'Blipverts' by Joe Gannon, Philip DeGuere, Jr. and Steve Roberts

Twenty minutes into the future: a time when television has completely taken over people’s lives; TV sets cannot be turned off, and broadcasters only care about boosting their ratings, no matter what the cost. When Network XXIII begins transmitting ‘Blipverts’ - adverts broadcast at incredibly high speeds to prevent viewers from switching channels during breaks - the channel’s investigative reporter Edison Carter, of the ‘What I Want To Know’ show, becomes suspicious. He soon uncovers the terrible truth: an unexpected side effect of Blipverts is that they cause viewers to explode. While attempting to escape the Network XXIII building with this damning information, Carter is badly injured in a car crash, and the last thing he sees before passing out is a barrier with the legend ‘Max Headroom’… Network executive Grossberg decides to let Carter die, and he instructs his whiz kid genius, Bryce Lynch, to replace the reporter with a computer simulation. However, Carter is still very much alive - and the new construct, Max Headroom, seems to have a life of its own…

Matt Frewer (Edison Carter / Max Headroom), Amanda Pays (Theora Jones), George Coe (Ben Cheviot), Jeffrey Tambor (Murray), Chris Young (Bryce Lynch), Charles Rocket (Ned Grossberg), Jere Burns (Breughel), Rick Ducommon (Mahler), Hank Garrett (Ashwell), Virginia Kiser (Ms Formby), Lee Wilkof (Edwards), Billie Bird (Florence), Ken Swofford (Gorrister), Ricardo Gutierrez (Martinez), with Viola Kates Stimpson, Irene Olga Lopez, Pearl Shear, Skip O'Brien, Matt Roe, John Davey, Taylor Presnell, Heath Jobes

Directed by Farhad Mann
Produced by Peter Wagg
Executive Producer Philip De Guere

US TX:
31st March, 1987

Notes:
*Introducing Max Headroom, Edison Carter, Theora Jones, Murray, Bryce Lynch and Blank Reg