HARWICH is set to celebrate the pirate DJs who helped change the face of the British pop industry.

From Good Friday to Easter Monday, legendary DJs Johnnie Walker, Dave Cash, Keith Skues, Emperor Rosko, Tony Blackburn and others will be broadcasting around the clock on Pirate BBC Essex from the lightship LV18.

The ship is moored at Harwich, which was the home port of the broadcast revolution that led eventually to Britain's first legal pop music stations.

The LV18 is also set to make its film debut when The Boat That Rocked hits nationwide cinema screens on Wednesday.

The film is a comedy in which romance takes place between the young people of the 1960s and pop music.

LV18 spent five weeks in Portland , Dorset in 2008 and was one of two ships involved in the filming The film, based on the story of two offshore pirate radio ships in 1966, includes A-list actors Rhys Ifans, Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

It is written and directed by Bafta and Emmy award-winner Richard Curtis, whose past projects have included the films Notting Hill and Love Actually, is already being tipped to be a box office smash.

The town’s Electric Palace cinema will also be screening the film over the Easter Bank holiday weekend, following a charity premiere on April 9.

The premiere will be presented by some of the celebrated radio personalities.

There will be further screenings of the film over the Easter period.

An exhibition of pirate radio memorabilia will also held on Harwich’s Ha'penny Pier over the Easter weekend.

Visitors will be able to see original microphones from Radios London and Caroline and other artefacts from the offshore pirate radio era.

LV18 Project manager and trustee, Tony O'Neil said: “We are really pleased to welcome Pirate BBC Essex back to Harwich, the home of offshore pirate radio.

“Harwich was where it all happened for real in the 1960s. We are particularly pleased to see our patron of the charity, Johnnie Walker, back on the vessel with Tony Blackburn and friends.

“We hope that publicity gained from this will not only highlight our endeavours to bring the LV18 alongside permanently as a tourism and community resource but will also, through film tourism, attract many people who will want to see the vessel and many of the original DJ's from the 60s who will be on board the LV18 for event."