CRAIG DAVID - U.K. COMIC HITS BACK AT CRAIG DAVID

A British comedian accused by singer CRAIG DAVID of ruining his credibility in the U.K. has fiercely refuted the charge, insisting he kept the star's name alive after he "f**ked off" his homeland. Leigh Francis frequently mocked David on his TV sketch show Bo' Selecta!, among a crop of other targetted celebrities, and the Seven Days singer has often blamed the funnyman for turning the British public against him. However, Francis - who claims the singer lost fans in Britain after he jetted off to the U.S. in search of fame stateside - is sick of defending himself against David's bitter tirades, and has pledged to revive the singer's alter-ego in his comedy routines. He says, "(He) wishes I was dead. I f**king hate it when he blames me for what's happened to him - I've got nothing to do with his career. If his music career hasn't worked, it's his fault, not mine. "He was slagging me off all last Christmas (07). He said that I bumped into him, said sorry for affecting his career and that he'd called me two-faced. That's absolute bulls**t. That's why I've started doing him again (in his comedy). "When he went to the U.S. after he f**ked Britain off, I kept his name alive."