Leeds comedian Leigh Francis apologises for playing black celebrities on Bo’ Selecta

Leeds-born comedian Leigh Francis has issued a tearful apology for portraying black celebrities on sketch show Bo’ Selecta.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The comic, who was born in Beeston, played stars including king of pop Michael Jackson, singer Craig David and talkshow host Trisha Goddard on the show, which first aired in 2002.

Francis – who plays the Keith Lemon character on TV – used latex facemasks for his caricatures of famous faces.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Amid a renewed focus on the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd, Francis said he had “done a lot of talking and learning” and decided to apologise.

Leigh Francis (photo: Ian West/PA Wire).Leigh Francis (photo: Ian West/PA Wire).
Leigh Francis (photo: Ian West/PA Wire).

In a tearful video posted to Instagram, 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.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“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.”

In the caption, Francis, 47, apologised again and used the hashtag #blacklivesmatter.

Francis, also known for his work on ITV panel show Celebrity Juice, was one of millions of social media users to take part in Blackout Tuesday, posting a black square to highlight racial inequalties.

It follows the death last month of Mr Floyd, who died in police custody in the US city of Minneapolis, sparking protests around the world.

_________________________________________

A message from the Editor:

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Thank you for reading this story on our website. These are challenging times but the team at the Yorkshire Evening Post need your support more than ever in the weeks ahead.

While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you. In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you - wherever possible and providing it is safe for you to do so - to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Inevitably falling advertising revenues will start to have an impact on local newspapers and the way we continue to work during this period of uncertainty. So the support of our readers has never been more important as we try to make sure that we keep you connected with the city you live in during this time. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. We need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

Our team of trusted reporters are working incredibly hard behind the scenes - from kitchen tables and spare bedrooms - to look at how we can do this and your continued support to the YEP will help to protect its viability in the days and weeks ahead.

For more details on our subscription offers please visit www.localsubsplus.co.uk/YEP, email [email protected] or call us on 0330 4033004

Thank you

Laura Collins

Editor

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.