Bo' Selecta!

Bo' Selecta!
Title screen of Bo' Selecta!
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
Release
Original network	Channel 4
Original release	6 September 2002 (2002-09-06) – 25 November 2006
External links
Website	www.channel4.com/boselecta

Bo' Selecta! was a British adult sketch show written and performed by Leigh Francis, that lampooned popular culture and was 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 central character Avid Merrion, a dangerously insane stalker, who is obsessed with celebrities and tracks them down. The show consists of sketches involving various celebrities, portrayed by Francis in a latex mask. The most popular sketches involve entertainers such as Elton John, David Blaine, Kelly Osbourne, Michael Jackson, Mel B and central character Craig David. 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 (real, as opposed to portrayed) 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) performing a sexual act, causing the Bear to have an erection (at which point he would shout "Christine Hamilton! Christine Hamilton!" to make it go away).

The series title is based on the title of the Artful Dodger and Craig David song "Re-Rewind (The Crowd Say Bo Selecta)". Craig 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; famous 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 criticized 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.^[1] The show was 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.^[2]

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." 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.^[3]

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! might return, claiming he became "excited" whilst making the Michael Jackson tribute episode.^[4] 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, and has since written numerous times, when asked by other Twitter users about the show, Bo' Selecta! would not be returning.

DVD releases

References