The Secret Policeman's Ball (1979)

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

For the 2006 benefit show inspired by the original show, see: The Secret Policeman's Ball 2006.

For the 2008 benefit show inspired by the original show, see: The Secret Policeman's Ball 2008.

For the entire series of Secret Policeman's Ball shows, see: The Secret Policeman's Balls.

For the DVD box set of Secret Policeman's Ball shows, see: The Secret Policeman's Balls (DVD box set).

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. In later years, other Amnesty benefit shows also bore the Secret Policeman's title. They are informally referred to as The Secret Policeman's Balls.

The Secret Policeman's Ball 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 directed by Monty Python alumnus John Cleese and producers Martin Lewis and Peter Walker. 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..."