The Black and White Minstrel Show

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The Black and White Minstrel Show was a long-running British television variety program notorious for its use of blackface and racially stereotyped performances.

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Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf British television series
musical television programme
basedOn The George Mitchell Minstrels NERFINISHED
broadcastAs Saturday night entertainment
broadcastPeriod 1958–1978
cancellationReason changing public attitudes to race
criticism of blackface
countryOfOrigin United Kingdom
criticisedBy anti-racism campaigners
civil rights groups
criticisedFor perpetuating racial stereotypes
racist content
features The George Mitchell Minstrels NERFINISHED
dance routines
male chorus in blackface
popular songs
white singers in blackface makeup
filmingLocation London, England
surface form: London
firstAired 1958
firstAiredOnChannel BBC Television NERFINISHED
format televised stage revue
genre comedy
musical
variety show
hadSpinOff stage show versions in London
touring stage productions
influencedDecision BBC to cancel the series
lastAired 1978
ledTo public protests in the 1960s and 1970s
legacy example of outdated racial representation on British television
widely regarded as racist in retrospect
musicStyle music hall
traditional minstrel songs
notableFor racially stereotyped performances
use of blackface
originalChannel BBC One NERFINISHED
originalLanguage English
originalNetwork BBC Television NERFINISHED
peakPopularity 1960s
producer George Mitchell NERFINISHED
productionCompany BBC
received high viewing figures in the 1960s
runtimePerEpisode approximately 45 minutes
stageShowRun long-running West End production
stageShowVenue Victoria Palace Theatre NERFINISHED
subjectOf controversy over racism
targetAudience family audience
won Golden Rose of Montreux NERFINISHED
wonInYear 1961 Golden Rose of Montreux NERFINISHED

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Lenny Henry notableAppearance The Black and White Minstrel Show