An entertainer has apologised after including rude lyrics in a children's song.
Singing Kettle star Artie Trezise was forced to say sorry when his misjudged gag went down very badly with a crowd of kids.
The singer was performing at Stirling’s Albert Halls in Scotland last weekend to a room packed full of youngsters and their parents.
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During his set, the 76-year-old tweaked the lyrics of the children's song 'You cannae shove your granny aff a bus'.
Inspired by rock band The LaFontaines, who went viral a few years ago with their version, Trezise instead sang the words 'you cannae get your granny aff the drugs'.
Meant as a cheeky one for the parents in the room, the joke fell flat, with mums and dads appalled and their little ones a bit confused.
Speaking about the incident, Trezise said he had learnt his lesson and wouldn't be making the same mistake twice.
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“I didn’t sing the song but did recite two lines of it for adults in the audience," he said.
"The parody by The LaFontaines goes down a storm and I’m flattered that the band were Singing Kettle fans as kids.
“The thought that audiences would think I condoned drug-taking and wasn’t sympathetic to families who have to deal with those problems upsets me.”
The performer added: “It has been a lesson for me. The public can be assured I won’t be mentioning the song again.
“My heart goes out to families of young people who lost their lives in Glasgow on a weekend night out recently. It’s ironic that ‘cannae shove your granny’ has caused some controversy.
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"When we sang it originally we had to remind non-Scots audiences that the first word is ‘cannae’. Lots of folk thought we were telling kids to shove their granny off the bus.”
One parent who was there said it left him having an awkward conversation with his child.
He said: “I think Artie thought it would be funny for the mums and dads but it went down like a lead balloon. He maybe didn’t realise that it was inappropriate.
“The crowd had been really noisy but a hush fell when he finished that bit. My five-year-old asked me why he changed the words and wanted to know what the drug terms meant.”
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But not everyone who witnessed the set was so upset by Trezise's lyrics.
Writing on social media, one woman said that it was a great show.
“Definitely a show for all ages," her review read on the Singing Kettle page.
The Singing Kettle was first performed 40 years ago by Trezise and his wife Cilla Fisher. It went on to become one of the biggest shows on TV, winning a Bafta for Best Children’s TV Programme.
Dominic Smithers