Bo Selecta

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Biography

'Bo' Selecta! is a British sketch show written and performed by Leigh Francis , known for its often surreal humour|surreal , abstract toilet humour , which lampoons popular culture.

Background

It was broadcast on Channel 4 and ran for three series between 2002 and 2004, spawning several spin-offs. Francis played Avid Merrion, a dangerously insane Stalking|stalker , who conducts celebrity interviews whilst wearing an array of, latex masks, each one resembling at least vaguely a famous personage. The most popular sketches involve entertainers such as Elton John , David Blaine , Kelly Osbourne , Michael Jackson , Mel B and Craig David . Another recurring character on the show is 'the Bear', a perverted, foul-mouthed Teddy bear|teddy who spews a constant barrage of filth at his guests, often before exposing himself. The series title is based on a line from the Craig David song " Re-Rewind ." Much of the show's humour is derived from the deliberate ineptitude of each impersonation and general incongruity; famous scenes include Avid slapping Justin Timberlake with some raw meat, and trying to seduce Patsy Kensit while in character as Melanie Brown|Mel B . Despite a loyal following and some strong reviews, the show has been singled out by several critics for allegedly promoting narrow-mindedness and puerile behaviour. The Guardian, 11 October 2006 The show was recently re-broadcast by 4Music . Two 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

Although many celebrities lampooned in the series appreciated the joke, and even appeared in the series, the series' most prominently mocked target did not enjoy the attention. 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." The Sunday Times, 4 November 2007

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& #33; 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& #33; may return for a fifth series sometime in the future, claiming he became "excited" whilst making the Michael Jackson tribute episode. BBC News, 24 September 2009 The possibility of a further series was hinted during the special episode 'A Bear's Chrimbo Top 20,' in which The Bear stated that 'Avid' may be returning to our screens. Plans for a new series have since been put on hold, as Leigh Francis|Leigh revealed on Twitter that plans for Bo' Selecta were on hold as he was working on a script for a possible movie for another project.

DVD releases

DVD release name	DVD extras	Years of Series	Release Date
Bo Selecta – The Complete First Series	Behind The Scenes Featurette, Deleted Scenes, Blooper Reel, Trailers, Photo Gallery, Commentary, and a featurette presented by Kate Thornton , entitled "Craig David's Life Story"	2002	style="text-align:center;"
Bo Selecta – The Complete Second Series	Behind The Scenes Featurette, Deleted Scenes, Extended Scenes, Blooper Reel, Trailers, Commentary, Photo Gallery, and an uncensored cut of certain scenes, entitled "Bo' Sexier: The XXX Cuts"	2003	style="text-align:center;"
Bo Selecta – The Complete Third Series	Commentary, Bo'Hind The Scenes Documentary, Photo Gallery, Deleted Scenes, Blooper Reel, Trailers, and The Best Bits of four characters – Sting, Nadine, Ozzy & Big Brother	2004	style="text-align:center;"
''A Bear's Tail – The Complete Series	Music Video, Conceptual Art, Deleted Scenes, Trailer, Outtakes, Lemony Snippets, Movie Quiz, and a Bear-hind The Scenes documentary. A limited edition version of the DVD release came in furry bear packaging	2005	style="text-align:center;"
Bo& #33; In The USA -The Complete Series	The Making Of Bo& #33; In The USA, Gag Reel, Bo& #33; Interviews, 1984: The Lemon Years, a featurette featuring Keith Lemon, Trailers, Music Video, Commentary, Easter Egg	2006	style="text-align:center;"

Copyright Citations

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