Keith Lemon star Leigh Francis reveals the REAL reason Celebrity Juice was axed as he admits ‘nothing is acceptable anymore’

Celebrity Juice was the extravagant, hilarious panel show that turned chaos into a weekly tradition on British television.

Hosted by the hilariously unpredictable Keith Lemon, played by comedian Leigh Francis, the show became a paradise for celebrity guests who were only too happy to sacrifice their dignity.

But creator Leigh, 51, has had to face the fact that the humor of younger generations has changed over the years and that it has become increasingly difficult to win over younger viewers.

Speaking with The sunthe blonde presenter has admitted that ‘nothing is acceptable anymore’ and just like fashion, tastes in comedy are changing.

He told the publication: ‘Nowadays, nothing is acceptable. It used to be that ‘the rules were the rules’, and now they’re different. So of course there were things you didn’t do in the past.’

“You don’t want to offend anyone, you just want to make people laugh. But now when I come up with an idea, it has to be honest, with a bit of nonsense.”

‘Nowadays, many comedians present straightforward shows, entertainment programs that are funny, but perhaps not as funny as a sketch program.’

He admitted he finds it “disgraceful” for viewers, as some still want to see the old-fashioned, bland comedy that was on TV in the noughties.

Leigh admitted that comedy is “always going to offend someone,” but he feels it’s all “taken too seriously.”

“You always end up pissing someone off, but that’s just comedy and in this modern age I feel like it’s all taken too seriously,” he added.

He then went on to say that because he is less dramatic in his comedies, he is often asked if he has become ‘woke’, and he indicated that he does not understand what that means.

The iconic show saw two celebrity teams led each week by permanent captains, such as the glamorous Holly Willoughby and the equally wild Fearne Cotton.

Then they went straight into battle and had to face the most ridiculous challenges. Often they would sit under the food, start to feel uncomfortable or laugh until they cried.

From painful confessions to unexpected antics, Celebrity Juice was the show where anything could happen and was seen as the perfect late-night fix.

Keith Lemon, the outrageous alter ego of comedian Leigh, was born from Francis’ creative and absurd humor, combining influences from his personal life, pop culture and his talent for portraying eccentric characters.

Before Keith Lemon, Francis had already become popular with other characters, most notably Avid Merrion, from his previous series Bo’ Selecta.

Leigh based parts of Keith’s personality on people he knew in his hometown of Leeds and on his love of 80s pop culture.

The name ‘Lemon’ comes from a friend of Francis’s named Keith who shared some of the same brash, over-the-top character traits.

The character Keith Lemon made his debut in Keith Lemon’s Very Brilliant World Tour in 2008, in which he portrayed himself as a fictional version of a successful entrepreneur and womanizer.

Leigh’s alter ego was so adored by the British that many fans don’t realise that Keith is not his real name.

He surprised fans when he ditched his comedy alter ego Keith Lemon during a rare interview on The One Show last year.

Leigh was surprised when he made a rare appearance on a BBC show, appearing as himself, rather than his alter ego Keith.

When hosts Alex Jones and Jermaine Jenas introduced him as a guest, Leigh admitted it felt strange using his own name.

He confessed, “Isn’t that weird? When I hear my name, it’s weird.”

Fans responded en masse on Twitter, expressing their surprise that Leigh appeared as herself for the rare TV interview.

One wrote: ‘It’s nice to see Leigh Francis as herself,’ while another admitted: ‘I had no idea there was a real Keith Lemon.’

Leigh revealed on the show that he was told not to wear a big hat, like his alter ego Keith does, so that fans could tell the difference between him and his character.

He said on the show: ‘You know what the PR person said? ‘Don’t wear a hat, so they can see you’re not Keith Lemon, you’re Leigh Francis.’

Leigh decided to put his alter ego aside for the interview, as he was promoting his first ever UK tour, My First Time, which he is doing under his own name.

But he assured fans that they will still see a fair share of his infamous characters on his tour, which kicks off in March next year.

He explained that he won’t be doing the entire tour as Leigh: “They keep talking about it, but I’m not really doing it as myself, I’m doing it as a series of characters that I’ve played for the last 21 years.”

During his appearance on The One Show, Leigh also opened up about how his alter ego Keith Lemon came to be, admitting that he took the name from his childhood friend.

He said he is still friends with the real Keith Lemon and that his friend has to carry a picture of him with him at all times so people don’t think he is the comedian.

In December 2022, Leigh made his final appearance on Celebrity Juice as comedian Keith Lemon, marking his departure from the panel show after 14 years.

He emotionally wiped his eyes at the final episode, titled Celebrity Juice: The Happy Ending, as the series came to an end after an impressive run of 26 seasons.

For the final episode he was joined by team captains Laura Whitmore and Emily Atack, along with former captains Holly Willoughby and Fearne Cotton, who also appeared in the series when it started in 2008.

Also in the studio for this important event were guests Will Mellor, Joey Essex, Big Narstie, Chris Ramsey and Joe Swash.