Bo' Selecta!

Did You Know?

• Christmas singles released under the Bo' Selecta! banner include 'Proper Crimbo', which peaked at No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart in 2003.
• Leigh Francis stated in an interview with Metro that the Craig David character was based on Billy Casper from the film Kes, not the singer Craig David.
• The show was ranked 19th in Channel 4's 30 Greatest Comedy Shows as part of its 30th anniversary.

Background

Bo' Selecta! aired on Channel 4 for three series from 2002 to 2004, leading to several spin-offs. The show's creator, Leigh Francis, played the main character Avid Merrion, a dangerously unhinged stalker who obsessively pursues celebrities. Sketches feature caricatures of famous British and American figures, with Francis wearing latex masks that exaggerate their features. Popular impersonations include an angry, antisocial Elton John who shops online because he hates society; David Blaine; Kelly Osbourne, who starts calm but then rants at the camera; Michael Jackson, a foul-mouthed mental patient with "hee-hee" tics; Mel B with a strong Northern accent; and central character Craig David, an egotistical Yorkshireman who owns a plastic peregrine falcon named Kes.

Avid Merrion appears in his own sketches throughout. Another recurring character is the Bear, a perverted teddy bear who interviews real celebrities, making them read a bedtime story that always ends with a sexually suggestive act, causing the Bear to shout "Christine Hamilton!" or another name of a woman considered unattractive. The series title comes from the Artful Dodger and Craig David song "Re-Rewind (The Crowd Say Bo Selecta)". Humour relies on deliberate ineptitude and incongruity, such as Avid slapping Justin Timberlake with cold meat slices or trying to seduce Patsy Kensit while dressed as Mel B.

Characters

Avid Merrion, the main character portrayed by Leigh Francis, is a celebrity-obsessed stalker who became the world’s top super fan. He hails from Arachnipuss, a small town near Transylvania, where his father worked as a stripper impersonating Dracula. Avid resides in a London flat with his deceased mother stored in a cupboard and Craig Phillips, the first Big Brother UK winner, chained in the toilet. Known for his slurred speech, ginger mullet, eccentric behavior, bisexuality, unusual fetishes, poor social skills, and a neck brace from an incident with Liza Tarbuck, he gained a reputation as a frightening stalker.

He spends his time bothering celebrities at events like book signings and film premieres. During Big Brother’s third series, he tried breaking into the house to reach the housemates, which brought him media attention. By the show’s third series, his pop culture fame let him interview celebrities directly, turning his segments into a chat show. In Bo! in the USA, Avid has abandoned hosting to run a Los Angeles hotel where celebrities stay.

Episodes

Nearly all episodes have been released on DVD. Series one's six main episodes were released as 'Bo' Selecta!: Vol 1', series two's eight as 'Vol 2', and series three's nine as 'Vol 3'. Series four's seven episodes were released as 'A Bear's Tail', and series five's seven as 'Bo! in the USA'. Two Christmas specials from series two were issued as 'Ho! Ho! Selecta!', and 'Cha'mone Mo Fo Selecta' was issued separately. 'Avid Merrion's Christmas Premiere' appeared on the DVD wingle of his 2004 Christmas single. Unreleased material includes the pilot episode, both parts of 'Proper Bo' Selecta!', and 'The Bear's Chrimbo Top 20'.

Controversies

Craig David told The Sunday Times in 2007 that the portrayal was 'hurtful beyond belief' and that he regretted appearing on the programme. In 2015, David dismissed his disappointment, saying his PR team insisted he 'play hurt' and he had since 'made peace' with Francis. However, in 2022 David said the show made 'cheap shots' and felt the rubber mask portrayals of black celebrities were racist, questioning Francis's apology timing in relation to the George Floyd protests. Trisha Goddard disliked her portrayal, feeling it was 'racially over the top', and said her children were bullied as a result. In June 2020, after an agreement between Channel 4 and Francis, the show was taken down from All 4 following backlash over its frequent use of blackface, and Francis apologised for playing black celebrities.