The Leigh Francis I’m A Celebrity signing would bring one of British comedy’s most recognisable characters into the jungle, with the comedian behind Keith Lemon named among the 12 reported campmates for the 2026 series. The Sun revealed the reported line-up, according to Hello Rayo on 6 November, and Capital Xtra also lists the 53-year-old among those heading to Australia.
As with every name on the list, the casting is reported, not confirmed: ITV has yet to officially announce any campmates. The show returns on Monday 16 November at 9pm on ITV1, hosted by Ant and Dec, for around three weeks in Murwillumbah, Australia.
Lemon heads to the jungle
Reports suggest Francis will appear as himself rather than in character as Keith Lemon, giving viewers a rare chance to see the man behind the bleached hair, ginger moustache and fake tan. In interviews he usually adopts one of his guises, appearing as Avid Merrion during the Bo’ Selecta! years and as Keith Lemon ever since.
Ant and Dec have previously named Francis on their podcast as a celebrity they would like to see in the jungle, according to Capital Xtra. Whether campmates get Lemon, Leigh, or a mix of both may be the series’ first running joke.
The man behind the tan
Leigh Izaak Francis was born in Beeston, Leeds, on 30 April 1973, and was brought up on a council estate in Old Farnley. He was discovered by Davina McCall performing in-role stand-up, and his breakthrough came when Channel 4 offered him a deal to build a show around his characters. Bo’ Selecta! ran from 2002 to 2009, with Francis wearing face masks to impersonate celebrities and playing the main character Avid Merrion.
Keith Lemon then took over his career. Celebrity Juice ran for 26 series on ITV2 between 2008 and 2022, and Francis presented Through the Keyhole from 2013 to 2019, alongside The Keith Lemon Sketch Show, The Keith & Paddy Picture Show with Paddy McGuinness, and his feature film Keith Lemon: The Film in 2012. He also had a cameo in the 2019 Elton John biopic Rocketman, won The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer in 2024, and toured in 2024 with his show My First Time.
The apology that still follows him
One part of Francis’s past is likely to resurface as soon as he enters camp. In June 2020 he apologised on Instagram for his portrayal of various Black celebrities on Bo’ Selecta!, saying he had done “a lot of talking and learning” and was on “a constant journey of knowledge”. The apology came amid the Black Lives Matter protests, and Francis said he would not repeat characters that caused offence.
Three weeks without the Lemon mask, living on rice and beans with eleven strangers, will show the public a side of Francis that television rarely has. For a comedian who has spent a career hiding behind characters, the jungle may be the most exposing stage of all.
