The Secret Policeman's Ball (1979)

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This article is about the iconic 1979 Amnesty International benefit show directed by John Cleese.

For the 2006 benefit show reprising the original title see: The Secret Policeman's Ball (2006).

For the article about the entire series of Secret Policeman's Ball shows inspired by the 1979 event see: The Secret Policeman's Balls

The Secret Policeman's Ball was the third of the benefit shows staged by the British Section of Amnesty International to raise funds for its research and campaign work in the human rights field. It was the first of many shows to bear the celebrated Secret Policeman's title that subsequently became the iconic series known informally as The Secret Policeman's Balls.

The show took place over four consecutive nights in London in June 1979. It was a successor to the 1976 show A Poke In The Eye (With A Sharp Stick) (the film of which was titled Pleasure At Her Majesty's) and the 1977 show The Mermaid Frolics.

The show was produced by Monty Python alumnus John Cleese and producer Martin Lewis. It subsequently yielded a one-hour TV special, a full-length movie and two record albums (one each of comedy and music performances).

The show and its spin-off film and record albums were very influential in galvanizing the participation of entertainers in political and social causes in subsequent decades. Musicians-turned-activists such as Sting, Peter Gabriel, Bob Geldof and Bono have attributed their participation in human rights issues to their exposure to Amnesty via The Secret Policeman's Ball show. Bono told Rolling Stone Magazine in 1986 “I saw The Secret Policeman’s Ball and it became a part of me. It sowed a seed..."

In 2006 Amnesty revived the Secret Policeman's Ball title as the brand name for its occasional benefit shows with the staging of a single-night performance held in October 2006 at London's Royal Albert Hall. In a conscious reprise of the original 1979 show - the new show was given the identical title.