The Black and White Minstrel Show is a British light entertainment show on BBC prime-time television that ran from 1958 to 1978. The weekly variety show presented traditional American minstrel and country songs, as well as show tunes and music hall numbers, lavish costuming and often with cast members in blackface.
and that was the problem … the Brits loved the idea of a minstrel show in black face because it had everything they loved about it … presenting black people as comical caricatures to be made fun of while also being presented and performed by white people … because they never thought of hiring and paying for actual black people to do these things.
I don’t think minstrel shows with black face were common in Britain?
It’s more likely that white British people took it as “much darker than the skin we’re assuming for people” which is enough to make the simile work.
You’d be wrong on that I’m afraid:
What the fuck‽ Until '78‽
and that was the problem … the Brits loved the idea of a minstrel show in black face because it had everything they loved about it … presenting black people as comical caricatures to be made fun of while also being presented and performed by white people … because they never thought of hiring and paying for actual black people to do these things.
:(
I’ll hope that it was still less common than in the US