He will probably be associated forever with
The Black and White Minstrel Show (1958). This was
originally devised as an entertainment for the National Radio Show of
1957, a one-off exercise in nostalgia for the minstrel shows of
yesteryear. However, it proved immediately popular and the BBC started
a series featuring the Minstrels in 1958. It ran for 20 years,
maintained by the technical excellence of the arrangements and
Mitchell's solo singers. In the end, even the inclusion of genuine
ethnic artists such as
Elaine Delmar and
Lenny Henry could not rescue a tired
formula.