Craig David says ‘Bo’ Selecta!’ impression was “bullying”: “There was no real accountability”

nme.com:

Craig David has spoken about how he felt “bullied” by Leigh Francis’ impersonation of him on Bo’ Selecta!.Francis, who’s best known as Keith Lemon, starred in the cult Channel 4 show between 2002 and 2009.

The comedian caricatured David as well as the likes of Mel B, Michael Jackson and Elton John in a range of bizarre sketches.His portrayal of David – whose catchphrase inspired the series’ title – was often said to have contributed to the ‘7 Days’ singer’s dip in popularity in the mid-2000s.“When the Bo’ Selecta!

show was out, that period of time was hard processing for me,” David said during an interview with BBC Breakfast today (October 4).“I didn’t know why a song like ‘Rewind’ – which was a cultural song that broke the ice for so many artists to come through – was now being ridiculed.”He continued: “That was one thing, that I placed it as a music thing.

But actually what [Francis] was doing was slowly bullying not only myself but Mel B [and] Trisha, and I felt there was no real accountability at that time.“And I was young, between a rock and a hard place. [I was like], ‘Do we lean in [to it]’  …defence mechanism. ‘Let’s laugh it off – come on, let’s do a show together’.