'Max Headroom' by Steve Roberts From an original idea by George Stone, Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel

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 Grossman 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), Nickolas Grace (Grossman), Hilary Tindall (Dominique), W. Morgan Sheppard (Blank Reg), Amanda Pays (Theora Jones), Paul Spurrier (Bryce Lynch), Hilton McRae (Breugal), George Rossi (Mahler), Roger Sloman (Murray), Anthony Dutton (Gorrister), Constantine Gregory (Ben Cheviot), Lloyd McGuire (Edwards), Elizabeth Richardson (Ms. Formby), Gary Hope (Ashwell), Joane Hall (Body Bank Receptionist), Howard Samuels (ENG Reporter), Roger Tebb (Helipad Reporter), Val McLane (Eye Witness), Michael Cule (Exploding Man)

Directed by Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel
Produced by Peter Wagg
Executive Producer Terry Ellis
Chrysalis Visual Programming Ltd for Channel 4

UK TX:
Channel 4 – 4th April, 1985 @ 9.30 – 10.35 pm

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

*This TV movie was later rewritten and cut down to become ‘Blipverts’, the American series season opener