...but I probably wouldn't do some of them now

Comedian Leigh Francis says he doesn’t regret anything he has done in the past but concedes that he would ‘probably change’ some things, as he looks back on some of his past controversies.

The comic, known for his Keith Lemon alter ego, has long been criticised for wearing black masks on his TV series Bo’ Selecta!, while singer Craig David said the parody of him was essentially bullying 

Speaking with Richard and Izzy Hammond on their podcas Who We Are Now, Francis said: ‘Let's get cut to the chase. Some people say, "Do you regret some of the things you did in your past?" No, I don't. I don't regret anything. Would I change things? Probably.’

He added that the ‘rules’ of entertainment have changed, saying he approaches comedy more mindfully these days explaining: ‘You don't know that back then, and you play to what the rules are back then, where no one is bothered about anything you're doing. And then rules change. So you would do it different now, because, you know, some people might be upset by things.’

Francis also insisted that he never meant to upset anybody. ‘Things change,’ he said again. ‘And then you look back at things, then you talk to friends, and then you go, "Oh, I'll just apologise for what I did."

’It's weird because you don't set out with malice or anything. And we didn't think, "Aren't we edgy? We’re doing something naughty here." We just did it because it was silly. And I don't apologise for Bo’ Selecta, but I apologise for upsetting people that were offended by it.

‘I'm a court jester, which is the lowest of the low. ‘Sing and dance, make me laugh",’ he says. ‘You shouldn't take what I'm saying seriously, because first of all, my name is not Keith Lemon. I'm acting!’

He added that such characters are meant to be provocative, and laughed at and not laughed with.’ 

‘And even with people that might have been offended by Keith Lemon, saying he's misogynistic or something. No.. you’re not laughing with him; you're laughing at him. He's a fool!

‘He would say things that there’s no way on Earth I would say. But I know people who say such things, and I laugh at them for saying it… You can laugh at people that say horrendous things, I think."

Having split opinion over the years, Francis admits that some of the criticism he’s faced has been difficult adding: ‘It hurts, doesn’t it? I think anyone saying, "Oh, you’re a bad man" or whatever, you just go, "I’m not,’ because I’m too daft,"

‘I don’t want to piss people off, you want to make them laugh. And I think everyone, most comedians, just want to make people laugh.’

•  Who We Are Now with Izzy & Richard Hammond is available to listen now on Global Player, and all major platforms

Published: 28 Jan 2025