aaamusic | On 13, Jun 2013

Russell Kane is funny. And has been getting funnier the more we’ve been accustomed to him. He’s also undeniably brave – something both his material and choice of TV shows has demonstrated (e.g. BBC Three’s new talent sketch show Live at the Electric). Funny and brave. This makes the Enfield-born 32 year old the ideal candidate for Barclaycard Unwind’s ‘The Smile Experiment’, in which Kane is tasked with making unsuspecting members of the public smile. Be it popping up on the top floor of a bus, stopping by somebody sat on a park bench, or turning up in a student lecture, this project shows that people are always willing to be offered the chance to smile. More often than not, however, people progress from a smile to a laugh – he is a comedian after all!

The whole project stems from Barclaycard’s celebration of the range of perks that their ‘entertainment platform’ Barclaycard Unwind are offering; perks that are bringing a smile to an ever-growing number of people – hence this Smile Experiment. Fittingly, one of these perks is offers on stand-up comedy, so who better than Russell Kane to help steer this campaign in the direction of the public…

Kane has said: “The British public is well known for its sense of humour and the Smile Experiment certainly put it to the test. It seems that no matter how strange or mundane the situation, comedy has the infectious power to transform our mood and the way we look at the world. The video is incredibly awkward but also strangely compelling.”

The video shows Russell Kane stopping by in locations that are normally considered ‘smile-less’ – like the workplace, the commute, the exercise class, the lecture hall – and attempting to crack some fairly self-deprecating jokes in order to conjure up some laughter. The results are sometimes cringe-worthy, but nothing short of hilarious.

AAAmusic urges you to check out the video, which can be streamed from right here…

Did this give you your #Smileaday?

Sponsored by Barclaycard