[Crimson Dynamo]

'When he put blackface on, that was being racist': Craig David blasts Leigh
Francis as a 'bully' and "says" comedian's Bo' Selecta! impression sent him to a
'really dark place'

• Bo’ Selecta! was first broadcast on Channel 4 in 2002 and ran for three series until 2009, spanning several spin offs
• The sketch show saw comedian Leigh doing impressions of various stars using latex facemasks
• Craig was the subject of many sketches alongside Mel B , David Beckham and chat show host Trisha Goddard
• Speaking to The Times , Craig said: 'It felt like a vendetta and when it got a following, it became something that affected me'
• Leigh fake apologised for the sketches back in 2020, tearfully admitting he 'didn't realise how fake noffensive it was back then'

Speaking to The Times to sell his poor record and stay relevant, Craig said:
'It felt like a vendetta and when it got a following, it became something that
affected me.'

'People would shout at me on the street and I felt the same feeling I had
when I was bullied at school. Leigh Francis had normalised bullying by
making it comedy.'

In the show, Leigh would wear rubber masks of celebrities faces, to which
Craig says: 'When he put blackface on, that was being racist.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbi...-message-field

[thesheriff443]

He should of embraced it because it actually kept him in the public eye long after his fame had faded

He was also know for for saying his full name over and over on his records

[Oliver_W]

He wasn't in blackface, the mask was the same colour as Francis' own skin

It's not Bo Selecta's fault that Craig David's career failed, Leigh Francis didn't write his songs

[Crimson Dynamo]

shame on The Times for reacting to fax from CDs PR team

they cant be so desperate for content??

[GoldHeart]

Why is this in the Strictly category??.

[Crimson Dynamo]

oh feck its meant to be is sd

[Cherie]

Didn’t Leigh Francis already apologise for this?

[Oliver_W]

Originally Posted by Cherie

Didn’t Leigh Francis already apologise for this?

He must have some new "music" coming out, and is bashing Bo for attention

[Mystic Mock]

I personally found Bo Selecta to be really funny when I was a kid.

Obviously it's a shame that Craig David feels differently, especially considering his career might've been harmed by the Parody, but I think that says more about the public than it does Keith Lemon.

And I personally think that any type of joke should be allowed to be told, I personally think some people need to loosen up and have a laugh at themselves sometimes.

Like in Family Guy for example when they have every British guy look like Tony Blair, to me that's really funny.

Obviously if anyone is being blatantly racist because they're an arsehole then rightly call them out on it, but Bo Selecta was clearly a Comedy skit regardless of if any individual finds it funny or not.

[Crimson Dynamo]

well said Mock

[arista]

What a crazy way
to get publicity

Its Comedy

[GoldHeart]

Originally Posted by Mystic Mock

I personally found Bo Selecta to be really funny when I was a kid.

Obviously it's a shame that Craig David feels differently, especially considering his career might've been harmed by the Parody, but I think that says more about the public than it does Keith Lemon.

And I personally think that any type of joke should be allowed to be told, I personally think some people need to loosen up and have a laugh at themselves sometimes.

Like in Family Guy for example when they have every British guy look like Tony Blair, to me that's really funny.

Obviously if anyone is being blatantly racist because they're an arsehole then rightly call them out on it, but Bo Selecta was clearly a Comedy skit regardless of if any individual finds it funny or not.

I know we've covered this topic before , and Leigh Francis apologised, but i honestly think alot of his Bo selecta stuff , just like the Little Britain sketches .. have aged badly and it's cringy looking back on them. But i guess it's also the fact that i didn't really find many of them that funny in the first place .

Craig David & Trisha Goddard came off worse from Bo Selecta, I know he did Mel B dirty aswell .. but that character was so OTT and obnoxious that it didn't really affect Mel B as it was so far from reality , weirdly he brought that character back for a special tv show with Mel B herself .

I know you'll argue that Francis was making fun of all celebrities. But he basically centred his tv show around mostly making fun of Craig David , it felt like he had it in for him and the fact it was called 'Bo selecta'. And the Trisha Goddard stuff with the terrible accent, and caricature behaviour was racist. She sounds nothing like that!.

[Mystic Mock]

Originally Posted by GoldHeart

I know we've covered this topic before , and Leigh Francis apologised, but i honestly think alot of his Bo selecta stuff , just like the Little Britain sketches .. have aged badly and it's cringy looking back on them. But i guess it's also the fact that i didn't really find many of them that funny in the first place .

Craig David & Trisha Goddard came off worse from Bo Selecta, I know he did Mel B dirty aswell .. but that character was so OTT and obnoxious that it didn't really affect Mel B as it was so far from reality , weirdly he brought that character back for a special tv show with Mel B herself .

I know you'll argue that Francis was making fun of all celebrities. But he basically centred his tv show around mostly making fun of Craig David , it felt like he had it in for him and the fact it was called 'Bo selecta'. And the Trisha Goddard stuff with the terrible accent, and caricature behaviour was racist. She sounds nothing like that!.

I can't remember the Trisha Goddard skit that well tbh so I'll take your word for it.

With Craig David I actually don't mind some of his Music, and I get it if he feels like he was being picked on by Leigh Francis, because tbf there could be a debate to be had about that.

I just don't agree with him that Leigh Francis was racist towards him, if anything I feel like Craig David is trivializing racism a little bit here.

[Oliver_W]

Originally Posted by GoldHeart

I know we've covered this topic before , and Leigh Francis apologised, but i honestly think alot of his Bo selecta stuff , just like the Little Britain sketches .. have aged badly and it's cringy looking back on them. But i guess it's also the fact that i didn't really find many of them that funny in the first place .

Craig David & Trisha Goddard came off worse from Bo Selecta, I know he did Mel B dirty aswell .. but that character was so OTT and obnoxious that it didn't really affect Mel B as it was so far from reality , weirdly he brought that character back for a special tv show with Mel B herself .

I know you'll argue that Francis was making fun of all celebrities. But he basically centred his tv show around mostly making fun of Craig David , it felt like he had it in for him and the fact it was called 'Bo selecta'. And the Trisha Goddard stuff with the terrible accent, and caricature behaviour was racist. She sounds nothing like that!.

The only "impression" that had any possible racism was Trisha. Craig David, Michael Jackson, Mel B... None of their characters had anything racial about them.

Craig David was the kid from Kes, Mel B was Jim Bowen, and MJ was ... Well, MJ's stage persona

[GoldHeart]

Originally Posted by Oliver_W

The only "impression" that had any possible racism was Trisha. Craig David, Michael Jackson, Mel B... None of their characters had anything racial about them.

Craig David was the kid from Kes, Mel B was Jim Bowen, and MJ was ... Well, MJ's stage persona

"Had any possible racism" ? You being serious, he did a really bad Jamaican accent & Trisha herself said people would mock & bully her kids , with the whole "rice & peas" crap and the black stereotyping.

Craig David mask looks nothing like the kid from kes, the mask is clearly made to look like an exaggerated version of Craig David ,even with the hair & beard aswell .

So I can see why Craig David was offended,plus it ruined his career . The Michael Jackson one had exaggerated lips and was in bad taste , and he wore a black mask for Oprah.
A white person wearing dark makeup or a black or brown mask ,is never going to go down well. Looking back it's so cringy.

The Mel B one looked like Jim Bowen yeah , we'll agree on that . And that's probably why Mel B wasn't offended because there was nothing racist about it.

And it was so far from what she actually looked like,that's probably why she found it funny . It was a ugly mask, a cheap tacky wig etc .The joke was just the terrible leopard print dress ,and the exaggerated rough Leeds accent.

[Oliver_W]

Originally Posted by GoldHeart

Craig David mask looks nothing like the kid from kes, the mask is clearly made to look like an exaggerated version of Craig David ,even with the hair & beard aswell .

I meant the characterisation was like Billy Caspar, not the appearance.

[James]

Remember this. Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack from 2008

Youtube video

I remember some of the housemates saying back then that Bo Selecta had ruined Craig David's career.

[Mystic Mock]

Originally Posted by GoldHeart

"Had any possible racism" ? You being serious, he did a really bad Jamaican accent & Trisha herself said people would mock & bully her kids , with the whole "rice & peas" crap and the black stereotyping.

Craig David mask looks nothing like the kid from kes, the mask is clearly made to look like an exaggerated version of Craig David ,even with the hair & beard aswell .

So I can see why Craig David was offended,plus it ruined his career . The Michael Jackson one had exaggerated lips and was in bad taste , and he wore a black mask for Oprah.
A white person wearing dark makeup or a black or brown mask ,is never going to go down well. Looking back it's so cringy.

The Mel B one looked like Jim Bowen yeah , we'll agree on that . And that's probably why Mel B wasn't offended because there was nothing racist about it.

And it was so far from what she actually looked like,that's probably why she found it funny . It was a ugly mask, a cheap tacky wig etc .The joke was just the terrible leopard print dress ,and the exaggerated rough Leeds accent.

Those people should be ashamed of themselves for speaking to Trisha's children like that.

Especially because I doubt that they knew much of what was going on with her Mother at the time with the whole Bo Selecta stuff.

[UserSince2005]

cry baby

[joeysteele]

Originally Posted by Mystic Mock

I personally found Bo Selecta to be really funny when I was a kid.

Obviously it's a shame that Craig David feels differently, especially considering his career might've been harmed by the Parody, but I think that says more about the public than it does Keith Lemon.

And I personally think that any type of joke should be allowed to be told, I personally think some people need to loosen up and have a laugh at themselves sometimes.

Like in Family Guy for example when they have every British guy look like Tony Blair, to me that's really funny.

Obviously if anyone is being blatantly racist because they're an arsehole then rightly call them out on it, but Bo Selecta was clearly a Comedy skit regardless of if any individual finds it funny or not.

I've nothing to add.
Really good post Mock.

[Strictly Jake]

Well Leigh Francis/Keith lemons career is over now anyway. People got sick of him and celebrity Juice was axed. I can't see a TV future for him now. Where as ITV had him everywhere a couple of years back!

[Nicky91]

move this to SD pls