Trisha Goddard subjected to ‘vile abuse’ after Leigh Francis’s blackface apology

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Trisha Goddard has opened up about the “vile abuse” she has received since Leigh Francis publicly apologised for portraying her in blackface.

The actor recently said sorry for his “offensive” portrayals of black celebrities on Bo’ Selecta, a surreal Channel 4 sketch show that ran between 2002 and 2009.

On the series, Francis impersonated stars such as TV presenter Goddard, Mel B and Craig David while wearing large latex masks.

Appearing on Good Morning Britain on Monday (15 June), Goddard told hosts Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid that internet trolls have accused her of “ruining Leigh’s career” because she “can’t take a joke”.

She said: “Since Leigh made that apology I’ve been subject to more vile abuse. I’ve had thousands and thousands of people saying the same thing.”

Speaking about her daughter, who was bullied over the depiction of her mother in Bo’ Selecta, Goddard added: “Leigh really sweetly talked to my daughter for a long time and he was horrified.

“No one forced him to; he chose to say sorry.”

Bo’ Selecta has been pulled from All4 in the wake of the renewed fight against racism in the UK and the US following the death of George Floyd.

Little Britain, The Mighty Boosh and The League of Gentleman have also been removed from streaming services.

An episode of Fawlty Towers, meanwhile, is set to be reinstated on UKTV’s streaming service after it was initially removed because it contains “racial slurs”.

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Guidance and warnings highlighting “potentially offensive content and language” will feature alongside the episode.