Comedian Leigh Francis has issued a tearful apology for portraying black celebrities on sketch show Bo’ Selecta.
The comedian portrayed a host of stars including Michael Jackson, singer Craig David and talkshow host Trisha Goddard on the show, which aired from 2002.
Francis – who plays the Keith Lemon character on TV – used latex facemasks for his caricatures of famous faces.
He claimed he had “done a lot of talking and learning” and decided to apologise, amid focus on the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd.
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. 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, 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 of Mr Floyd, who died in a clash with police in the US city of Minneapolis, sparking protests around the world.
