Amnesty International UK and Deborah Frances-White, star of hit podcast The Guilty Feminist, joined forces on Saturday night to bring the relaunched Secret Policeman’s Tour to the iconic Edinburgh Playhouse stage for a night stand-up comedy, re-vamped sketches, musical performances, inspiring speakers and lively discussion, all in support of human rights.
Taking place on the final Saturday of the Edinburgh Festivals month, Deborah Frances-White played host to the evening which featured stand-up sets from some of the best comic talent working on the circuit today, including The Mash Report’s Rachel Parris and Nish Kumar (pictured), Sindhu Vee, Larry Dean, Rosie Jones, Phoebe Robinson (2 Dope Queens) and Desiree Burch.
More than forty years since Amnesty’s first ever Secret Policeman event, a revamped version of the infamous sketch The Four Yorkshiremen was performed by Sophie Duker, Siobhan McSweeney, Rosie Jones and Jess Fostekew, bringing it in to 2019 as The Four Yorkshirewomen (pictured). The sketch was originally performed by John Cleese, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and Rowan Atkinson for Amnesty International’s Secret Policeman’s Ball in 1979.
Human Rights Activist and ‘Glasgow Girls’ campaigner Amal Azzudin shared her experience as a young asylum–seeker living in Scotland and inspired the audience with a call to action on the Home Secretary Priti Patel to change the current immigration laws to allow child refugees to reunite with their families.
Steve Ali, Syrian refugee and star of BBC Radio 4‘s GrownUpLand performed a special live version of the show’s slot ‘Steve Ali’s Perspective’, which gives a different outlook to the first world problems of today.
There was also an exclusive one-night only performance of an unofficial Derry Girls sketch written by Deborah Frances-White and Siobhan McSweeney exclusively for Amnesty International UK, starring Siobhan alongside Nicola Coughlan, Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Jamie Lee O'Donnell (pictured with Deborah Frances-White).
Deborah Frances-White also chaired a lively discussion on the environment and climate change with Anna Warren (Amnesty Children's Human Rights Network Committee Member and one of Glasgow’s own Fridays for Future youth Climate Strike campaigners) alongside Siobhan McSweeney, Nicola Coughlan, Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Jamie Lee O'Donnell from Channel 4‘s Derry Girls.
Spoken word artist Hollie McNish entertained the crowd with her witty and heart-warming and through-provoking poetry.
Throughout the night were outstanding musical performances from the talented singer and impressionist Jess Robinson and protest singer-songwriter Grace Petrie, who closed the show with her rousing protest songs.
This show was recorded for a podcast which will be released soon.
The Secret Policeman’s Tour 2019 began with a show at London’s Hackney Empire on Wednesday 5th June. The third and final date is still to be announced. More details to follow in the coming weeks.
For more information about The Secret Policeman Tour and to listen to the London Secret Policeman’s Tour Podcast see www.amnesty.org.uk/secret-policemans-tour.
