Leigh Francis

Leigh Izaak Francis was born on April 30, 1973, in Beeston, Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire. He was raised on a council estate in Old Farnley, Leeds, and later attended Farnley Park High School. Francis pursued graphic design at Jacob Kramer College. His early career saw him performing stand-up comedy and securing his first television role on ‘Dom and Kirk’s Nite O’ Plenty’ (1996) as Bobby Stark. He also appeared as Barry Gibson, a music paparazzo, on Channel 4’s ‘Popworld’ and in ‘Whatever I Want’ (2000), where he notably portrayed characters like Avid Merrion and Keith Lemon.

Francis’ major television breakthrough came in 2002 when Channel 4 commissioned ‘Bo’ Selecta!’, a sketch comedy show that featured him impersonating celebrities through face masks, alongside his original character Avid Merrion. The show ran for five series until 2006, with later series evolving to focus on other characters like The Bear in ‘A Bear’s Tail’. Following the conclusion of ‘Bo’ Selecta!’, Francis developed the character of Keith Lemon into a standalone series, starting with ‘Keith Lemon’s Very Brilliant World Tour’ (2008) on ITV2. This popularity led to ‘Celebrity Juice’, which he presented for 26 series from 2008 to 2022.

Throughout his career, Francis has continued to explore various comedic projects and roles. He starred in his feature film debut, ‘Keith Lemon: The Film’, in 2012. Other significant television endeavors include presenting ‘Through the Keyhole’ (2013-2019), starring in ‘The Keith Lemon Sketch Show’ (2015-2016), and co-starring with Paddy McGuinness in ‘The Keith & Paddy Picture Show’ (2017-2018). Francis also made a cameo in the 2019 Elton John biopic ‘Rocketman’. In 2024, he won ‘The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer’ and made a one-off appearance in the West End production of ‘Back to the Future the Musical’.