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The Black and White Minstrel Show
1958 · TV series · 45 min episodes · 1 season
The Black and White Minstrel Show was a British light entertainment show that ran on BBC television from 1958 to 1978 and was a popular stage show. It was a weekly light entertainment and variety show presenting traditional American minstrel and country songs, as well as show and music hall numbers, usually performed in blackface, and with lavish costumes. The show was created by George Mitchell.
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2 comments on Hacker News
This doesn't look adventurous to me. It's more like an extension of "Page 3" culture that spilled over to TV. It's not that much different to the "Hot Gossip" dancers on Kenny Everett's TV show or "Top of the Pops" at the end of the decade.
Old UK TV shows look weird to todays audience (not adventurous) because they are a reflection of a time we have long moved on from. The pandering racism of "Love Thy Neighbour" and "The Black and White Minstrel Show", the scantily clad "totty" in Benny Hill.
I suppose on an incredibly naive way it might seem adventurous but I'm very glad we've moved on.
In the 1970s, The Black and White Minstrel Show was still on TV. I don’t think this one clip proves anything.
I think it is true that there used to be more of an attitude to broadcasting ‘things the public ought to see’ more than the things they actually wanted which meant more things like classical music, history, dance, etc. Although I’m not sure if this clip was due to that attitude. If you look at TV today, things like nature documentaries can still be very popular and high quality.
Some of the ‘high-brow’ content was relegated to special channels and so just seen less. Nowadays, it seems like Netflix, YouTube, etc is actually a good place for more niche things to be able to reach a wider audience.