The Secret Policeman's Third Ball

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Victims of their own success in recruiting stars to appear at fund-raisers, Amnesty took a six-year sabbatical from producing benefit shows in the mid-1980s as a multitude of other good caus... Read allVictims of their own success in recruiting stars to appear at fund-raisers, Amnesty took a six-year sabbatical from producing benefit shows in the mid-1980s as a multitude of other good causes staged charity concerts that took the limelight. Amnesty returned in 1987 with refreshe... Read allVictims of their own success in recruiting stars to appear at fund-raisers, Amnesty took a six-year sabbatical from producing benefit shows in the mid-1980s as a multitude of other good causes staged charity concerts that took the limelight. Amnesty returned in 1987 with refreshed zeal. A new generation of British comedians took up the Amnesty mantle, including Robbie... Read all

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.1/10

148

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Photos

More like this

6.8

The Secret Policeman's Ball

Storyline

Edit

Did you know

Edit

Trivia
Celebrity TV chef David Myers ( of 'The Hairy Bikers' fame) started his working life as a make up artist. He said doing comedienne Ruby Wax's make up for this show was one of his first professional jobs.

Connections
Edited into The Secret Policeman's Ball: The Music Edition (2004)

User reviews2

Review

Featured review

6/10

Deeply Eighties

Going through the secret policeman's benefit shows in order is a strange experience - here the original format returns after a long absence and the subsequent bloom in popularity over the eighties for high-budget benefit shows. The comedy, although pleasingly British (Lenny Henry and the young Fry & Laurie do great turns here), is hugely truncated by the big name musical guests. You got Armatrading, you got Bush, you got Duran Duran and even Lou Reed and Peter Gabriel show up. The performances are pretty atmospheric, if not a little dated - but the four shows (two comedy, two musical) don't compile together well and you feel like you're not seeing the best of either. The framing device of Ruby Wax backstage having awkward interviews never quite works either. The mullets, the shoulderpads, the eighties. This is the Ball at a low ebb.