GLITZ and glamour came to Weymouth for the regional premiere of a much-anticipated film.

Posh frocks and tuxedos adorned the red carpet at Weymouth’s Cineworld as more than 200 people attended the screening of The Boat That Rocked in aid of the RNLI.

Celebrity guest Johnnie Walker helped present a cheque for £2,165 to the cause alongside Weymouth and Portland mayor Tim Munro.

The Radio 2 DJ, who worked on pirate radio station Radio Caroline in the 1960s, said: “It’s really good that the RNLI has been able to benefit from this premiere.

“We knew that they were always there to help us out on our ship if we got into trouble.”

Mr Walker told the premiere guests that he was a fan of the Richard Curtis film, which was shot on location in Weymouth, Portland, Kimmeridge and Lyme Regis.

“There’s great music in it. They portray life on board really well. Although we didn’t have quite as much fun on board as they did,” he said.

Chairman of the Weymouth branch of the RNLI Michael Gill received the proceeds of the evening on behalf of the charity.

He said: “I’d like to thank people on behalf of the crew and volunteers for supporting the lifeboat station in Weymouth. The amount of money we’ve raised is down to the initiative of the guys who have set this up.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun because a lot of local people have taken part.”

Cineworld staff captured the spirit of the film – which is loosely based upon pirate radio station Radio Caroline – by wearing Sixties attire.

Filmgoers began queuing on the red carpet up to 45 minutes before the film began.

Richard Cropper, of Weymouth, said: “This is an important occasion for Weymouth. I came along to support a colleague of mine, Steve Pitman, who was in the film as a boatman.”

Members of Weymouth Rowing Club, who appeared as extras in closing sequences of the film with their boats, turned out in force to see themselves on the big screen.

Coun Munro said: “This film has generated big publicity for Weymouth and Portland and should put it on the film map. It was an exciting evening with a lot of people turning up raising a lot of money for the RNLI.

“We’ve already got Portland stone and now we have ‘Weymouth rocks’.”