Leigh Francis' reboot of hit comedy series axed after he films first episode
Comedian Leigh Francis, who is best known for her alter ego Keith Lemon, has admitted that the reboot of his comedy sketch show Bo’ Selecta! has been axed - after filming the first spisode.
Leigh has said that the comedy failed to get the green light and has he now shelved plans to bring it back, even with a rebrand, some 13 years after it was first taken off air by Channel 4.
The comedian opened up about the blow when speaking on his solo stage tour, as discussed his future career. Leigh's show Celebrity Juice was also axed last year, following a short-lived comeback with Laura Whitmore and Emily Atack as panelists replacing Fearne Cotton and Holly willoughby.
He told fans on Instagram that he was axing a number of past characters and shows from his career. Speaking to fans on Instagram, the comic admitted that the character of Keith Lemon did 'upset' people.
"Keith Lemon is, well, I'll never kill any characters off... I don't ever kill any characters off. Apart from if it's one that someone is really upset by. Then you don't do it anymore, because you only d**k about to put smiles on people's faces."
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Some fans had called for the return of noughties comedy Bo' Selecta!, and Leigh said that there was only one opportunity to see anything that hints at that sketch show. He said: "Bo’ Selecta! The nearest you're going to get to that is if you're going to this tour. So if you are pining for a bit of rubber mask tomfoolery, here it is, in tour format."
Leigh Francis as Avid Merrion in Bo' Selecta!In 2020, amid a backlash from Trisha Goddard and Craig David, who had been parodied in the sketch show with Leigh wearing outlandish latex masks, All 4 removed all episodes of the comedy but Leigh had raised hopes of Avid Merrion, who was a character in his comedy, could be making a return.
Leigh said in 2022: "Avid Merrion is wandering around somewhere. He’s a bit different though, he’s grown up. The Bear was in the pilot too. I don’t know if he’ll stick around, it’s all in the hands of the TV Gods.” He has since poured cold water on thoughts that he will be bringing him back, saying: "Well it’s not a Bo’ Selecta! reboot, everyone keeps thinking it is. It wasn’t even called Bo’ Selecta!, it just had Masked Characters in, it were more about Merrion being a time traveller. It was just a pilot but since then we’ve been developing new ways of doing things, like should he really be a time traveller, is that too much to imagine?"
In the wake of the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd, Leigh took to social media and apologised to those who were subjects of his grotesque parodies. He said: "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."
He added: "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."
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