Victims of their own success in recruiting stars to appear at fund-raisers, Amnesty International took a six-year break from producing benefit shows in the mid-1980s. They returned in 1987 with renewed enthusiasm, featuring a new generation of British comedians, including Robbie Coltrane, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, and the Spitting Image puppets. The event also saw a mix of veteran and new musical performers, including Kate Bush, David Gilmour, Joan Armatrading, Duran Duran, Peter Gabriel, Lou Reed, and Jackson Browne. The two evenings of comedy and music were later combined into a single TV special.
The Secret Policeman's Third Ball
Victims of their own success, Amnesty International took a six-year break from producing benefit shows in the mid-1980s after recruiting stars to appear at fundraisers, as other good causes staged charity concerts that overshadowed their events.
