WATCH: Leigh Francis apologises for "offensive" portrayals of black stars on Bo' Selecta!
5 June 2020, 11:34 | Updated: 5 June 2020, 12:16
Keith Lemon apologises for offensive portrayal of black celebrities in Bo’ Selecta
The Keith Lemon star has posted an emotional video discussing some of the stars he portrayed in his comedy sketch show.
Leigh Francis has apologised for his portrayals of black people on Bo Selecta!
The creator of the Channel 4 sketch show - in which he played the character Avid Merrion and portrayed a host of celebrities using masks - has shared an emotional video on his Instagram where he's reflected on some of his depictions of black stars.
He captioned the video: "Following recent events, I’ve done a lot of talking and learning and I would like to put this out there. I want to apologise to anyone that was offended by Bo’selecta. I’m on a constant journey of knowledge and just wanted to say I’m deeply sorry. #blacklivesmatter".
Watch it above.
In the video he began: "Hi, my name's Leigh Francis, I play a character called Keith Lemon on television. It's been a weird few days. It's been a weird few days. I've sat and thought about things and what I could post to try and help things..."
READ MORE: The media and music world join forces to fall silent on social media for Blackout Tuesday
READ MORE: Keith Lemon "disappointed" at fake Caroline Flack charity tribute t-shirts
He continued "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.
"I've been talking to some people and I didn't realise how offensive it was back then."
The 47 year-old TV personality added: "And I just wanna apologise and, you know, say sorry for any upset I caused, whether I was Michael Jackson, Craig David, Trisha Goddard - all people I'm a big fan of."
He concluded: "I guess we're all on a learning journey."
Many stars from across the entertainment world have been empowered to speak for anti-racism and the Black Lives Matter cause following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was killed when a police officer knelt on his neck.
This week saw music and entertainment fall silent on social media in solidarity for Blackout Tuesday.
Actor John Boyega hit the headlines for his speech at a Black Lives Matter protest in Hyde Park this week and was commended by his Star Wars colleagues.
Watch a clip of his emotional speech here:
John Boyega delivers powerful Black Lives Matter speech at London protest
Adele wrote a passionate statement on Instragram in which she said: "racism is alive and well everywhere," and urged her fans to "keep listening, keep asking and keep learning".
And Liam Gallagher shared a selection of photos and ways to support the cause.
If you would like to donate to or support the Black Lives Matter cause, here's some links you can visit below:
The official Black Lives Matter campaign
The George Floyd Memorial Fund
The Ahmaud Arbery Memorial Fund
The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust
