A Poke In The Eye (With A Sharp Stick)

A Poke in the Eye (With a Sharp Stick) is the title of the first show in what later became the iconic Secret Policeman's Ball series of benefit shows for human rights organization Amnesty International, although it pre-dated by three years the first show to bear that name.. The film of the show was titled Pleasure At Her Majesty's which is sometimes mistakenly thought to be the title of the actual benefit show.

The landmark 1976 show starring the Monty Python, Beyond The Fringe and The Goodies teams and other top British comedic performers of the 1960s and 1970s, led directly to the 1979 show The Secret Policeman's Ball - which in turn triggered the involvement of major rock stars such as Sting, Bono, Peter Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen and Bob Geldof in working for the human rights cause. It set a precedent that would inspire many subsequent Amnesty galas, as well as Comic Relief. The concept was also the inspiration of similar events in aid of Amnesty International in countries around the world.

The show took place on Thursday, Friday and Saturday April 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 1976 as a series of late-night galas at Her Majesty's Theatre – a theatre in London’s West End theatre district. The show was directed by Beyond The Fringe alumnus Jonathan Miller.

The event was audio-recorded and an album featuring highlights of the three nights was released in November 1976 by Transatlantic Records. The album had the same title as the show.

The event was also the subject of a film shot by documentary-maker Roger Graef that documented the rehearsals, backstage moments and show performances. The resulting film was titled Pleasure at Her Majesty's. It premiered in November 1976 at the 20th annual London Film Festival held at the National Film Theatre. The film was then screened on British TV by the BBC in December 1976. Subsequently the film received a modest theatrical release at ‘’art-house’’ cinemas in 1977.

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