Proper no, I tell thee
Lorraine slams ‘cruel’ Bo Selecta but shrugs off BoJo
TV star Lorraine Kelly says she should have complained about her portrayal on comedy show Bo Selecta.
Lorraine, 62, was sent up by actor Leigh Francis, better known as Keith Lemon, during the Channel 4 show in the 2000s.
In each sketch, the character would uncross her legs while uttering a crude catchphrase.
But speaking on a podcast, she said: “I didn’t complain but I should have. To be honest I never saw it, because I didn’t watch the show. I was actually very, very upset at the portrayal of Craig David because I adore Craig.
“He’s the kindest, loveliest man and that absolutely destroyed his career.
“For a few years, that did badly affect him and his career. With me, I just found it really distasteful, really horrible and I should have complained at the time and I certainly would complain now.
“I think any woman would. The portrayal of everybody was actually very cruel.”
During the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, Celebrity Juice host Francis apologised for playing black people in Bo
Selecta. Using masks, the actor and presenter created ridiculous versions of Michael Jackson, Craig David and Spice Girl Mel B with catchphrases such as, “Proper Bo, I tell thee”.
He said he was “deeply sorry” and had done a lot of “talking and learning”.
Speaking to Jojo Sutherland and Bruce Devlin on the Be Honest podcast, Lorraine was also asked about the PM not knowing who she was last week when intervied by Susanna Reid.
Despite hosting her own UK wide show since 2010 on ITV and being on our screens since 1983, Boris Johnson appeared bewildered at the mention of her name.
He was sitting down for his first interview with Good Morning Britain in five years and after being grilled over lockdown parties, the cost of living and Ukraine, Reid tried to hand over to Lorraine, whose show is on after GMB.
She said: “Lorraine is waiting to take up all the issues that you have brought up in this interview.”
Johnson appeared flummoxed as he asked: “Who’s Lorraine?” Reid laughed when he said it and said Lorraine was a “legend” as Boris mumbled: “Oh fantastic, I can’t wait to talk to Lorraine.”
On the podcast, Bruce Devlin asked: “How on Earth does he not know who you are?”
Lorraine said: “I don’t expect him to.”
The veteran presenter also admitted she has banned Katie Hopkins from her show and told how Lady Gaga left her waiting for hours.
She said: “The only person that I actually genuinely wouldn’t have on the show is Katie Hopkins. She’s a busted flush. It’s because I actually think that person is dangerous.
“I nearly interviewed Lady Gaga, but we were waiting for her. We were waiting for hours. It was a long, long time ago.
“We just kind of gave up and thought, let’s go home.”
Mum-of-one Lorraine also talked about her daughter Rosie returning from Singapore before the first lockdown.
She said: “I had to have the conversation with her that I found quite heartbreaking actually, which was, this is not Singapore, you cannot walk home on your own. You can’t leave your drink in the bar. You can’t do all these things.
“And that’s terribly sad, you know, talking to her, telling young women that that’s how it is.
“We’ve obviously had the high-profile, dreadful tragedies of young women getting murdered, getting attacked and all of this and it’s just really, really sad.
“There has to be a real, a real sea change.”