Presenter told comic she was hurt by his portrayal

Keith Lemon creator Leigh Francis was shamed into making his tearful apology over his portrayal of black celebrities by talk show host Trisha Goddard, it has been revealed.

The presenter directly accused him of hypocrisy for his social media posts supporting Blackout Tuesday, last week, after being hurt by the way he portrayed her. 

She told The Sun that Francis’s impersonation of her on Bo’Selecta! in the 2000s left her feeling ‘hurt, distaste and disgust’ – while her children said they were bullied because of his portrayal.

‘It emboldened a lot of casual racism towards myself and others you parodied with big lips and noses,’ Goddard told him. ‘It would be a very powerful gesture for you to recognise what part you played in perpetuating blackface.’

Francis then sent her a private apology before releasing his Instagram video in which he said: ‘I didn’t realise how offensive it was. I just want to say sorry for any upset I caused.’

The comic - who also portrayed Craig David and Michael Jackson on his breakthrough show - also said he had been ‘talking to some people’ before releasing his apology, saying: ‘It's been a weird few days.'

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Published: 9 Jun 2020