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{{NSFL|Racist Content}}
{{NSFW|racist content|Black and White Minstrel Show}}
[[File:The Black & White Minstrel Show.jpg|thumb]]
Between 1957 and 1978, the BBC in the United Kingdom broadcast a now largely unseen / lost program called '''The Black & White Minstrel Show'''. As part of a variety show, singers would put on black face paint and perform  songs from a variety of genres as part of a modern (for the time) update to the old american Minstrel shows.
{{InfoboxLost
{{InfoboxLost
|title=<center>The Black & White Minstrel Show</center>
|title=<center>The Black and White Minstrel Show</center>
|image=The Black & White Minstrel Show Title.jpeg
|image=The Black & White Minstrel Show Title.jpeg
|imagecaption=The opening title card for the early 60's series.
|imagecaption=The opening title card for the early 1960s series.
|status=<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Lost/Found'''</span>
|status=<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found'''</span>
}}
}}
The show was extremely popular, getting 21 million viewers at its peak. It would get many awards during its time, including the first ever  ''Golden Rose of Montreux / Rose d'Or'' to be awarded in 1961 along with many Golden Discs for creating best-selling soundtrack albums throughout its lifespan.
Between 1957 and 1978, the BBC in the United Kingdom broadcast a now largely unseen/lost program called '''''The Black and White Minstrel Show'''''. As part of a variety show, singers would put on blackface paint and perform songs from a variety of genres as part of a modern (for the time) update to the old American Minstrel shows.<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/historyofthebbc/100-voices/people-nation-empire/make-yourself-at-home/the-black-and-white-minstrel-show A "BBC 100" page that includes information on ''The Black and White Minstrel Show''.] Retrieved 26 Mar '22</ref>


The show though was particularly controversial for its racial elements; starting from the late 60s, people would frequently write to the BBC calling for it to be pulled off the air, most notably in 1967 as part of the ''Campaign Against Racial Discrimination''. It also was not always popular with its performers either: comedian Lenny Henry, who made his television debut in the show in 1976, would go on to state that he regretted acting in it. Conductor George Mitchell also wished to do the show without the controversial makeup. In 1968, he tried "Masquerade" with carnival masks and in 1969, "Music Music Music" with the performers just appearing as themselves. However, neither idea took off.
The show was extremely popular, getting 21 million viewers at its peak. It would get many awards during its time, including the first-ever ''Golden Rose of Montreux/Rose d'Or'' to be awarded in 1961 along with many Golden Discs for creating best-selling soundtrack albums throughout its lifespan.


The show though was particularly controversial for its racial elements; starting from the late 1960s, people would frequently write to the BBC calling for it to be pulled off the air, most notably in 1967 as part of the ''Campaign Against Racial Discrimination''. It also was not always popular with its performers either: comedian Lenny Henry, who made his television debut in the show in 1976, would go on to state that he regretted acting in it. Conductor George Mitchell also wished to do the show without the controversial makeup. In 1968, he tried "Masquerade" with carnival masks and in 1969, "Music Music Music" with the performers just appearing as themselves. However, neither idea took off.
===Notable Editions===
In the time the show was on the air there were between 180-200 episodes broadcast and below is a sample a few of the more notable editions.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! style="background-color:lightblue" | Date
! style="background-color:lightblue" | Trivia
! style="background-color:lightblue" | Status
|-
|'''14th June 1958'''||The first episode in the series to be broadcast following the 1957 one off special/pilot "The Television Minstrels".||<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''</span>
|-
|'''10th September 1959'''||The oldest known episode of the series to still exist, preserved within the BBC archives.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8uZ6o6m_J0. The Black & White Minstrels Revisited] Retrieved 26 Mar '22</ref>||Survives but not available online
|-
|'''28th July 1960'''||An episode known as the "Scarborough Show Parade", shot on location at the Futurist Theatre in Scarborough featuring footage of the long-running stage counterpart of the show. <ref>[https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/0eee01f23e2145a28dad2ff988d96bb1 The BBC Genome listing for the Scarborough Show program] Retrieved 10 Apr '22</ref>||<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''</span>
|-
|'''12th December 1964'''||This episode did a crossover special with ''Doctor Who'' where the Daleks invaded the program and took part in dance routines.<ref>[http://www.dalek6388.co.uk/dalekmania-space-museum/ A web page about Daleks which mentions the Doctor Who crossover.] Retrieved 18 Feb '20</ref>||<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''</span>
|-
|'''25th December 1965'''||Max Bygraves hosts the show and presents George Mitchell with a Golden Disk celebrating being the first man to ever sell 1 million albums.||<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found'''</span>
|-
|'''17th December 1967'''||One of the first programs in the UK to be broadcast in color.||Survives but not available online
|-
|'''28th March 1970'''||David Prowse appears as a guest star, he would later go on to play Darth Vader in ''Star Wars''.||Survives but not available online
|-
|'''7th June 1975'''||Arthur Lowe Appears portraying his character "Captain Mainwaring" for a Dad's Army-themed sequence.||Survives but not available online
|-
|'''20th December 1975'''||The comedian Lenny Henry was forced to appear in this episode by his bosses much to his regret.||Survives but not available online
|-
|'''21st July 1978'''||The final episode released before the show was pulled off the air.||<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found'''</span>
|}
===Other Editions===
There are a lot of other clips and recordings that have shown up over the years and here's a list of some of the other ones that have been positively identified and made available.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! style="background-color:lightblue" | Date
! style="background-color:lightblue" | Summary
! style="background-color:lightblue" | Links
|-
|'''23rd December 1960'''||The earliest known episode available online and survives with complete audio and video elements intact.||'''[https://archive.org/details/the-black-and-white-minstrel-show-23.12.60 Link (Internet Archive)]'''
|-
|'''17th March 1963'''||Survives as a short audio recording that begins at the end of a comedy routine with two intact musical routines, with one being themed around the Civil War. ||'''[https://archive.org/details/the-black-white-minstrel-show-17.03.63-fragment Link (Internet Archive)]'''
|-
|'''22nd December 1963'''||This edition survives as complete audio from the 2nd comedy sketch onwards, the opening two music segments have damaged / partially missing audio. Features a routine based on the opera "Lilac Time". ||'''[https://archive.org/details/black-white-minstrel-show-22.12.63_2020512/Black+%26+White+Minstrel+Show+22.12.63.wav Link (Internet Archive)]'''
|-
|'''26th March 1964'''||Survives as a mostly complete audio recording that begins during the Opening number, Features a parody of the "Song for Europe" TV show||[https://archive.org/details/the-black-white-minstrel-show-26.04.64 Link (Internet Archive)]
|-
|'''19th August 1967'''||The final 10 minutes of this edition survive as an audio recording, this episode is a 10-year anniversary special edition.||[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WU2pfO03S8 Link (Youtube)]
|-
|'''17th June 1976'''||Available online as a full audio recording, however a location-restricted version with video elements was previously available on the BFI Screenonline but is no longer available.  ||[https://archive.org/details/the-black-white-minstrel-show-17.06.76 Link (Internet Archive)]
|-
|}
===Preservation Status===
===Preservation Status===
In 1978, after 11 years in the air, the BBC ended the television version of the show along with its variants on radio and stage, which lingered until 1989. Existing episodes were not repeated nor issued on home media, with many ending up being wiped along with other BBC shows of the era. This resulted in 100 original episodes lost, with what remained being held under very high amounts of protection with only the occasional clips or audio recordings surfacing now and then.
In 1978, after 21 years in the air, the BBC ended the television version of the show along with its variants on radio and stage, which lingered until 1989. Existing episodes were not repeated nor issued on home media, with many ending up being wiped along with other BBC shows of the era. This resulted in 100 original episodes lost, Audio and clips from the program have turned up in all sorts of shows ranging from "Monty Python's Flying Circus", "Room 101" to "Little Britain" and in 2005 it was the subject of an episode of Timeshift called "Black and White Minstrels Revisited"  which said that the earliest edition the BBC held was the 10th September 1959 and showed some clips from it along with various other editions from their archive holdings, while in 2015 The One Show also featured some clips and written records showing the BBC's response to opposition to the show at the time.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4tGthUWW_s. A clip from The One Show featuring the Black & White Minstrel Show in 2015.] Retrieved 10 Apr'22</ref>  While many film and audio clips have surfaced online in recent years the television archive Kaleidoscope has recovered various episodes of the show including the first color episode which they screened at an event in December 2019.<ref>[https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-merry-parkside-christmas-tickets-77817906453?aff=ebdssbeac&fbclid=IwAR0Vmh_owCCKb-zdrlPI4YSJ6pnyu_Ji8HxCg3RZQd-QgMDpv0ZJMUjOOfI#. The event listing for the 2019 Kaleidoscope Christmas show.] Retrieved 26 Mar '22</ref>
 
==Gallery==
{{Video|perrow  =4
  |service1 =youtube
  |id1      =vPDn0EMPZK0
  |description1 =A complete episode from 1960.
  |service2 =youtube
  |id2      =Xtje8d0_kbc
  |description2 =The audio for the partially found 1965 Max Bygraves special.
  |service3 =youtube
  |id3      =t9cns0fbMZg
  |description3 =Clips featuring the failed non-blackface re-boot "Masquerade" from the Timeshift episode "Black and White Minstrels Revisited"
  |service4 =youtube
  |id4      =DJqqoWqD3jQ
  |description4 =An almost complete copy of the final episode from 1978.
}}
<gallery mode=packed heights=275px>
File:The Black & White Minstrel Show.jpg|
File: Minstreldadsarmysmaller.jpg|
</gallery>
==External Links==
*[https://www.tvbrain.info/tv-archive?showname=The+Black+%26+White+Minstrel+Show&type=lostshow TV Brain's lost show listing on ''The Black and White Minstrel Show''.]
*[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0198065/ IMDb page for ''The Black and White Minstrel Show''.]
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_and_White_Minstrel_Show Wikipedia article]
 
==Reference==
{{reflist}}


=====Links=====
[[Category:Lost TV|Black and White Minstrel Show]]
[https://www.bbc.co.uk/historyofthebbc/people-nation-empire/make-yourself-at-home/minstrels History Of The BBC : The Black & White Minstrel Show]
[[Category:Partially found media|Black and White Minstrel Show]]
[https://www.tvbrain.info/tv-archive?showname=The+Black+%26+White+Minstrel+Show&type=lostshow TV Brain Lost Shows Listing]

Latest revision as of 23:24, 2 August 2022

Nsfw.png


This article has been tagged as NSFW due to its racist content.


The Black & White Minstrel Show Title.jpeg

The opening title card for the early 1960s series.

Status: Partially Found

Between 1957 and 1978, the BBC in the United Kingdom broadcast a now largely unseen/lost program called The Black and White Minstrel Show. As part of a variety show, singers would put on blackface paint and perform songs from a variety of genres as part of a modern (for the time) update to the old American Minstrel shows.[1]

The show was extremely popular, getting 21 million viewers at its peak. It would get many awards during its time, including the first-ever Golden Rose of Montreux/Rose d'Or to be awarded in 1961 along with many Golden Discs for creating best-selling soundtrack albums throughout its lifespan.

The show though was particularly controversial for its racial elements; starting from the late 1960s, people would frequently write to the BBC calling for it to be pulled off the air, most notably in 1967 as part of the Campaign Against Racial Discrimination. It also was not always popular with its performers either: comedian Lenny Henry, who made his television debut in the show in 1976, would go on to state that he regretted acting in it. Conductor George Mitchell also wished to do the show without the controversial makeup. In 1968, he tried "Masquerade" with carnival masks and in 1969, "Music Music Music" with the performers just appearing as themselves. However, neither idea took off.

Notable Editions

In the time the show was on the air there were between 180-200 episodes broadcast and below is a sample a few of the more notable editions.

Date Trivia Status
14th June 1958 The first episode in the series to be broadcast following the 1957 one off special/pilot "The Television Minstrels". Lost
10th September 1959 The oldest known episode of the series to still exist, preserved within the BBC archives.[2] Survives but not available online
28th July 1960 An episode known as the "Scarborough Show Parade", shot on location at the Futurist Theatre in Scarborough featuring footage of the long-running stage counterpart of the show. [3] Lost
12th December 1964 This episode did a crossover special with Doctor Who where the Daleks invaded the program and took part in dance routines.[4] Lost
25th December 1965 Max Bygraves hosts the show and presents George Mitchell with a Golden Disk celebrating being the first man to ever sell 1 million albums. Partially Found
17th December 1967 One of the first programs in the UK to be broadcast in color. Survives but not available online
28th March 1970 David Prowse appears as a guest star, he would later go on to play Darth Vader in Star Wars. Survives but not available online
7th June 1975 Arthur Lowe Appears portraying his character "Captain Mainwaring" for a Dad's Army-themed sequence. Survives but not available online
20th December 1975 The comedian Lenny Henry was forced to appear in this episode by his bosses much to his regret. Survives but not available online
21st July 1978 The final episode released before the show was pulled off the air. Partially Found

Other Editions

There are a lot of other clips and recordings that have shown up over the years and here's a list of some of the other ones that have been positively identified and made available.

Date Summary Links
23rd December 1960 The earliest known episode available online and survives with complete audio and video elements intact. Link (Internet Archive)
17th March 1963 Survives as a short audio recording that begins at the end of a comedy routine with two intact musical routines, with one being themed around the Civil War. Link (Internet Archive)
22nd December 1963 This edition survives as complete audio from the 2nd comedy sketch onwards, the opening two music segments have damaged / partially missing audio. Features a routine based on the opera "Lilac Time". Link (Internet Archive)
26th March 1964 Survives as a mostly complete audio recording that begins during the Opening number, Features a parody of the "Song for Europe" TV show Link (Internet Archive)
19th August 1967 The final 10 minutes of this edition survive as an audio recording, this episode is a 10-year anniversary special edition. Link (Youtube)
17th June 1976 Available online as a full audio recording, however a location-restricted version with video elements was previously available on the BFI Screenonline but is no longer available. Link (Internet Archive)

Preservation Status

In 1978, after 21 years in the air, the BBC ended the television version of the show along with its variants on radio and stage, which lingered until 1989. Existing episodes were not repeated nor issued on home media, with many ending up being wiped along with other BBC shows of the era. This resulted in 100 original episodes lost, Audio and clips from the program have turned up in all sorts of shows ranging from "Monty Python's Flying Circus", "Room 101" to "Little Britain" and in 2005 it was the subject of an episode of Timeshift called "Black and White Minstrels Revisited" which said that the earliest edition the BBC held was the 10th September 1959 and showed some clips from it along with various other editions from their archive holdings, while in 2015 The One Show also featured some clips and written records showing the BBC's response to opposition to the show at the time.[5] While many film and audio clips have surfaced online in recent years the television archive Kaleidoscope has recovered various episodes of the show including the first color episode which they screened at an event in December 2019.[6]

Gallery

A complete episode from 1960.

The audio for the partially found 1965 Max Bygraves special.

Clips featuring the failed non-blackface re-boot "Masquerade" from the Timeshift episode "Black and White Minstrels Revisited"

An almost complete copy of the final episode from 1978.

  • The Black & White Minstrel Show.jpg
  • Minstreldadsarmysmaller.jpg

External Links

Reference

  1. ↑ A "BBC 100" page that includes information on The Black and White Minstrel Show. Retrieved 26 Mar '22
  2. ↑ The Black & White Minstrels Revisited Retrieved 26 Mar '22
  3. ↑ The BBC Genome listing for the Scarborough Show program Retrieved 10 Apr '22
  4. ↑ A web page about Daleks which mentions the Doctor Who crossover. Retrieved 18 Feb '20
  5. ↑ A clip from The One Show featuring the Black & White Minstrel Show in 2015. Retrieved 10 Apr'22
  6. ↑ The event listing for the 2019 Kaleidoscope Christmas show. Retrieved 26 Mar '22
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