A band of rogue DJs that captivated Britain, playing the music that defined a generation and standing up to a government that wanted classical music, and nothing else, on the airwaves.
This movie is an ensemble comedy in which the romance takes place between the young people of the 1960s and pop music. It's about a band of rogue DJs that captivated Britain, playing the music that defined a generation and standing up to a government that wanted classical music, and nothing else, on the airwaves. The Count (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a big, brash, American god of the airwaves; Quentin (Bill Nighy), the boss of Radio Rock - a pirate radio station in the middle of the North Sea that's populated by an eclectic crew of rock and roll DJs; Gavin (Rhys Ifans), the greatest DJ in Britain who has just returned from his drug tour of America to reclaim his rightful position; Dave (Nick Frost), an ironic, intelligent, and cruelly funny co-broadcaster; and a fearsome British government official out for blood against the drug takers and lawbreakers of a once-great nation.Written by
Production office
Hans Zimmer wrote the score, which consists of only one six-minute cue during the finale, without being credited as composer. He did this as a favor to Working Title Films, with whom he had worked during the beginning of his career in the 1980s. The score track is listed in the closing credits amongst the numerous songs used as "Sink or Swim" and Zimmer is listed, in the fine print, as the writer of this particular "song", along with Lorne Balfe. See more »
Goofs
In the Christmas scene at the government minister's house, the minister's daughter offers Twatt a mince pie. A mince pie can be clearly seen already on his plate and when he accepts the (apparently second) the other has vanished. See more »
This film is dedicated to all who worked and broadcast on the pirate stations - all those wonderful years, all day and all of the night. See more »
Alternate Versions
US distributor, Universal have chosen to re-title the film as "Pirate Radio" and release it under Focus Features in US territories. This new version will be edited for length by director Richard Curtis after some European reviewers cited its 135 minute running time as a factor in its diminished success. See more »
What a cute flick! As a (former) film reviewer I have absolutely no desire to dissect or critique this movie. I'm just taking it at face value. It's fun, uplifting and witty. It's obvious the cast had a hell of a good time making it (even the 'bad' guys). Hoffman and Nighey are in top form. The gags are good, even when they tank. And the ending gave a surprising increase in the tension/suspense.
Really can't find anything terribly wrong with this aside from the mild sexism but it's so subtle, I hardly noticed.
I've been going through a really rough time personally and watching this cheered me. What more could you hope for?
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What a cute flick! As a (former) film reviewer I have absolutely no desire to dissect or critique this movie. I'm just taking it at face value. It's fun, uplifting and witty. It's obvious the cast had a hell of a good time making it (even the 'bad' guys). Hoffman and Nighey are in top form. The gags are good, even when they tank. And the ending gave a surprising increase in the tension/suspense.
Really can't find anything terribly wrong with this aside from the mild sexism but it's so subtle, I hardly noticed.
I've been going through a really rough time personally and watching this cheered me. What more could you hope for?