Craig David compares ‘racist’ Bo Selecta to being bullied at school-Alistair McGeorge-Entertainment – Metro

Craig David has once again hit out at Keith Lemon over the show (Picture: David Fisher/Shutterstock)

Craig David has blasted Keith Lemon for his ‘racist’ portrayal of him on Bo’ Selecta!

The 41-year-old has criticised the 49-year-old comedian, real name Leigh Francis, on several occasions over the past 20 years regarding the Channel 4 sketch show, which aired between 2002 and 2009.

On the programme, Keith used blackface to depict Craig and other celebrities, including Mel B and Trisha Goddard.

Speaking to Leah Palmieri on the Spotify: Mic Check podcast: ‘[Bo’ Selecta!] sort of came at a funny time, it was a comedy show, it was ridiculing, to be honest. I’m quite grateful that it didn’t translate overseas, it was quite UK-based.

‘Cos the UK was like home for me, it hit home. At the time, I didn’t really know how to react to it. This is home, this is my song, why is this coming at me?’

In the show, which borrowed its name from Craig and Artful Dodger’s hit Re-Rewind (The Crowd Say Bo Selecta), Keith played celebrity stalker Avid Merrion, while he also did impressions of stars while wearing latex face masks, and the singer was portrayed as an egotistical Yorkshireman with a plastic peregrine falcon named Kes.

Keith famously wore blackface to impersonate Craig David (Picture: Channel 4)

Keith has apologised but has since urged Craig to ‘stop talking’ about it (Picture: Dave Benett/Getty Images)

The 7 Days singer added: ‘It was very reminiscent of days at my school, when I was growing up, when I’d been bullied, not for long periods of time but just the experience of bullying.

‘Once you’ve experienced it, it’s like a trauma that sticks with you. Even then, it was that when the teacher’s there, you sort of lean in to that “everything’s OK” and it’s a smile, and the guy’s holding you, he’s gripping you like “if you say anything it’s not just going to be here, it’s going to be outside the school gates”.

‘And I felt that all over again with this, it was being ridiculed and bullied all over again on national TV. The fact that he was wearing a black rubber mask, I mean that throws open the whole thing of him blackfacing, which just wouldn’t be acceptable now.’

He explained that he needed to ‘escape’ after the show aired, which led to him moving to Miami.

The 7 Days singer moved to Malibu as an escape (Picture: Getty Images)

‘It was unfortunate that it became so popular, but it is what it is. At that time, I felt like I needed to find escape. A lot of people don’t know that moving to Miami was actually a form of escape,’ he said.

‘I thought I can’t really walk down the road without this thing, not just being on TV, but following me around, so I went to Miami for my escape. It really was a healing that I needed.’

The comedian had apologised two years ago when discussions around racism were heightened during the Black Lives Matter movement, saying at the time: ‘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. 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.’

However, last year Craig addressed the video and admitted he didn’t feel the apology was genuine.

‘We can all apologise when on the back foot. The moment of expressing his apology seemed very coincidentally timed,’ he told The Times in October. ‘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.’

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The following month, Keith addressed Craig’s comments and urged him to ‘stop talking’ about the controversy.

‘Most people are happy with their portrayal on Bo’ Selecta!. Apart from someone we know who wasn’t,’ he told The Sun. ‘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.’

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