Amanda Holden's pal fiercely defends BGT host against people's 'preconceived ideas'
EXCLUSIVE: Leigh Francis has opened up about his friendship with Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda Holden.
Amanda Holden quizzed on BGT judges by Keith Lemon in 2019
Leigh Francis, best known for his comedy creations Keith Lemon and Avid Merrion, has described his friend Amanda Holden as "kind and funny" and claims people have "preconceived ideas" about her.
The pair met when they sat beside each other for a food test for a supermarket and quickly became firm friends.
They have since worked together with Keith donning full drag to play her gran in The Holden Girls: Mandy and Myrtle.
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk in advance of the release of his memoir Leigh, Myself and I, he enthused: "I loved working with Amanda. She's so funny. I got on with her straight away.
"I think people have got preconceived ideas about her, but she's so kind and so funny. I said, to her 'You've got to do some more comedy'. She said, 'I'm a judge now' but I said, 'I'm going to get you in something'.
After tossing about a few ideas The Holden Girls, an eight-part documentary-style series following Amanda and her "nan" Myrtle was born but Leigh explained that it wasn't plain sailing getting it on air.
"We went out into London, dressed up and did a teaser tape [for the idea]. Then there's no way we could have gone anywhere with just a treatment document.
"It was originally [an idea] for ITV and then it didn't happen with them. Then Channel 4 were interested but Covid happened.
"Originally it was going to be a travelogue, and it was about how Myrtle's never been out of Doncaster. So it was her tasting spicy food and all sorts of things, but then Covid happened [so we couldn't do that].
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"Channel Four still wanted to do it, but they didn't have any money because of the pandemic so they said, we'll borrow some money off E4 and it can go on E4 and be repeated on Channel 4.
"But they repeat it like really late at night, and it wasn't a naughty programme!" he exclaimed.
The [original] idea was, it'd be great to go on after Britain's Got Talent - like the after party," he explained. "Now there's Amanda with her gran [type thing].
"I thought it was a really lovely programme and we have been talking about doing more," he revealed.
Leigh, Myself and I by Leigh Francis is published on September 12 by HarperNonFiction, for £22.
