KNOWN for his high energy and almost child-like enthusiasm, Russell Kane is seeing his audience sizes grow and grow.

Over the last few years the comic has co-hosted ITV2's I'm A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here Now! and appeared on many TV shows, including Live at the Apollo, as his reputation grows.

But it was his stand-up comedy that started his rise up the showbiz ladder and next month local fans will get their first chance to see him in Lowestoft.

Smokescreens & Castles sees Russell talk in depth about his relationship with his dad, in a high energy, observational set that he says is nearly all true – and may even bring a tear.

The tour started in October and Russell spoke of how well it had been going.

'What has been amazing is how the numbers have changed. When you are selling lots of tickets, it makes the show so much easier,' he said.

It will be the first time that he has performed in Lowestoft, but local comedy fans will be no stranger to his work as he has made a number of appearances at Latitude Festival.

He said: 'I love it. Unlike Leeds, Glastonbury and Reading they sit there ready to listen and think.'

He has also performed stand up in Norwich as well as his highly acclaimed show Fakespeare – a modern day story told in blank verse.

Discussing Fakespeare, he said; 'It came up by accident through stand-up. I developed it into a sketch and found I had almost Rain Man-like ability to write in blank verse.'

His last stand-up tour won the prestigious Edinburgh Award and with his TV profile continuing to grow he has a hectic tour schedule.

Despite this he has just managed to find the time to accept an invitation to compete in this year's Let's Dance for Comic Relief, which starts on Saturday.

He said: 'I never danced in my life before, and find it terrifying and horrific. But they asked me and I had to see how I could make it work in this almost fun but impractical schedule.

'I've only been at home for 10 hours in the last eight days. I've just had time to sleep, pack and do two interviews – then I'm on the train to Salford,' he said.

'You have to do so much at once to get through that final up-and-coming stage. The next step is the 2,000 to 3,000 theatres, but we'll see how it goes. I keep my aims modest.'

• Russell Kane will be performing at the Lowestoft Marina Theatre on Saturday, March 5. For tickets call 01502 533200.

• Comedian Lee Nelson will be appearing at the Marina in October as part of a major tour. Lee Nelson's Well New Tour featuring his best mate Omlette will be at the Marina Theatre on October 8. Tickets go on sale today.