Goofs for
The Boat That Rocked (2009) More at IMDbPro »

• Anachronisms: Although set in 1966, most of the pop songs in the soundtrack were released after this time. Some of the songs featured were hits in 1969.
  
  
• Anachronisms: One of the cars in a London street scene has a 1967 registration although the film is set in 1966.
  
  
• Continuity: Carl's hair completely changes position (between shots) when he's talking to Quentin in his cabin at the dining table.
  
  

• Anachronisms: Although set in 1966, dome-shaped CCTV cameras are visible on both sides of the National Gallery in the scene on the building's steps.
  
  
• Continuity: When The Count threatens to say the f-word live on air, in some shots his hand is holding the microphone, in others his hand is by his side.
  
  
• Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): The Government minister in charge of closing down the pirate radio stations is depicted as a right-wing reactionary, with a grand home with servants. In fact the responsible minister was Tony Benn, then the Labour government Postmaster General at the time, who is known as one of the most left-wing and socialist senior politicians ever.
  
  
• Anachronisms: Gavin is wearing MYKITA Sunglasses which use a patented hinge system which was invented recently.
  
  
• Continuity: 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.
  
  
• Continuity: In the final scene when they are on the bow of the ship, just before it sinks, where are the ship's mechanical crew; captain, engine operators etc, which can be clearly seen in the previous scene.
  
  
• Crew or equipment visible: When there is an ariel shot, the helicopter is visible in the sea.
  
  
• Crew or equipment visible: When Rhys Darby's character has been thrown off the boat to 'swim', there is the shadow of a camera on the backs of the crew members who threw him off.
  
  
• Continuity: When Quentin salutes his crew, The Count salutes him, and in the next shot The Count is raising his hand to salute.
  
  
• Anachronisms: When Rhys Darby's character Angus is first introduced, He has a modern pair of "Panasonic" headphones on.
  
  
• Revealing mistakes: The ship is sinking at about 45 degrees, yet the DJ is able to play a record on a level turntable.
  
  
• Continuity: When they start the final record by Procol Harum, we watch a single at 33rpm. That is possible as it was a very long track. Nevertheless when we have a second view of the turntable a few shots layer, it obviously plays at 45rpm.
  
  
• Errors in geography: The Boat is sinking at a position given as 53 degrees 17 minutes North and 2 degrees 15 minutes East - which is a position 70 km Northeast of Bacton in Norfolk, (the nearest town on land) - however Gavin is requesting anybody with a boat in Suffolk to help with the rescue. Suffolk is a long way to the South and he would do better to ask for help from anyone in Norfolk.
  
  
• Anachronisms: When the police motor out to the ship, the Avon rigid-hulled inflatables they use were not developed until much later.
  
  
• Plot holes: As the ship fills with water and the characters are waist deep - how could they continue playing records without getting electrocuted?
  
  
• Anachronisms: During the segments of the film set during 1966, a reference to Jimi Hendrix is made and the song "The Wind Cries Mary" is played on the soundtrack. Hendrix wouldn't reach stardom until the summer of 1967 thanks to his performance at the Monterey Pop Festival and the release of his debut album Are You Experienced?, which contains the aforementioned song, in August of 1967, the same month that the Pirate Radio ships were outlawed by the British Government. In the film the song is heard being played around Christmas time of 1966.
  
  
• Anachronisms: The characters frequently use vernacular that was not made popular until much later than 1966. Characters refer to protection as 'condoms,' which were much more commonly called 'rubbers' in the 60s. Also, Young Carl is told that when dealing with Thick Kevin, it was important to "think outside the box," a term not coined in general use until the early 90s.
  
  
• Anachronisms: While most of the record labels are accurate for the period, the film shows A&M and Capitol LPs with label designs that weren't used until the 1970's.
  
  
• Errors in geography: A launch that comes to visit has the call letters NN73, which would have been assigned to a U.S. craft, not a British one. The launch is so small, it is unlikely to have crossed the Atlantic.
  
  
• Anachronisms: The silver turntables with the slim straight arms used by the DJs and the tape reels didn't come along until much later - maybe 20 years later in the case of the turntables. (Odd that they were used because they also showed clunkier Garrard turntables that appear to have been correctly from the 1960s.)
  
  

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