Pirate Radio (2009) on Netflix
In 1966, pirate stations in international waters beam rock and pop to Britain, and the government wants them shut. Expelled at seventeen, Carl is sent to his godfather Quentin's Radio Rock.
- Netflix3.6/5
- IMDb7.3/10121,321 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes59%
Trailer
Plot summary
Across Britain in 1966, listeners tune to pirate stations broadcasting from ships in international waters, where disc jockeys play the rock and pop that the BBC keeps off the air. Radio Rock, run by Quentin, is one of them, with a crew that includes the brash American known as The Count and Doctor Dave. Carl, seventeen and just thrown out of school, is sent to live with his godfather Quentin aboard the ship. In London, the minister Sir Alistair Dormandy calls pirate radio commercial and immoral and sets his subordinate Twatt hunting for legal ways to close the stations. British firms may not advertise on unlicensed stations, so Quentin brings the popular DJ Gavin Kavanagh back on air, and his return stirs a rivalry with The Count.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Pirate Radio (2009)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Trailers for the film's North American release announced that "in 1966 the British government banned rock 'n' roll on the radio," though in the film pirate radio was already widespread before Parliament passed the Marine, &c., Broadcasting (Offences) Act 1967. They also carried the words "inspired by a true story," a claim neither the production nor the writing staff made.
- The pirate radio ship was played by the Timor Challenger, a former Dutch hospital ship previously called De Hoop, moored in Portland Harbour in Dorset, while the "North Sea" scenes were shot off Dunbar in East Lothian.
