Bo' Selecta was ‘racist and ruined my life,’ says Craig David

10 October 2022, 06:39

Craig David has criticised TV sketch show Bo’ Selecta as 'racist' and called out the show’s star Leigh Francis.

The show, first broadcast on Channel 4 in 2002, ran for three series.

Craig was the subject of many sketches, along with Mel B, David Beckham, and chat show host Trisha Goddard.

In an interview with the Times, Craig said: “It felt like a vendetta and when it got a following, it became something that affected me.'

"People would shout at me on the street and I felt the same feeling I had when I was bullied at school. Leigh Francis had normalised bullying by making it comedy.

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"Has he reached out to any of the people he did on his show?

"He hasn’t reached out to me. Has he gone to communities to talk about bullying? Racism? And to be educated? You can only ask him.

"All I’ve seen since his apology is people still tweeting him thinking Bo’ Selecta! is fun and the tone of his response being very much still, "I’m the funny guy here".

"That he still plays it like a joke after his apology tells me everything."

Leigh apologised for the sketches back in 2020, admitting he "didn't realise how offensive it was back then" and apologised for ‘upset caused’ when he used blackface to portray celebrities.

"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," he said.

"I've 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."

Craig said that he wanted Leigh held accountable for the show and its effects.