Sir Lenny Henry says 'I wish I hadn't done that' as he shares career 'regret'

He's had a long and successful career in comedy but Sir Lenny Henry has opened up about his regrets. He made an appearance on ITV's This Morning on Thursday, November 14, where he was promoting his new TV series, Legends of Comedy With Lenny Henry. The four-part Channel 4 programme sees him exploring the careers and inspirations of his comedy heroes.

While chatting with This Morning hosts Cat Deeley and Dermot O'Leary, he discussed how the landscape of comedy has evolved over the years and how what was once acceptable in comedy is no longer so.

Sir Lenny, who rose to fame following an appearance on the TV show New Faces as a teenager in the '70s, said: "I started off as a 16-year-old copying people I'd seen on the television so I told racist jokes about myself and when I watch it now I go I wish I hadn't done that.

"But actually if wishes were horses beggars would rise, so now you've got to learn from the mistakes you've made and move on into the future and try and get better role models," reports the Mirror.

For his latest TV series, which begins on Saturday, November 16, Sir Lenny draws inspiration from comedy role models and interviews the likes of Paul Whitehouse, Sally Phillips, Romesh Ranganathan and Alexei Sayle.

The series kicks off with a profile on Whitehouse and also features some of his favourite comedies from other people, including The Royle Family, Alan Partridge, Catherine Tate and Victoria Wood.

Thursday's episode of This Morning also featured a screening of the 2024 John Lewis Christmas advert, which left Dermot visibly moved.

During a discussion about the advert, Dermot confessed to getting emotional, saying "I cried" after watching the two-minute clip, titled The Gifting Hour. The advert tells the