Keith Lemon tells Craig David to ‘stop talking’ about Bo’ Selecta! impersonation to ‘move on’ from feud

The Celebrity Juice star is potentially reawakening a decades-long feud with Craig David after he responded to recent comments from the singer by saying that he should “stop talking” about his impersonation on Bo’Selecta.

Keith Lemon, whose real name is Leigh Francis, created and starred in the Channel 4 sketch show from 2002 till 2009.

In the show, the comedian, from Leeds, impersonated a multitude of celebrities, through exaggerated caricatures such as Michael Jackson, David Blaine, and Trisha Goddard.

Keith dressed up in blackface to portray Craig’s character and included other details such as his recognisable 90s facial hair, big headphones and beanie.

The seven days singer publicly branded Keith a "bully" and a "racist," and the comedian responded by apologising for what he had done in the past, however his words weren’t accepted.

Craig, 41, from Southampton, took a long break from his music career following the Bo’ Selecta! caricature, as he felt that being mocked by both the comedian and viewers had a bad impact on his mental health.

Although Keith apologised, it was branded as “insincere” by the singer and now the Celebrity Juice host has suggested that he should just “stop talking about it” and “move on” from the past.

At the time, fans seemed to enjoy the bizarre Bo Selecta impressions, but it’s been a decade and Craig David is still seething at his depiction on the Channel 4 show.

Keith Lemon revealed that he thought they had resolved their issues in 2014, when they attended Fearne Cotton’s wedding. He even admitted that the pair  "hugged it out" at the event and was led to believe that “everything was nice” between them.

However since then Craig has continued to blast the comedian, saying that he "ruined his life."

Keith spoke to The Sun in response to the criticism, saying: "Most people are happy with their portrayal on Bo’ Selecta!. Apart from someone we know who wasn’t.”

“The only way it’s ever going to go away from him, if he feels people are going on about it, is to stop talking about it.”

"It’s ages ago, isn’t it? It is, 20 years ago. I wish he wasn’t upset," he added.

In 2020, the Leeds-born comedian, publicly apologised to Craig, Mel B and Trisha Goddard for the way he caricatured the black celebrities on the sketch show.

He tearfully said: "I want to say sorry for any upset I caused whether I was Michael Jackson, Craig David or Trisha Goddard... all people who I am a big fan of.” He added: "I guess we’re all on a learning journey."

After Keith made his apology, a spokesperson for Channel 4 also addressed the subject, saying: "We support Leigh in his decision to reflect on Bo Selecta in light of recent events and we’ve agreed with him to remove the show from the All 4 archive."