Comedian Leigh Francis has said that 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 television controversies.
Speaking with Richard and Izzy Hammond on their podcast, Who We Are Now, Leigh – famous for creating and starring as a host of characters in Bo’ Selecta! and as cheeky TV host Keith Lemon – addressed some of the controversies his characters have caused, saying that he ‘doesn’t regret anything.’ “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,” he says. “Would I change things? Probably.”
Leigh adds, the ‘rules’ of comedy and entertainment have changed, saying he approaches comedy more mindfully these days. “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,” he says. “So you would do it different now, because, you know, some people might be upset by things.”
While he concedes that some of his characters and impersonations have caused offence, Leigh is adamant that he never intended to upset anybody. “Things change. 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,” he says. “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.”
Leigh used the interview to remind listeners that, as a comedian, he shouldn’t be taken too seriously. “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!”
Going one further, Leigh suggests that characters like Keith Lemon are supposed to be provocative, and they are to be ‘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 supposed to be. You're not laughing with him; you're laughing at him. He's a fool!” he says. “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 with his characters and TV programmes, Leigh admits that some of the criticism he’s faced has been difficult to stomach. “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,” he says. “I don’t want to p*** 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
Full episode available here: https://www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/episodes/7DromSP/
