Bo' Selecta! is a British television sketch show written and performed by Leigh Francis. It was broadcast on Channel 4 from 2002 until 2009 and lampooned popular culture, becoming known for its often surreal, abstract toilet humour. Series 4 was known as A Bear's Tail while Series 5 shifted filming to the United States and was called Bo! In the USA. The show consists of comedy sketches of characters played by Francis wearing exaggerated latex masks of various celebrities, with minor support roles over the years played by Craig Phillips, Caroline Flack, Ozzy Rezat, Patsy Kensit, Karen Hayley, Barunka O'Shaughnessy, Dexter Fletcher, Sean Pertwee, Luis Fernandez-Gil and Robert Stone.
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.
Background
Bo' Selecta! was broadcast on Channel 4 and ran for three series between 2002 and 2004, spawning several spin-offs. Francis played central character Avid Merrion, a dangerously insane stalker, who is obsessed with celebrities and tracks them down. The show consists of sketches featuring caricatures of British and American celebrities, portrayed by Francis wearing latex facemasks with exaggerated facial features. The most popular sketches involve entertainers such as Elton John, who is portrayed as being angry, aggressive and antisocial (in one episode he says he shops on the internet due to his hatred for society), David Blaine, Kelly Osbourne, who comes off as calm and laid back at first and then begins ranting uncontrollably at the camera, Michael Jackson, a foul mouthed mental patient who has tics in the form of "hee-hees"; Mel B, who has a strong Northern accent; and central character Craig David, an egotistical Yorkshireman who owns a plastic peregrine falcon named Kes, a reference to the 1969 drama film of the same name. Avid Merrion would appear in his own sketches placed throughout each episode. Another recurring character on the show played by Francis is "the Bear", a perverted teddy bear who interviews genuine celebrity guests, where he will make them read a bedtime story to him. Each story starts off the same way and ends with the celebrity (usually female) saying or doing something sexually suggestive, causing the Bear to have an erection (at which point he would shout "Christine Hamilton! Christine Hamilton!").
The series title is based on the title of the Artful Dodger and Craig David song "Re-Rewind (The Crowd Say Bo Selecta)". David is one of the main characters and speaks in catchphrases such as "proper bo I tell thee" and "can I get a reeewind". Much of the show's humour is derived from the deliberate ineptitude of each impersonation and general incongruity; scenes include Avid slapping Justin Timberlake with slices of cold meat, and trying to seduce Patsy Kensit while in character as Mel B.
Despite a loyal following and some strong reviews, the show has been criticised for allegedly promoting narrow-mindedness and puerile behaviour. Nevertheless, it was ranked 19th in Channel 4's 30 Greatest Comedy Shows as part of its 30th anniversary. The show was re-broadcast by 4Music. Christmas singles were released under the Bo' Selecta! banner, entitled "Proper Crimbo" and the double A-side "I Got You Babe / Soda Pop". "Proper Crimbo" was released at Christmas 2003, peaking at No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart. "I Got You Babe / Soda Pop" was released at Christmas 2004, peaking at No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart. Francis admitted on Twitter that plans for the series were on hold, as he was working on a script for a possible movie for another project; however, he has since written on numerous occasions, when asked by other Twitter users about the show, that Bo' Selecta! would not be returning.
In 2019, Mel B and Francis in-character as the Bo' Selecta! version of Mel B did a 90 minute special called 'What a Fookin' Year'.
In March 2024, an attempted revival was scrapped.
Controversies
Speaking to The Sunday Times in 2007, Craig David confessed that "Inside it was absolutely pissing me off and hurtful beyond belief. There were times when I thought, ‘I just want to knock this guy out.’" Although David made an appearance himself in the programme, he regretted it even as he was making it: "I didn’t want people to think, 'Craig’s reacting to it,’ because then they would think, 'How can we get up Craig's nose even more?’ So, I did it, but I wasn't happy about it." However, in 2015, David dismissed his disappointment with his caricature, explaining that his PR team insisted that he "play hurt" and had since "made peace" with Francis. David did say in 2022 that he felt the show “made cheap shots” of various celebrities including David Beckham and that he felt that the rubber mask portrayal of various black celebrities was racist. He also questioned Francis’ apology over the timing in terms of the George Floyd protests in 2020.
Trisha Goddard did not like the way she was portrayed on the show, feeling her portrayal was "racially over the top" and that she would try to avoid Francis at public events, feeling "sick to her stomach". She discussed her children being bullied as a result of the show.
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.
DVD releases
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!DVD release name
!DVD extras
!Years of series
|-
| rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;"| Bo' Selecta! – The Complete First Series!
| style="text-align:center;"| Behind the Scenes Featurette, Deleted Scenes, Blooper Reel, Trailers, Photo Gallery, Commentary,<br>and a featurette presented by Kate Thornton, entitled "Craig David's Life Story".
| rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;"|2002
|-
| rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;"| Bo' Selecta! – The Complete Second Series!
| style="text-align:center;"| Behind the Scenes Featurette, Deleted Scenes, Extended Scenes, Blooper Reel, Trailers, Commentary, Photo Gallery,<br>and an uncensored cut of certain scenes, entitled "Bo' Sexier!: The XXX Cuts".
| rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;"|2003
|-
| rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;"| Bo' Selecta! – The Complete Third Series!
| style="text-align:center;"| Commentary, Bo'Hind the Scenes Documentary, Photo Gallery, Deleted Scenes, Blooper Reel, Trailers,<br>and The Best Bits of four characters – Sting, Nadine, Ozzy & Big Brother.
| rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;"|2004
|-
| rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;"| A Bear's Tail – The Complete Series!
| style="text-align:center;"| Music Video, Conceptual Art, Deleted Scenes, Trailer, Outtakes, Lemony Snippets, Movie Quiz,<br>and a Bear-hind the Scenes documentary. A limited-edition version of the DVD release came in furry bear packaging.
| rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;"|2005
|-
| rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;"| Bo! in the USA - The Complete Series!
| style="text-align:center;"| The Making of Bo! in the US, Gag Reel, Bo! Interviews, 1984: The Lemon Years, a featurette featuring Keith Lemon, Trailers,<br>Music Video, Commentary and Easter Egg.
| rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;"|2006
|-
|}