Leigh Francis has sparked concerns that he may never return to TV following recent career backlash.
The star, 52, is a household name thanks to his unique sense of humour and hit television shows.
However, he has reportedly felt frustrated by the criticism he faced and by how his true identity was often overshadowed by his Keith Lemon persona, according to The Sun.
Admitting he didn’t know when he’ll be back on TV, Leigh said on a recent Instagram Live: ‘I turned something down this morning. I haven’t pitched any ideas for TV shows in ages.
‘If I do and someone likes it then I’ll be back but if I don’t, I won’t.’
When speaking about future projects, Leigh ruled out any return for Through The Keyhole but suggested he might consider making more comedy sketches.
Leigh Francis has sparked concerns that he may never return to TV following recent career backlash
The star, 52, has reportedly felt frustrated by the criticism he faced and by how his true identity was often overshadowed by his Keith Lemon persona (pictured in 2016)
However, he admitted he is frustrated by the backlash that often comes when his sketches offend people.
He explained: ‘If you think you’re gonna be offended you shouldn’t watch but I can’t be bothered to get into this deep conversation.’
Daily Mail has contacted Leigh’s representative for comment.
Earlier this year, Leigh said he ‘doesn’t regret’ any of his controversial behaviour as his TV alter-egos as he shared what he would have changed about his past roles.
The comedian is well known for his series Bo Selecta. The show was pulled from Channel 4’s streaming service in 2020, over its portrayal of black celebrities including Craig David and Trisha Goddard.
The removal, following the death of George Floyd and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, led Leigh to tearfully apologise for causing ‘any upset’ and said he ‘didn’t realise how offensive it was back then.’
But in an interview on the Who We Are Now with Izzy & Richard Hammond podcast, Leigh insisted he has no regrets for his past behaviour, but would ‘probably change’ some things if given the chance.
He said: ‘Let’s get cut to the chase. Some people say, ”Do you regret some of the things you did in your past?” No, I don’t. I don’t regret anything. Would I change things? Probably.’
When speaking about future projects, Leigh ruled out any return for Through The Keyhole but suggested he might consider making more comedy sketches
Leigh added that the ‘rules’ of comedy have changed since his first rose to fame, and he’s more mindful with his approach.
He added: ‘You don’t know that back then, and you play to what the rules are back then, where no one is bothered about anything you’re doing. And then rules change.
‘So you would do it different now, because, you know, some people might be upset by things.’
‘Things change. And then you look back at things, then you talk to friends, and then you go, ”Oh, I’ll just apologise for what I did.”
‘It’s weird because you don’t set out with malice or anything. And we didn’t think, ”Aren’t we edgy? We’re doing something naughty here.” We just did it because it was silly. And I don’t apologise for Bo’ Selecta, but I apologise for upsetting people that were offended by it.’
Leigh went onto add that as a comedian, viewers should never take his jokes too seriously, continuing: ‘I’m a court jester, which is the lowest of the low. ‘Sing and dance, make me laugh.
‘You shouldn’t take what I’m saying seriously, because first of all, my name is not Keith Lemon. I’m acting!
‘And even with people that might have been offended by Keith Lemon, saying he’s misogynistic or something. No, you supposed to be. You’re not laughing with him; you’re laughing at him. He’s a fool!’
‘He would say things that there’s no way on Earth I would say. But I know people who say such things, and I laugh at them for saying it… You can laugh at people that say horrendous things, I think.’
