British Comedy Guide
Bo' Selecta!. Leigh Francis
Bo' Selecta!

Bo' Selecta!

  • TV sketch show
  • Channel 4
  • 2002 - 2009
  • 32 episodes (4 series)

Sketch comedy series starring Leigh Francis as Avid Merrion, Transylvania's biggest celebrity fan.

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Press clippings Page 2

Why blackface is offensive: history of the racist trope

"The representation of black people as caricatures was part of a process of undermining their full humanity, which in turn served to justify unequal and degrading treatment".

Serina Sandhu, i Newspaper, 11th June 2020

Netflix censors comedy shows, solves police brutality

Apparently cancelling The League of Gentlemen and The Mighty Boosh was the key to solving racism all along.

Spiked, 11th June 2020

Trisha Goddard: Leigh Francis emboldened casual racism

Trisha Goddard has said that Leigh Francis' use of blackface on Bo' Selecta "emboldened casual racism", while revealing that she has accepted his recent apology for the comedy sketches.

Adam White, The Independent, 9th June 2020

Little Britain removed from streaming platforms

Hit BBC Three sketch show Little Britain has been removed from many streaming platforms, reportedly due to its use of cross-dressing and portrayals of ethnic minorities.

British Comedy Guide, 9th June 2020

Leigh Francis apologises for playing black people

Leigh Francis has issued a tearful apology for dressing up as black celebrities in Bo' Selecta!.

The Sun, 5th June 2020

Bo' Selecta!'s blackface was always a problem

Bo' Selecta!'s blackface was always a problem - why is Leigh Francis only apologising now?

His Oprah loved fried chicken; his Trisha liked 'rice and peas'; his Craig David caused the singer pain. How did he get away with it?

Ed Power, The Telegraph, 5th June 2020

How Bo' Selecta! became proper boring

Leigh Francis's mix of relentless toilet humour and surreal celebrity satire made his twisted freakshow unmissable - until he let the slebs in on the joke.

James Donaghy, The Guardian, 30th October 2017

Gallery: 20 politically incorrect 'modern' comedies

Here are 20 recent comedies that wouldn't have been green-lit today.

Ed Power, The Telegraph, 17th October 2017

Craig David makes his peace with Bo' Selecta

Craig David has finally made peace with being lampooned on the iconic sketch show Bo' Selecta!

Justin Harp, Digital Spy, 29th January 2016

Bo' Selecta! mourns lost mask

Bo' Selecta! writer Leigh Francis is mourning the loss of the infamous mask he used to lampoon Spice Girl Mel B on the sketch show.

The Sun, 23rd July 2011

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