Comedian Leigh Francis has said he is "deeply sorry" for "any upset" caused by his portrayal of black celebrities in his Channel 4 comedy series Bo' Selecta!, saying that he has done "a lot of talking and learning" recently.
The sketch show, which ran on Channel 4 for a number of series and specials from 2002, featured caricatures of celebrities from the UK and the US. Series creator Francis wore masks as he portrayed stars including Mel B, Craig David, Michael Jackson and The Osbournes, among others.
An emotional Francis posted an apology video on Instagram on Thursday evening. He included the hashtag #blacklivesmatter in the description.
"Hi, my name is Leigh Francis," he began. "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.
"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 it on other people.
"I've been talking to some people and I didn't realise how offensive it was back then and 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 that I'm a big fan of. I guess we're all on a learning journey."
