Star of Celebrity Juice, Leigh Francis, has taken to Instagram to issue an apology for a past TV show, where he portrayed a number of black celebrities. Back in 2002, Francis created popular show Bo’ Selecta, a sketch show in which he would portray parody versions of celebrities.
Within the lineup of characters there were a number of famous black people parodied, such as Craig David, Trisha and Michael Jackson. Now, following the amplification of the Black Lives Matter movement, the comic actor has taken to Instagram in an emotional post to apologise for playing such roles.
In his post, he said, “It’s been a weird few days, I’ve sat and thought about things and what I could post to try and help things.”
“Back in 2002 I did a show called Bo’ Selecta, I portrayed many Black people. Back then I didn’t think anything about it, people didn’t say anything, I’m not going to blame other people.
“Been talking to some people, I didn’t realise how offensive it was back then.
“I just want to apologise, I just want to say sorry for any upset I caused whether I was Michael Jackson, Craig David, Trisha Goddard, all people I’m a big fan of. I guess we’re all on a learning journey.”
The 47-year-old actor, best-known for his role at Keith Lemon, apologises again in his caption. Francis also took part in Blackout Tuesday on social media, along with the rest of the world who posted a black square to highlight racial inequalities.
Bo’ Selecta ran for five series between 2002 and 2009, becoming an instant classic with comedy fans in the UK. The show caricatured huge stars such as David Blaine, Elton John, Mel B, and most famously Craig David – who was parodied as a struggling artist who carried around his pet bird, Kes. The show famously coined ‘Craig Daaaavid’, which resulted in quite the feud between Leigh Francis and the singer.
[Featured image: Channel 4]
