1. THE BOATTHATROCKED
Synopsis: (Warning:containsspoilers!)
From the writer of “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and “Love Actually” comes The Boat That Rocked by Richard Curtis. A
comedy about rock and roll and boys and a boat.
In 1966 – British pop music’s finestera – the BBC played just2 hours of rock and roll every week. But pirateradio played
rock and pop from the high seas 24 hours a day. And 25 million people – over half the population of Britain – listened to
the pirates every single day.
Recently expelled from school, Carl (Tom Sturridge) has been sent by his jet-set mother to find some direction in life by
visiting his godfather Quentin (Bill Nighy). However, Quentin is the boss of Radio Rock, a pirate radio station i n the
middle of the North Sea, populated by an eclectic crew of rock ‘n’ roll DJ’s. They are led by The Count (Phillip Seymour
Hoffman), big, brash,American,a god of the airwaves,and totally in lovewith the music.He’s faithfully backed up by his
co-broadcasters Dave(Nick Frost) – ironic,intelligentand cruelly funny; Simon (Chris O’Dowd), super-niceand searching
for true love; MidnightMark (Tom Wisdom),enigmatic, handsome and possessingan almostuncanny ability to have sex
with anything remotely resembling a woman; Wee Small Hours Bob, a hairy late night DJ, whose hobbies are folk music
and drugs; Thick Kevin (Tom Brooke), possessor of the smallest intelligence known to mankind; On The Hour John, the
newsreader and Angus ‘The Nut’ Nutsford, who may be the most annoying man in Britain. They set about helping Carl
on his quest to find himself by, well, mostly trying to find him someone to have sex with.
Life on the North Sea is eventful. Simon finds the woman of his dreams and is married on the boat…only to be left by his
bride 11 hours later. Greatest DJ in Britain, Gavin (Rhys Ifans) returns from his drug tour of America to his rightful
position as greatest DJ in Britain – and clashes with the Count: A confrontation that ends in a dramatic and dangerous
battle of nerve. And Carl discovers that his real father is one of the DJs. Tragically for him, it’s Wee Small Hours Bob,
together with his beard.
However, pirate stations have come to the attention of an establishment that’s out for blood against the drug takers,
lawbreakers and bottom-bashing fornicators of a once great nation. In an era when the stuffy corridors of power stifle
anything approaching youthful exuberance, pirate radio becomes public enemy number 1. The explosive movement of
rock ‘n’ roll clashes with the government’s Marine Offences Act, an attempt to outlaw the pirates and remove their
ghastly influencefrom the land.All this is spearheaded by the fearsome Minister Dormandy (Kenneth Branagh), his aide
Dominic Twatt, and assistant Miss Clitt.
Fleeing from the government ships, the Boat of Rock hits a rock and sinks in the middle of the North Sea – to the
indifference of the politicians,butthe dismay of the fans.And in a Dunkirk-stylemoment, hundreds of local boats travel
out in the middle of the night to rescue their favourite broadcasters from death by drowning. The Boat That Rocked is
an ensemble comedy – where the romance is between the young people of the 60’s, and pop music. It’s about a band of
DJs that captivate Britain, playing the music that defines a generation and standing up to a government that,
incomprehensibly, prefers jazz.
Wee Small Hours Bob:
Character based on
Whispering
Bob Harris. But who
would get the joke?

2. Using the link to The Boat That Rocked, and other research, complete the following tasks:
When answering, remember to include the facts, i.e. what, when, where, how, who and why,
AND, MORE IMOPORTANTLY, the significance for the target audience.
1. Describe the target audiences for The Boat That Rocked? (Remember to include more than
just demographics)
2. What is an ‘Ensemble Comedy’?
3. What is the plot of The Boat That Rocked?
4. How are different media used to raise audience awareness of the film?
5. Describe the ways in which technology was used to target specific audiences
6. How might some people get to see the film other than by paying to see it? (include what
psychographic groupings they might belong to)
7. How did you respond to the film? What did you think worked or did not work for you?
8. How would you treat a similar idea for a film set in the 90’s or another period?