Bo' Selecta!

Bo' Selecta!
Title screen of Bo' Selecta!.
Format	Sketch show Surreal humour Comedy Parody
Created by	Leigh Francis
Developed by	Leigh Francis Ben Palmer
Starring	Leigh Francis
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of series	5
No. of episodes	45
Production
Executive producer(s)	Spencer Millman
Running time	30 minutes (including commercials)
Production company(s)	Talkback
Distributor	Fremantle Media
Broadcast
Original channel	Channel 4
Original run	6 September 2002 (2002-09-06) – 13 August 2004
External links
Website

Bo' Selecta! is a British sketch show written and performed by Leigh Francis, which lampoons popular culture and is known for its often surreal, abstract toilet humour.

Background

Bo' Selecta! was broadcast on Channel 4 and ran for three series between 2002 and 2004, spawning several spin-offs. Francis played Avid Merrion, a dangerously insane stalker, who conducts celebrity interviews whilst wearing an array of latex masks - each one resembling a famous personage, at least vaguely. The most popular sketches involve entertainers such as Elton John, David Blaine, Kelly Osbourne, Michael Jackson, Mel B and Craig David. Another recurring character on the show is 'The Bear', a perverted, foul-mouthed teddy bear who spews a constant barrage of filth at his guests, often before exposing himself.

The series title is based on the title of the Artful Dodger and Craig David song "Re-Rewind (The Crowd Say Bo Selecta)." Much of the show's humour is derived from the deliberate ineptitude of each impersonation and general incongruity; famous scenes include Avid slapping Justin Timberlake with some raw 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 singled out by several critics for allegedly promoting narrow-mindedness and puerile behaviour. The show was recently re-broadcast by 4Music. Two 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.^[1]

Characters

Although, many celebrities lampooned in the series appreciated the joke, and even appeared in the series, the series' most prominently mocked target did not enjoy the attention. 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."

Episodes

Nearly all of the episodes of the series have been released on DVD. The six main episodes from series one were released under the banner "Bo' Selecta!: Vol 1". The eight main episodes from series two were released under the banner "Bo' Selecta!: Vol 2". The nine main episodes of series three were released under the banner "Bo' Selecta!: Vol 3". All seven episodes from series four were released under the banner of "A Bear's Tail". All seven episodes from series five were released under the banner of "Bo! in the USA". The two Christmas specials from series two were issued under the banner of "Ho! Ho! Selecta!", "Cha'mone Mo Fo Selecta" was issued under the same title as a separate volume, and "Avid Merrion's Christmas Premiere" was issued on the DVD wingle of his 2004 Christmas single, I Got You Babe / Soda Pop. This leaves only the pilot episode, both parts of "Proper Bo' Selecta!" and "The Bear's Chrimbo Top 20" unreleased.

Future

On 24 September 2009, in an interview with the BBC, Leigh Francis said that Bo' Selecta! may return for a fifth series sometime in the future, claiming he became "excited" whilst making the Michael Jackson tribute episode. The possibility of a further series was hinted during the special episode 'A Bear's Chrimbo Top 20', in which The Bear stated that 'Avid' may be returning to our screens. Plans for a new series have since been put on hold, as Leigh revealed on Twitter that plans for Bo' Selecta were on hold as he was working on a script for a possible movie for another project.^[2] Francis has, however, stated numerous times on his Twitter account that, when asked by other Twitter users about the show, Bo' Selecta wouldn't be returning.

DVD releases

See also

• Shamone
• Bingo wings

References