Leigh Francis is about to embark on his first tour, and he expects to have to apologise in 20 years.
The Celebrity Juice comic, best known for his crazy Keith Lemon persona, is hitting the road with a slew of new masks and celebrity spoofs, although he quipped that he would face criticism because of the performance.
‘They’re all new masks and characters,’ he explained on Good Morning Britain. ‘I suppose in 20 years I’ll be apologetic for stuff when people are upset. ‘I hope not!’
Leigh has experienced a lot of criticism over the years for Bo Selecta!, which ran between 2002 and 2009, with musician Craig David in particular trashing his portrayal on the show, which he has called as ‘racist’.
The comedian portrayed celebrity stalker Avid Merrion and did impersonation of celebrities while wearing latex face masks in the performance, which took its name from Craig and Artful Dodger’s track Re-Rewind (The Crowd Say Bo Selecta).
Leigh apologised two years ago when conversations about racism were heightened during the Black Lives Matter movement, and stated at the time: ‘I didn’t know how insulting that 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.’
Craig addressed the apology last year and questioned its sincerity, prompting Leigh to tell The Sun, ‘Most people are delighted with their image on Bo’ Selecta!. Except for one person 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.’
Meanwhile, Leigh made his first appearance on GMB as himself instead of Keith Lemon on Friday, and he confessed it was a ‘strange’ experience.
‘I just don’t know how to behave, and be sensible,’ he said. ‘Should I change my voice to someone educated?’
He laughed about his lack of profanity on television and stated that, while Keith Lemon has a reputation, Leigh doesn’t actually use harsh language around his family.
‘Not at home! My daughter will tell you that I get paid to swear. That’s why I don’t swear at home, because I’m not being paid,’ he joked, before encouraging viewers to ‘get a job where you can swear’.
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV1.
