Comedian breaks down in tears as he apologises for playing black celebrities

Comedian and actor Leigh Francis has issued a heartfelt apology for his "offensive" portrayal of famous black people including Craig David and Trisha Goddard on Bo' Selecta.

The comedian made a name for himself between 2002 and 2009 on the sketch show by impersonating various people while wearing large latex masks.

Now, amid the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement in the wake of the death of Geroge Floyd, Francis has taken to social media to reveal that he has been on a "learning journey" over the last week.

Watch Francis' heartfelt apology below: 

Francis, who is now best known for his portrayal of the character Keith Lemon, said: "Hi, my name is Leigh Francis and I play a character called Keith Lemon on television. It's been a weird few days, it's been a weird few days, and I've sat and thought about things and what I could post to try and help things.''

"Back in 2002 I did a show called Bo’' Selecta and portrayed many black people. Back then, I didn't think anything about it, people didn't say anything. I'm not going to blame it on other people."

Credit: 1502

He continued: "I've been talking to some people and I didn't realize how offensive it was back then and I just want to apologize.

"I just want to say sorry for any upset I caused, whether I was Michael Jackson, Craig David, Trisha Goddard, all people that I’m a big fan of. I guess we're all on a learning journey."

Credit: 2063

The 47-year-old captioned the video: "Following recent events, I've done a lot of talking and learning and I would like to put this out there. I want to apologize to anyone that was offended by Bo' Selecta. I'm on a constant journey of knowledge and just wanted to say I'm deeply sorry. #blacklivesmatter."

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