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''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 Surreal may refer to: *Anything related to or characteristic of Surrealism, a movement in philosophy and art * "Surreal" (song), a 2000 song by Ayumi Hamasaki * ''Surreal'' (album), an album by Man Raze *Surreal humour, a common aspect of humor ...
, abstract toilet humour. Season 4 was known as ''A Bear's Tail'' while season 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, with minor support roles over the years played by Craig Phillips, Caroline Flack, Ozzey Rezat, Patsy Kensit, Karen Hayley,
Barunka O'Shaughnessy Barunka O'Shaughnessy is a British actress, writer and producer. She is best known for playing Sacha Merrion on '' Bo! in the USA'' and for her appearances in ''The Mighty Boosh''.
, 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 Stalking is unwanted and/or repeated surveillance by an individual or group toward another person. Stalking behaviors are interrelated to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person or monitoring them. The term ...
, 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 Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...
, 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 Melanie Janine Brown (born 29 May 1975), commonly known as Melanie B or Mel B, is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the girl group Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Sc ...
, 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 An erection (clinically: penile erection or penile tumescence) is a physiological phenomenon in which the penis becomes firm, engorged, and enlarged. Penile erection is the result of a complex interaction of psychological, neural, vascular, ...
(at which point he would shout "
Christine Hamilton Mary Christine Hamilton (''née'' Holman; born 10 November 1949) is an English media personality and author. She is married to Neil Hamilton, the former Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Tatton. Hamilton and her husband have become p ...
! 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; scenes include Avid slapping
Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...
with slices of cold meat, and trying to seduce Patsy Kensit while in character as
Mel B Melanie Janine Brown (born 29 May 1975), commonly known as Melanie B or Mel B, is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the girl group Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Sc ...
. 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. The show was re-broadcast by
4Music 4Music is a British music television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. The original incarnation was launched on 15 August 2008, and until 29 June 2022, showed a mix of music and entertainment programming. It ...
. 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.


Characters


Avid Merrion

First appearing on ''
Whatever I Want ''Whatever I Want'' is a six-part British television sketch show, written by and starring Leigh Francis, that first broadcast on ITV on 7 January 2000. Commissioned by Bellyache Productions, and overseen by Gavin Claxton, the series featured ear ...
'', Avid Merrion, played by Leigh Francis, is the main
protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
of the series. He is obsessed with celebrities and stalks them, after he grew up to become the number one celebrity super fan in the world. Originating from the small town of Arachnipuss near Transylvania, Avid was born to a father who was a
Dracula ''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking ...
-
impersonating An impersonator is someone who imitates or copies the behavior or actions of another. There are many reasons for impersonating someone: *Entertainment: An entertainer impersonates a celebrity, generally for entertainment, and makes fun of ...
stripper A stripper or exotic dancer is a person whose occupation involves performing striptease in a public adult entertainment venue such as a strip club. At times, a stripper may be hired to perform at a bachelor party or other private event. M ...
. Avid lives in a flat in London, with his dead mother, who he keeps in the cupboard, and Craig Phillips, winner of the first series of '' Big Brother UK'', who he keeps chained up in the toilet. With his slurred and broken English, a ginger mullet, eccentricity, bisexuality, peculiar sexual fetishes, poor social skills and obsession with showbiz figures, he became known as one of the scariest celebrity stalkers. He wears a neck brace which he says is due to an encounter with
Liza Tarbuck Liza Tarbuck ( ; born 21 November 1964) is an English actress, comedian, and television and radio presenter. Early life Liza Tarbuck was born in Liverpool. She is the daughter of comedian Jimmy Tarbuck and his wife Pauline, with an older siste ...
. He spends most of his time harassing celebrities at functions such as
book signing Book signing is the affixing of a signature to the title page or flyleaf of a book by its author. Book signings are events, usually at a bookstore or library, where an author sits and signs books for a period. Book signing Book signing is popu ...
s or movie
première A première, also spelled premiere, is the wikt:debut, debut (first public presentation) of a Play (theatre), play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywh ...
s, highlights of which are shown throughout the first two series. Due to his nature, he became noticed by the media during the third series of ''Big Brother'', after he repeatedly attempted to break into the house to get closer to the house mates. By the third series of this show, his newly elevated status in pop culture allowed him to talk one-on-one with celebrities, rather than stalking them. His segments in the series were transformed into his own chat show. In ''Bo! in the USA'', Avid has given up his job as a chat show host, and now owns a hotel in Los Angeles, where many celebrities come to stay.


Craig David

Craig David is one of the main ''Bo' Selecta'' characters. His catchphrases are "Proper Reet Bo" and "Proper Bo, I tell thee!". He is portrayed as having a very large chin, with a beard made with a pen. Craig has a very strong Yorkshire accent. He is known for always singing his name. He carries around a plastic Peregrine Falcon on his wrist named "Kes", possibly as a reference to the film of the same name. Kes was apparently bought off a man in Huddersfield who had a dog with one leg. He calls Kes a "bastard", often when calling her to return. Craig also wears a beanie hat, and his iconic headphones from his ''
Born to Do It ''Born to Do It'' is the debut studio album by English singer Craig David, released in the United Kingdom on 14 August 2000 by Wildstar Records and in the United States later in 2001 by Atlantic Records. Following exposure from his work with Bri ...
'' album cover. In the first series, a segment entitled "Craig David's Life Story" is featured, showing events such as David visiting the doctor to be fitted with a Urostomy bag (which he often fails to wear at night and wets the bed), and attempting to break the American market but catches a flight to
Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean. The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bal ...
by accident. For the second series, each episode segment follows him on his nationwide UK tour alongside his band (who hate him), in which he meets Michael Jackson, goes dating, goes for a walk, meets the real Craig David, and performs in front of a live audience. In the third series, he attempts to break America again with his new single "Soda Pop", which fails to chart. Along the way, he makes a music video and gets himself a makeover from
Mel B Melanie Janine Brown (born 29 May 1975), commonly known as Melanie B or Mel B, is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the girl group Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Sc ...
. He appeared in ''
Bo! in the USA ''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. Seas ...
'', in a weekly segment in which he tries to seduce Holly Valance and earn himself a bronze swimming award. As time went on, Craig's fall from fame was chronicled as he started making appearances on shopping channels and in ''Cha'mone Mo'Fo' Selecta'' he was reduced to working in a call center. Leigh Francis stated in an interview with '' Metro'' that the character was based on Billy Casper from ''Kes'', rather than the singer Craig David.


Mel B

Mel B Melanie Janine Brown (born 29 May 1975), commonly known as Melanie B or Mel B, is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the girl group Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Sc ...
is portrayed as a drunk, scary, and dirty old woman. She has white skin, red hair, and a massive nose. She speaks in a northern accent, which is apparent when she says the word "fuck" like "fook", and wears a leopard-print top, revealing a disturbingly hairy chest. Her best known catchphrase is "yer bastard ya!", whilst often making remarks regarding lesbian sex and her minge, which she describes as smelling like crab paste. In the first series, she features in a segment in which she promotes her new book, which discusses the split of the
Spice Girls The Spice Girls are a British girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Melanie Brown, also known as Mel B ("Scary Spice"); Melanie Chisholm, or Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"); Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"); Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"); and Vict ...
and her love for her stuffed tiger. In the second series, she becomes a non-weekly character, only appearing three times during the series, appearing in segments when she goes on holiday, shows us her "Crib" and talks about Girls Aloud. In the third series, she becomes a regular character again, and appears in a segment entitled "The Odd Couple". The segment shows her living with singer and actress Patsy Kensit, whom she is always trying to seduce and with whom she eventually has a drunken one night stand in the final episode. On the music video for Avid Merrion's cover for I Got You Babe (which also starred Patsy Kensit), Mel's father was revealed to be Jim Bowen. She also appears in ''
Bo! in the USA ''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. Seas ...
'', however, as a non-regular character. The real Mel B appeared a few times during the series.


Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson is portrayed as a vulgar mentally ill patient, usually beginning his segment by shouting "Cha'mone mother fucker!", which is a reference to the word "
shamone Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
" that Jackson often used in his music, pronouncing most words with an "ay" at the end, and always wearing the trademark rhinestone glove. In series one, his segment was titled "The Jacksons", which featured Michael showing the viewer around his family home, and having an ongoing feud with The Osbournes. In series two, a segment entitled "Michael Jackass" was premièred, which showed Jackson doing dangerous tasks such as wakeboarding drunk, diving in an aquarium tank covered in fish, ice skating naked, diving into a pool with his arms and legs tied up, and skydiving. In the third series, Jackson's segment was entitled "Doin' Porridge", a parody of the TV series ''
Porridge Porridge is a food made by heating or boiling ground, crushed or chopped starchy plants, typically grain, in milk or water. It is often cooked or served with added flavourings such as sugar, honey, (dried) fruit or syrup to make a sweet cereal, ...
''. The segment followed his nine weeks of being in jail (the real Michael Jackson was due to face trial at the time) with his comedy hero Ronnay Barkay. He also appeared in ''
Bo! in the USA ''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. Seas ...
'', appearing in a renewed version of "Michael Jackass". The character featured in his own special, ''Chamone Mo Fo Selecta'', following his real-life death in 2009.


David Blaine

David Blaine is portrayed as a sex-obsessed
street magic Street magic falls into two genres; traditional street performance and guerrilla magic. Traditional street performance The first definition of street magic refers to a traditional form of magic performance – that of busking. In this, the m ...
ian doubling as a pickup artist. Throughout the first two series, Blaine was featured in a self-titled segment, which saw himself perform tricks against unsuspecting female members of the public. However, during the trick, he is seen groping them for "close contact". In series two, each trick would involve one piece of the woman's underwear being removed from their body and worn by Blaine. After the trick, he tells the person that if they want their underwear back, they would have to "get a room" with him. In one of his magic tricks (referencing his "Frozen in Time" stunt), he masturbates in front of the audience while being encased in ice. He didn't appear in series three or in ''
Bo! in the USA ''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. Seas ...
''.


The Osbournes

Many of the
Osbourne family Osbourne may refer to: * Osbourne (name), including a list of people with the name * ''The Osbournes'', a reality television program featuring Ozzy Osbourne and family * ''Osbournes Reloaded'', a variety television program also featuring the Osbour ...
are parodied on ''
Bo' Selecta ''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. Seaso ...
''. They have also appeared on the show as themselves, usually while being stalked by Avid.
Ozzy John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
is shown to have very long arms, which are constantly moving in front of his body. He is shown to be always mumbling, which makes it impossible to understand what he is saying, apart from the swear bleeps during his sentence. He sometimes shouts "Sharon!" while he is speaking.
Sharon Sharon ( he, שָׁרוֹן ''Šārôn'' "plain") is a given name as well as an Israeli surname. In English-speaking areas, Sharon is now predominantly a feminine given name. However, historically it was also used as a masculine given name. In I ...
is shown to speak in a high-pitched calm voice, quite opposite to what she is like in real life. She is either always sweeping the floor with a brush, or searching for food, a reference to her real life bulimia, though is obsessed with her dogs and often is portrayed as eating their bowel movements. Kelly is the most core character of The Osbournes. She is portrayed to be always swearing, using the word "douchebag" constantly, and extremely hostile and violent. Throughout series one, she regularly appeared in "The Week In Bits" segment, often meeting other celebrities or talking about her private life. In series two, she has her own segment, entitled "The Kelly Osbourne Show", in which she goes shopping, gets a haircut, slags off other celebrities, or does an advice call-in. Jack was not featured in the first series, though briefly appeared in series two during The Kelly Osbourne Show and once during Craig David's tour, though he was portrayed as a slow moronic child like adult. In series three, his face and hair is drastically increased and he gains a Yorkshire accent in his own show "Jack Off" in which he interviews several people. His catchphrase was "Brown Bread!".


The Bear

The Bear, played by Leigh Francis with a
puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. The puppeteer uses movements of their hands, arms, or control devices such as rods ...
body, is also one of the main protagonists of the series. During series one, the bear's segment, entitled "Showbiz Chat", featured a regular celebrity guest chatting to The Bear, in a location which is only described as "up a tree, on
Hampstead Heath Hampstead Heath (locally known simply as the Heath) is an ancient heath in London, spanning . This grassy public space sits astride a sandy ridge, one of the highest points in London, running from Hampstead to Highgate, which rests on a band o ...
". In series two, the segment was upgraded, and entitled "Bedtime with the Bear". The segment featured a similar format, with the exception of the ending, in which the guest would read the Bear a bedtime story, which would feature themselves and other celebrities becoming involved in vulgar activities. The stories would always give the Bear an erection, which he would describe as his tail popping out. He has an extreme hatred of Stephen, a ginger squirrel, who he often calls "a nob jockey". In series three, "A Bear's Showbiz Tail" saw The Bear go on location to interview celebrities. When Avid fails to turn up for the last episode of series three, The Bear is given hosting duties, which resulted in his own Christmas special, "A Bear's Christmas Tail", and the entire fourth series being based around his adventures. In '' Bo' in the USA'', he once again had his own segment in which he interviews celebrities. The sketches featured The Bear alongside Verne Troyer, who was shown to be The Bear's agent since his move to America. The Bear later appeared in the 2018 ITV2 series ''Keith Lemon - Coming in America'' and in the video for Keith Lemon's all star charity version of "Do They Know It's Christmas" in 2020, with pop stars like Rick Astley, Emma Bunton, Pixie Lott and Matt Goss.


Ozzey

Ozzey is a recurring character played by Ozzy Rezat. Ozzey was Avid Merrion's landlord. He used to make T-shirts for Avid downstairs, but after Avid got a talk show Ozzey was made part of the wardrobe department. Ozzey was a refugee who escaped to England for an unknown reason. In the first episode of series three he accidentally said it out loud and was told off by Avid. He was also made gay in series three, leading to a sketch where Avid would say television has changed into a 'blank', which would immediately cut to an impersonation of '' Blankety Blank''. All the contestants would be gay celebrities, such as
Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...
, Boy George and
George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the most significant cultural icons of the MTV generation and is one of the best-selling musici ...
. After ''Bo' Selecta!'' ended and The Bear got his own show, ''
A Bear's Tail The following is a comprehensive list of the episodes from Channel 4 impressions series ''Bo' Selecta!''. Episode list Series 1 (2002) Series 2 (2003) Christmas Specials (2003) Series 3 (2004) Christmas Specials (2004) Series 4: ''A ...
'', Ozzey had moved in with Sue Dales and Dave Ian McCall. When Bo' Selecta! returned as a new form, ''Bo! in the USA'', Ozzey was not shown.


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. 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.


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. In 2022, twenty years after the shows released Francis stated that David was still talking about it stating “The only way it’s ever going to go away from him, if he feels people are going on about it, is to stop talking about it. It’s ages ago, isn’t it? It is, 20 years ago. I wish he wasn’t upset". 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. Francis apologised for playing black celebrities in the show, which Craig David said was a coincidence as the apology came at the same time as the
George Floyd George Perry Floyd Jr. (October 14, 1973 – May 25, 2020) was an African-American man who was murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an arrest made after a store clerk suspected Floyd may have used a counterfeit twe ...
death and the Black Lives Matter riots.


DVD releases


References


External links

* {{Authority control 2002 British television series debuts 2009 British television series endings 2000s British LGBT-related comedy television series 2000s British television sketch shows 2000s British satirical television series British television shows featuring puppetry Channel 4 sketch shows Cultural depictions of Michael Jackson English-language television shows Race-related controversies in television Television series by Fremantle (company)