. She's a great actress as well. In an audition, we were doing these workshops together and Julia has this soliloquy which is, come fiery steeds, seize me, but she's fantasising about Romeo on her own. But the director was like, just for fun, pretend you're hallucinating Russell there. Russell, you stand in. And I'm sat in this chair and she's like windmilling me with her legs and throwing me about.

25:54I was terrified. Yeah, yeah. But she was so good. So good. Oh, nice. So, yeah, it's that to explore love. But if you really were 40-year-old Juliet and your mum was like, you can't see her, you'd just go, fuck off, I'm moving out. Unless the pillow talk between you and your lover could bring down families. Like, if you were my brother and everything we do is tied up, in whatever world we do, it could be drug dealing, it could be something corporate, it doesn't matter, and they're our arch rivals, Yeah. There's no fucking way I'm going to trust you not to tell her when you're shagging something that could put me, your uncle, your dad.

26:35You fucking stop seeing her. Wow. Otherwise someone's going to have a word.

26:39Rosie Ramsey:Chris is currently watching The Sopranos for the fifth time. So he gets all of this. Is your dad alive? Yeah. So you will know you are a boy when your dad enters the room. Till the day your dad passes away. Yeah. You stay a boy. That's a good idea. Basically. and I think most women stay a little girl when their mum walks in the room. My mum rules my life. So you never ever... I get it. So if she was toxic, if she was... She's not toxic at all. No, but if she was, if she was in the police or a drug dealer, you'd be fucked, mate. You ain't shagging anyone she doesn't approve of. No, of course. I get it.

27:15So I'm going to be so vulnerable. I've got to fall... It's so out of our comfort zone, Chris, what we do. I can't look around and get a laugh halfway through. the first bit it'll be easy it's funny it's Romeo the the overly romantic overly intellectual funny lad it's me um but then to fall in love and to show that vulnerability my best mate gets murdered to cry at the grave of someone I love and to do it for real these are things I've never ever even showed even one percent of on stage so I'm hitting myself but like everything I do I can imagine the amount of insane Rocky montage training I'm doing.

27:55Oh, he's just, I mean, anything. He's just told us about it. He's perforated his head drum. He was just talking about it like he was a doctor. He learns everything about everything. So this is a man who, sorry, can I just say, you don't know this. When we would go for curries after gigs back in the day, he'd walk in.

28:06Rosie Ramsey:Well, I don't know if our audience know this, because you used to support Russell on tour. Well, first of all, we'd walk in and Russell would go to the, where's your chef from? And the guy would see where the chef was from, and that would influence what curry he picked. I knew that. Because he would know where the curry. He would go, all right, I'll have one of these then. be like and the staff will be like who the fuck is this a test shopper who the fuck just walked in here we're getting shut down but for those of you who don't know and i've always wanted to thank you for this russell and i've said this on loads of different things um your talent would have come through no matter what if you're going to say what i think you're about to say yeah well you were you saw people often say when was your big break or whatever and i'll say i'll tell you when my first break was it was when i was doing the comedy circuit and then me and you i got asked to support you when hul it was the last minute it might be last minute it might have been the day or the day before I was literally like boom yeah it was like we've got Russell Kane oh my god these little promoters were like we've got Russell Kane to do the comedy festival can you support him I was like fuck yeah I can't support him and then you were like come and do some other dates with us as well and I did other dates and then do you know what I did that night I went straight to Avalon I went I've just had a lad fill in because I needed a support I don't know why I needed a support for that gig maybe I didn't want to have two halves and I went he's come on and just I never listen to people's material I have no interest in people's like wanking off like Americans in a Circle about my punchline.

29:21It's not my style of comedy. But all I look at is, are you a funny person? And does the audience like you? Because anyone can come up with a funny idea or material. I don't find it impressive at all. What I find impressive is to communicate your humanity in a way where someone you've never met likes you. It's a small group of people. So I went straight to Richard Allen Turner and I was like, I advise you as quick as humanly possible to see the however old you were you weren't very old I think 22 yeah 22 23 something like that because someone else will that's what happened and then the same and the same thing happened 10 years later with I didn't do this because it sounds like I'm claiming no no no I'm about to say it he's done it for you've done it you did it for Sterling you did it for Rob Beckett Judy Love Judy Love yeah loads of people loads of sound as fuck I just I just

30:16Rosie Ramsey:but you love comedy as well and the thing is i can't bear people from working class backgrounds that or of whatever your gender or racial who not getting the recognition probably not getting the recognition um not in a left-wing token way but people just don't spend enough time just double checking there isn't a working class person with talent i'm not saying promote someone who isn't talented so we've got representation what i'm saying is you're going to need to that rock pool full of black women, right? So maybe just spend an extra week or two just double checking because it doesn't get looked in enough.

30:51We've got the white posh person pool over there. It's always going to be there and we should totally hire the funniest, most qualified people from that pool. But you need to spend longer looking for the equally talented person in that pool. That's what people misunderstand. They think I'm saying, well, just hire a black woman for it. No, I'm not saying that. I'm saying hunt a bit longer in diverse groups. and the reason you should do it is not not so we can all have a fluffy hug about how representative we are is everyone makes more fucking money everyone has a more interesting show if i'm starting an ad agency do i really want five guys from essex working class backgrounds no of course not because if i get i don't know nestle come in with a new product well that's a bad example say nestle come in with a new drinking product i want to know what posh twat went to eat and thinks i also want to know what she who grew up in a tower block with a bangladeshi mother thing the idea that might make a million pounds it's just common sense to have a more diverse mix of opinions to create more interesting art it's just common sense it's not lefty it's just ambitious so you, I remember I'll never forget right I were in York York City Screen Cinema other side comedy club downstairs and I was sitting yeah and I was sitting talking and I said I'm about to sign I said at the promoter I said I'm about to sign with this small small management agency in Manchester who ran a comedy club i'm gonna sign with them they're gonna be my agent and he went russell went what what's this and i went i'm signing there and yeah fucking fit i thought you're gonna hit us really his face your face his face dropped and he went out and he came back in and you went don't you went i wasn't gonna say anything but don't you went i've been speaking to avalon about you do not sign to that person and you got a meeting set it up and avalon signed me and put me hosting the comedy zone which was the edinburgh showcase without seeing us do a second of stand-up i didn't know on your recommendations oh gosh don't look a cry

32:42Rosie Ramsey:oh that is so lovely I've always wanted to thank you I've got a lot of cover sticking in the corner of my eyes I don't appreciate my two if you make my two chocles piss down my cheeks that's pretty I've always known how much you've really respected you didn't need to say that and I don't I almost don't like you saying it because everything you've built you've built it's going to become a bit cringy now most of me said it was because of how uncomfortable it would make you yeah

33:13Rosie Ramsey:we've got two seconds to talk about your new book i've read it it's really really lovely how old are your kids 10 and 5 right so it's for the five-year-old yeah bang on absolutely i've got another one for the 10 year old that was out last year pet selector okay all right weirdly pet selectors has now been started selling again and is selling as much as that one weirdly amazing even though that was the year before I know it's so sweet first of all have I ever told you about Russell's cats that he had well this is I can tell that you love cats by the book it's very much an order you can remember when I stayed at your house in Essex you had your two cats yeah can you tell Rosie what the cats were called Wayne and Keith and do you know what they're called now Terry and Donna fantastic Wayne and Keith trained them first person I've ever met in my life who trained a cat those cats were like dogs that's right can you remember when you You could hold them and you could rub them around the floor.

34:05I've got three dogs and three cats. If I click a train, if I click, they all come, they all sit, they all high five in a row. Six. Multi-species. You see I get obsessed with stuff. This man hyper-focuses on anything he does. I love pets. So I did a first book, which was a dog and cat breed guide for children. So if you like, say you want to get a schnauzer or you want to get a Burmese cat, you can look up the breed profiles. and then I got um my new dog which was a chihuahua and I tried to introduce him to our Burmese cat Terry now as Chris will know about having met my last Burmese cat they're not like normal cats they're very needy they follow you around the downside of that the difference between a dog and a cat is a cat's body is linked to its territory so if another cat puts a foot in the garden it's the same as me grabbing you by the wrist that's what so the cat's brains are wired to territory.

35:00It's very, very hard to bring new animals into a cat's territory. Right. Whereas dogs, their body, you've just got to make sure you do the issues in their rights. It's much easier. Unbelievable. So, but a Burmese cat is like that on steroids. They're obsessed with their owner. They get lonely. They can destroy the house through boredom. They're basically a dog in a cat's body, but you don't have to walk them and they bury their own shit, which is why I always say to houses like, we can't get a dog, consider a Burmese cat's compromise. I brought Brian in and I thought the cat was going to die. It stopped eating.

35:33No. We did 1 ,300 quid in vet spills. I was insured, thankfully. And he was like, your cat's just fretting. It's where we'd petted the chihuahua in front of him. So I tell him my publisher this while I was having a meeting about the previous book and she was laughing because I was saying, he's been with a lavender hanky. He's a cat priest having first rights. And she was like, turn that into a book for like the junior Donaldson age. because not many men write for that age group. Men always want to write, it's a boy wizard or it's a grandma with a secret life and it's 600 pages and it's for boys.

36:07Whereas for some reason, men seem reluctant to write for these very young groups. You get a few. Yeah, we did what ours was, but yeah, we did it.

36:16Rosie Ramsey:We did it for that age group. And it's such, like, I think reading with children is one of the most magical things in the world. It's so good, isn't it? It's like that, just that little bit of connection before bed. That's lovely. And yeah, that's why we did it. videos of their kids reading our book before but i was weeping every time yeah it's so special i was so happy so have your kids your little one read this yet no i've only got it today it's called when brian met terry which i know sounds like a 90s educational pamphlet about gay relationships it's a it's it's the it's that story but it doesn't matter if you've only got one kid or if your kids have got big age gaps but underneath it is a story of bringing a new cuter thing into a household the resident thing emotionally struggling with that and learning to love your sibling yeah could be siblings someone else in the class step parents learning how to get along with someone who initially made you feel threatened like you weren't the center of the love yeah that's what's underneath it but you don't have to read it that way you can just read it as a funny book with a dramatic cat and a chihuahua called brian it's very you corded as well it's very it's just it's it's really good i was really impressed is your cat okay now yeah Yeah, it was fine.

37:24It just took time. And so something really interesting happened, which was then we got the second chihuahua and I was like, right, I've got to go through this again. And the cat didn't react. It went like that. Went up and sniffed it and just walked past. I was like, hey. And the same thing happened when we got the third chihuahua. So I looked into the science of it.

37:41Rosie Ramsey:You got three chihuahuas? Three. Holy shit. That's how much masculinity I'm packing. I didn't just say you'd walk in three chihuahuas. Remind me to see what happened with my mum's partner in a minute. Okay. And so I realised cats can't tell quantity. They can only tell the presence of a thing. So if a cat has a litter of kittens and it goes out to use the loo and you take seven of its eight kittens away and leave one, as long as it can't hear the others, it will have no conception that any kittens are missing. It can't count. It can only tell thing there, thing not there. And I thought, that's another fucking book.

38:12It teaches numeracy. The idea that cats can't count is very funny. so that's what I'm working on it's a call cut, it can't count it will be so my mum's got an alpha male knuckle dragger like Essex silverback boyfriend stop shaking my mum he said to me he said to my daughter are you going to walk down the street with that and they looked at me, aren't you embarrassed that's what the gays have, it's a rat on a lead and my daughter was really upset and then even me with all my liberal don't care what anyone thinks you know i'd walk down the street in a tight pink t-shirt if it took if it took my fancy i was a bit like is it weird i'm walking down is it like i'm trying to say something so i went out with this tiny chihuahua on a lead in a pink jacket because obviously i've got a daughter so she's always in pink not obviously that's the way she expresses her toxic femininity and i went down the street and then you start to notice the dogs everyone's got and everyone that had the masculine dogs like the Chechenian zombie death fuck or whatever dog people are.

39:20Yeah, Chechenian zombie death fuck. It's a proper dog. It's got two skulls and both kill children. And as I walked down the street, all the men with the Rottweilers, they were all being stopped by other men that looked like them. They might as well have been touching dicks across the dog's head.

39:37Rosie Ramsey:Yeah. Who do you think stopped me? All the fit women. Oh, let me stroke it. You like that? You like dirty stuff? So don't overthink it, lads. we've got to do this question I think you'd be a really good person to ask this we're thinking about getting a dog I always wanted a golden retriever right genuinely because it's fun with your children get my book I'll send you a copy Pet Selector I wrote it it's matching your energy your resources and your time to the dog breed not a dog that looks nice that I've seen in the high street what if you've got the energy to walk if it's pissing snow and you've got two records how much energy you actually have if you have none yeah you're looking at a chihuahua or a pug just be honest but also bear in mind how much training chihuahuas are what i call an advanced dog a lot of training my chihuahuas would come in like this soft as anything a lot of work yeah yeah it's advanced training but easy to look after king charles spaniel's a good compromise for people like you this is interesting of course an obsessive person so I know that he would match the pet be honest I want gundog I want like I want it pointing a chip with its nose like in case you're going to North Shields yeah exactly I've got to protect that friend as I was at all costs people get down awareness right let's do this story then dear Chris and Rosie please keep me anonymous we will Kelly I suffer quite badly with eczema getting a bone up and I I suffer quite badly with eczema.

41:15Or eczema. Sorry, that woman used to call it.

41:18Rosie Ramsey:Eczema. That's not great, is it? I used to work in a nursery and there was a mum who would be like, Henry's eczema's flaring up. You know when you want to stab someone? Sounds like a superhero. Eczema. I am eczema. Hit him with my flags.

41:33Sorry, it's not very nice to the listener. I suffer quite badly with eczema. And during COVID, I had a bad flare up. Do you know what it is? I don't mind people that have eczema. I'm just not a fan of the word flare-up. Flare-up's upsetting. And the other thing is, if I was on a first date and someone used the word bout, there wouldn't be a second date. A bout of such and... If you're a bouty person...

41:53Rosie Ramsey:Get a bout of like... A bout of gout. A bout of the eczema. It could be a bout of anything. A bout of gout. It's got to be a bout of gout. My mum told me I needed a doctor's appointment to get a repeat prescription. I called the contact docs on my phone and they didn't answer. I left a voicemail with my name, date of birth, address and telephone number. in the voicemail I explained my symptoms and went into great lengths about the areas of my body it was affecting so you should call the doctor's surgery I think we can both possibly anticipate that maybe it wasn't the doctors a few days later and no response so I called again and left all my details and my worsening symptoms which at this point had reached some of my intimate areas oh god oh it is about isn't it a few days went on and still no word my mum asked if I'd rung the correct practice When I read out the number, as she put it into her phone, she gasped and then erupted in laughter, calling in the whole family to hear.

42:45My mum then reveals that the number I've been leaving these voicemails on is Doc's, the local chippy.

42:55Rosie Ramsey:I did not see that at all. I live in a small town, so it is where everyone goes. And I know people who work there. It then dawned on me I'd left two voicemails with every single detail of my life and my terrible eczema. I haven't been into doctors since and now travel six miles further to a different chippy that doesn't know about my ailments or offer me a side of diprobase with my meal. I'm assuming that's a medication. I give myself the ick any time I think about it. Oh, no. I did not see the chippy coming. That's spectacular. Do you know what's worse is a chippy is a traditional queuing food.

43:29most takeaways you can go in and out but you have to stand in line with other locals while you wait for the next to not go Chicago bag with flaked sea salt last time last time I stood in the queue for a chip I don't know if I've told this on the podcast you know this last time I stood in the queue for our local chipie there'd been a documentary on the telly about the Ritz and the head chef at the Ritz is from South Shields really and I was standing in the queue right and the lady behind bear in mind this is the chipie that was at my school I used to wear for school dinners and I'm standing in the queue and one of the ladies behind the counter she went Chris whole chippy turns and looks at us I went yeah she went when you're in London do you go into the Ritz and I thought and I didn't know she was talking about it I thought oh fuck I went I have been before and everyone's like straight away like ugh she went in front of everyone next time you're there right if you speak to the head chef tell me I accept my friend request on Facebook we went to school together that's what I'm talking about that's not acceptable I went okay fucking hell did you do it no I've never met I've never met the fucking chef I don't even know

44:33Rosie Ramsey:is it still do you know what I like if I have a treat I'm quite healthy but if I have a treat food I like fish and chips and I'm struggling to adjust to the northern fish and chips well you lived in South Island there's so many things I don't recognise and things that are on my menu we have something called rock eel which is a bit of fish with a spine it's the easiest fish to eat it's one spine it's like a type of eel and all the fish have got like different names up north, like Bobby Dazzlers or whatever. And then everyone puts gravy on everything. And I struggle. I'm like, a chip, for me, a chip that's soggy and mush, you wouldn't accept that, would you?

45:12So I don't understand the impulse to immediately turn it to mush as soon as, like, you know, like dementia food that a nana would eat all mashed up. And my in-laws, Lindsay, and a lot of them, It's almost like a heroin issue with gravy. When we get the Sunday lunch, I'll need extra gravy, please. Can everyone get an extra gravy bag? And the things have gone invisible. It's just like one Sprouts singing Oasis in the middle going, Sally, can we... And it's just... We do love gravy. My in-law probably gets waterboarded by my father-in-law with gravy at night for a kink. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. It is so true.

45:51What is it?

45:52Rosie Ramsey:I don't know. We do love gravy in the north. I like it. We love a condiment. I think that's a Northern thing. And that condiment, I'm in vain. Can you not remember the soccer AM? The condiment is bigger than the food. Not my soccer AM back in the day, man. Gravy. Northern boys love gravy. Do you really? Do you know what I've never had, which really upsets us? Go on. I've never had, like, eel and mash, and, like, the sauce from London. Yeah, pie and mash. Pie and mash. I've never had it, and I really want it. It's easy to make at home, but it's the liquor that's part of me. I want to go somewhere and have the liquor and the mash and the pies.

46:23Rosie Ramsey:I've seen this. It's like a sort of thin parsley sauce that's less milky. It's like a more watery, fragrant parsley gravy. It's fucking amazing. That's what I want. Double pie, double mash, double chips. Wallop. Let's go. I want to go. We need to find a good one. Sounds like hell. Sounds like hell and I'm not coming. I've not had many treat foods because recently I had to do the most crazy photo shoot I've ever done in my life. My wife's got another biz... Can't be crazier than heat toss over the week holding two tyres. It was crazier than that. No way. If you've got a phone, we'll Google it. So I'm talking about, I do have got a longevity.

46:57I do talk about staying young and all that. So I've got an opportunity to do an interview.

47:00Rosie Ramsey:We Googled how old you were just before you came. I got an opportunity to do men's fitness. So I did the phone interview and he was like, are you in shape? I went, yeah, I am. And I sent a picture and he was like, if you can drop X percent body fat, we'll put you on the cover. But you've got three weeks. So I did it and I was the cover of Men's Fitness April. That's cool. Wow. My fucking age. Look at that. That was fucking incredible, but it's left me with a hangover of being a bit controlled about what I eat, so I want to get rid of that. Yeah, go and get some pine masha. Some fish and chips on.

47:30Get a big fucking pint of gravy with it as well. Get in, I, way I. Because I'm from Essex, I'll put a thin layer of sambuca on top and fucking light it. That's how Georgie's and Essex can party together. Yes, exactly. Russell, it's been a pleasure. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thanks for having me.

47:47Rosie Ramsey:We're done, we're done, we're done.

47:52Doụ du этих voice in the Do March

From the publisher

On today's podcast Chris and Rosie are joined by comedian, author and actor, Russell Kane!

The trio discuss Sanddancers, life as an omnivert, and an unforgettable night in Berlin!

Russell chats about his kids book When Brian Met Terry and his upcoming role as Romeo in the forth coming production of Romeo and Juliet which is takes place in September at The New Vic in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

All of this plus a nostalgic look back to when Russell and Chris first met and a brilliant Please Keep Me Anonymous story!

For tickets to Romeo and Juliet newvictheatre.org.uk/book-tickets
You can find both Russell's Children's books - Pet Selector and When Brian Met Terry at all good bookshops and online.

If you want to get involved and have your stories and voice
notes included on the podcast, then get in touch!

📧: shaggedmarriedannoyed@gmail.com

📱: 07874 406650

You can watch the podcast on the Shagged Married Annoyed
YouTube channel: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube.com/@shagged.married.annoyed

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