Max Headroom (character)
Encyclopedia
Max Headroom is a fictional British artificial intelligence
, known for his wit
and stuttering, distorted, electronically sampled voice
. The character was created by George Stone, Annabel Jankel
, and Rocky Morton
in the mid nineteen eighties, and portrayed by Matt Frewer
as "The World's first computer generated TV host" although the computer generated appearance was achieved with prosthetic make up as the computer technology of the time was not sufficiently advanced to achieve the desired effect. Preparing the look for filming involved a four-and-a-half hour session in make up which Matt Frewer described as "a very painful, tortuous and disgusting enterprise."
The classic look for the character was a shiny dark suit - which was actually a fibreglass mould - often paired with Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses. Only his head and shoulders were depicted, usually against a "computer generated" backdrop of a slowly rotating wire-frame cube interior, which was also initially generated by analogue means - in this case traditional cell animation, though later actual computer graphics were employed for the backdrop.
The character's personality was partly intended as a satire of insincere and egotistical television personalities - what Rocky Morton described as the "very sterile, arrogant, Western personification of the middle-class, male TV host," but also was "media-wise and gleefully disrespectful" which appealed to young viewers.
Matt Frewer was chosen for his ability to improvise, and his - according to Wagg - "ideally exportable" Mid-Atlantic accent. The actor decided to model Max's personality after what he saw as the smarmy, self-important goofiness of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show's" Ted Baxter. "I particularly wanted to get that phony bonhomie of Baxter," Frewer said in an 1986 interview, "Max always assumes a decade long friendship on the first meeting. At first sight he'll ask about that blackhead on your nose."
Max Headroom originally featured as a veejay in a music video programme whose first episodes unusually featured no introductory title sequence or end credits. The show was an immediate cult hit, doubling Channel 4's viewing figures for its slot.
Later the character appeared in a feature film, a dramatic television series
, television commercials and the song "Paranoimia" by the British pop act Art of Noise.
Although best remembered in the UK for his initial TV host role, the character is more associated in America for the later science fiction series that also featured him.
. Though officially two seasons, only fourteen episodes were created, and only thirteen aired.
The background story provided for the Max Headroom character presents a dystopic
look at a run-down near-future dominated by television and large corporations
. Max Headroom was shown to have been created from the memories of Edison Carter
. The character's name came from the last thing Carter saw during a vehicular accident that put him into a coma: A bar with a sign warning of low clearance, marked "MAX. HEADROOM: 2.3 M".
The original movie was rebroadcast on More4
on 21 October 2007 as part of the 25th birthday celebrations of Channel 4
.
Shout! Factory
released Max Headroom: The Complete Series on DVD in the United States and Canada on August 10, 2010.
Max became a celebrity outside the television series. He was the spokesman
for New Coke
(after the return of Coke Classic), delivering the slogan "Catch the wave!" (in his trademark staccato, stuttering playback as "Ca-ca-ca-ca-ca-catch the wave!"). In the UK, Max appeared in television commercials for Radio Rentals
. He also hosted an interview show on the Cinemax
cable channel, called The Original Max Talking Headroom Show.
In 1987, Frewer appeared as Max Headroom in a segment for Sesame Street
. He recites the alphabet with selected commentary on some of the letters.
An older-looking Max has been used in a campaign to inform UK households of the impending digital TV switchover. As he is looked after by a caretaker, he moans about being with the other "relics," and then talks about digital TV. He says that Channel 4 is now suddenly "20 years into the future," making a subtle reference to 20 Minutes into the Future. His sense of humor remains intact.
". Max was also featured on a single titled "Merry Christmas Santa Claus (You're a Lovely Guy)" released by Chrysalis Records
.
released a Max Headroom game, which was sold in the UK for the Sinclair
ZX Spectrum
and Commodore 64
. The game's plot was to protect Edison Carter from criminals armed with guns, whilst rescuing Max.
in latex and foam prosthetic makeup with a fiberglass
suit created by Peter Litten
and John Humphreys of Coast to Coast Productions in the UK. This was then superimposed over a moving geometric background. Even the background was not actual computer graphics at first; it was hand-drawn cel animation
like the "computer-generated" animations in the TV series Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
. Later in the US version, they were actually generated by a Commodore Amiga
computer.
The series pilot won the BAFTA award for graphics.
The rights to the Max Headroom character are currently held by All3Media
.
television stations had their broadcast signals hijacked
by an unknown person wearing a Max Headroom mask. The first attack took place for 25 seconds during the sportscast on the 9 O'Clock news on WGN-TV
Channel 9 and two hours later around 11 o'clock on PBS affiliate WTTW
Channel 11 for about 90 seconds during a broadcast of the Doctor Who
episode "Horror of Fang Rock
." The hacker mumbled nonsense during his interruptions, including the phrase "The Greatest World Newspaper nerds," a reference to WGN's call letters, standing for World's Greatest Newspaper. A homemade Max Headroom background rocked back and forth as he talked. The video ended with a pair of exposed buttocks being spanked with a flyswatter. The culprits were never identified.
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
, known for his wit
Wit
Wit is a form of intellectual humour, and a wit is someone skilled in making witty remarks. Forms of wit include the quip and repartee.-Forms of wit:...
and stuttering, distorted, electronically sampled voice
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
. The character was created by George Stone, Annabel Jankel
Annabel Jankel
Annabel Jankel is an award-winning British film and TV director who first came to prominence as a music video director and the co-creator and director of the pioneering cyber-character Max Headroom...
, and Rocky Morton
Rocky Morton
Rocky Morton is a British director. He was one of the co-creators of Max Headroom and co-director on Super Mario Bros.. Various music videos by Rush, Tom Tom Club, Talking Heads, Led Zeppelin, Orgy and Miles Davis are credited to Morton. He also directed the 1995 UK launch commercial of Sega...
in the mid nineteen eighties, and portrayed by Matt Frewer
Matt Frewer
Matthew "Matt" Frewer is a Canadian American stage, TV and film actor. Acting since 1983, he is known for portraying the 1980s icon Max Headroom and the retired villain Moloch in the film adaptation of Watchmen.-Life and career:...
as "The World's first computer generated TV host" although the computer generated appearance was achieved with prosthetic make up as the computer technology of the time was not sufficiently advanced to achieve the desired effect. Preparing the look for filming involved a four-and-a-half hour session in make up which Matt Frewer described as "a very painful, tortuous and disgusting enterprise."
The classic look for the character was a shiny dark suit - which was actually a fibreglass mould - often paired with Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses. Only his head and shoulders were depicted, usually against a "computer generated" backdrop of a slowly rotating wire-frame cube interior, which was also initially generated by analogue means - in this case traditional cell animation, though later actual computer graphics were employed for the backdrop.
The character's personality was partly intended as a satire of insincere and egotistical television personalities - what Rocky Morton described as the "very sterile, arrogant, Western personification of the middle-class, male TV host," but also was "media-wise and gleefully disrespectful" which appealed to young viewers.
Matt Frewer was chosen for his ability to improvise, and his - according to Wagg - "ideally exportable" Mid-Atlantic accent. The actor decided to model Max's personality after what he saw as the smarmy, self-important goofiness of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show's" Ted Baxter. "I particularly wanted to get that phony bonhomie of Baxter," Frewer said in an 1986 interview, "Max always assumes a decade long friendship on the first meeting. At first sight he'll ask about that blackhead on your nose."
Max Headroom originally featured as a veejay in a music video programme whose first episodes unusually featured no introductory title sequence or end credits. The show was an immediate cult hit, doubling Channel 4's viewing figures for its slot.
Later the character appeared in a feature film, a dramatic television series
Max Headroom (TV series)
Max Headroom is a British-produced American science fiction television series by Chrysalis/Lakeside Productions that aired in the United States on ABC from March 1987 to May 1988. The series was based on the Channel 4 British TV pilot Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future...
, television commercials and the song "Paranoimia" by the British pop act Art of Noise.
Although best remembered in the UK for his initial TV host role, the character is more associated in America for the later science fiction series that also featured him.
Max Headroom and 20 Minutes into the Future
Max's presenter character in The Max Headroom Show had an origin story developed in the television movie Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future which in turn became the pilot for an American series which ran from 1987 to 1988. The first episode was presented in an extended edition to American audiences in 1986 on CinemaxCinemax
Cinemax, sometimes abbreviated as simply "Max", is a collection of premium television networks that broadcasts primarily feature films, along with softcore erotica, original action series, documentaries and special behind-the-scenes features. Cinemax is operated by Home Box Office, Inc., a...
. Though officially two seasons, only fourteen episodes were created, and only thirteen aired.
The background story provided for the Max Headroom character presents a dystopic
Dystopia
A dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian, as characterized in books like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four...
look at a run-down near-future dominated by television and large corporations
Multinational corporation
A multi national corporation or enterprise , is a corporation or an enterprise that manages production or delivers services in more than one country. It can also be referred to as an international corporation...
. Max Headroom was shown to have been created from the memories of Edison Carter
Max Headroom (TV series)
Max Headroom is a British-produced American science fiction television series by Chrysalis/Lakeside Productions that aired in the United States on ABC from March 1987 to May 1988. The series was based on the Channel 4 British TV pilot Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future...
. The character's name came from the last thing Carter saw during a vehicular accident that put him into a coma: A bar with a sign warning of low clearance, marked "MAX. HEADROOM: 2.3 M".
The original movie was rebroadcast on More4
More4
More4 is a digital television channel, run by British broadcaster Channel 4, that launched on 10 October 2005. It is carried on Freeview, on satellite broadcasters Freesat and Sky, UK IPTV broadcaster TalkTalk TV and on UK cable network Virgin Media and in the Republic of Ireland cable networks...
on 21 October 2007 as part of the 25th birthday celebrations of Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
.
Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory is an entertainment company founded in 2003 that was started by Richard Foos , Bob Emmer and Garson Foos initially as a specialty music label...
released Max Headroom: The Complete Series on DVD in the United States and Canada on August 10, 2010.
Other appearances
Spokesman
A spokesperson or spokesman or spokeswoman is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others.In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have received formal training in journalism, communications, public relations and...
for New Coke
New Coke
New Coke was the reformulation of Coca-Cola introduced in 1985 by The Coca-Cola Company to replace the original formula of its flagship soft drink, Coca-Cola...
(after the return of Coke Classic), delivering the slogan "Catch the wave!" (in his trademark staccato, stuttering playback as "Ca-ca-ca-ca-ca-catch the wave!"). In the UK, Max appeared in television commercials for Radio Rentals
Radio Rentals
Radio Rentals was formed in 1932 to rent out radio sets by Percy Perring-Thoms with a turnover in the first year of £780. It later moved into televisions and ultimately video recorders. In 1965 it merged with RentaSet, Joseph Robinson's similarly formed company...
. He also hosted an interview show on the Cinemax
Cinemax
Cinemax, sometimes abbreviated as simply "Max", is a collection of premium television networks that broadcasts primarily feature films, along with softcore erotica, original action series, documentaries and special behind-the-scenes features. Cinemax is operated by Home Box Office, Inc., a...
cable channel, called The Original Max Talking Headroom Show.
In 1987, Frewer appeared as Max Headroom in a segment for Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
. He recites the alphabet with selected commentary on some of the letters.
An older-looking Max has been used in a campaign to inform UK households of the impending digital TV switchover. As he is looked after by a caretaker, he moans about being with the other "relics," and then talks about digital TV. He says that Channel 4 is now suddenly "20 years into the future," making a subtle reference to 20 Minutes into the Future. His sense of humor remains intact.
Musical performance
Art of Noise featured an overdubbed Max on the song "ParanoimiaParanoimia
"Paranoimia" is a song by English synthpop group Art of Noise released in 1986, from their album In Visible Silence.The song's better-known version was a version released as a single, featuring television character Max Headroom on vocals...
". Max was also featured on a single titled "Merry Christmas Santa Claus (You're a Lovely Guy)" released by Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records was a British record label that was created in 1969. The name was both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis...
.
Max Headroom also showed up at the 1988 Winter Olympics1988 Winter OlympicsThe 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated in and around Calgary, Alberta, Canada from 13 to 28 February 1988. The host was selected in 1981 after having beat Falun, Sweden and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy...
.
Video game
In 1986, QuicksilvaQuicksilva
Quicksilva was a British games software publisher active during the early 1980s.Amongst the company's successes were Jeff Minter's Gridrunner and Bugaboo , a title licenced from Spanish software house Indescomp S.A....
released a Max Headroom game, which was sold in the UK for the Sinclair
Sinclair Research Ltd
Sinclair Research Ltd is a British consumer electronics company founded by Sir Clive Sinclair in Cambridge. Originally incorporated in 1973 as Ablesdeal Ltd., it remained dormant until 1976, and did not adopt the name Sinclair Research until 1981....
ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
and Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
. The game's plot was to protect Edison Carter from criminals armed with guns, whilst rescuing Max.
Production notes
Notwithstanding the publicity for the character, the real image of Max was not computer generated. Computing technology in the mid-1980s was not sufficiently advanced for a full-motion, voice-synced human head to be practical for a television series. Max's image was actually that of actor Matt FrewerMatt Frewer
Matthew "Matt" Frewer is a Canadian American stage, TV and film actor. Acting since 1983, he is known for portraying the 1980s icon Max Headroom and the retired villain Moloch in the film adaptation of Watchmen.-Life and career:...
in latex and foam prosthetic makeup with a fiberglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
suit created by Peter Litten
Peter Litten
Peter Litten or Peter Mackenzie Litten is a British film director and designer whose film credits include To Die For and Slaughter High....
and John Humphreys of Coast to Coast Productions in the UK. This was then superimposed over a moving geometric background. Even the background was not actual computer graphics at first; it was hand-drawn cel animation
Traditional animation
Traditional animation, is an animation technique where each frame is drawn by hand...
like the "computer-generated" animations in the TV series Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (TV series)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, is a BBC television adaptation of Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy broadcast in January and February 1981 on BBC Two...
. Later in the US version, they were actually generated by a Commodore Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
computer.
The series pilot won the BAFTA award for graphics.
The rights to the Max Headroom character are currently held by All3Media
All3Media
All3Media is a television production company which makes programmes under several different subsidiaries. The company was formed in 2003 following the acquisition of Chrysalis Group's television arm which was rebranded North One....
.
Signal intrusion event
On November 22, 1987, two ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
television stations had their broadcast signals hijacked
Broadcast signal intrusion
Broadcast signal intrusion is a term given to the act of hijacking broadcast signals of radio and television stations. Hijacking incidents have involved local TV and radio stations as well as cable and national networks.- Method of intrusion :...
by an unknown person wearing a Max Headroom mask. The first attack took place for 25 seconds during the sportscast on the 9 O'Clock news on WGN-TV
WGN-TV
WGN-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the CW-affiliated television station in Chicago, Illinois built, signed on, and owned by the Tribune Company. WGN-TV's studios and offices are located at 2501 W...
Channel 9 and two hours later around 11 o'clock on PBS affiliate WTTW
WTTW
WTTW channel 11 is one of three Public Broadcasting Service member public television stations serving the Chicago, Illinois market; the others are WYCC and WYIN. WTTW began broadcasting on September 6, 1955 and it is owned and operated by Window to the World Communications, Inc., a not-for-profit...
Channel 11 for about 90 seconds during a broadcast of the Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
episode "Horror of Fang Rock
Horror of Fang Rock
Horror of Fang Rock is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 3 September to 24 September 1977.-Synopsis:...
." The hacker mumbled nonsense during his interruptions, including the phrase "The Greatest World Newspaper nerds," a reference to WGN's call letters, standing for World's Greatest Newspaper. A homemade Max Headroom background rocked back and forth as he talked. The video ended with a pair of exposed buttocks being spanked with a flyswatter. The culprits were never identified.
In popular culture
- In the 1989 film Back to the Future Part IIBack to the Future Part IIBack to the Future Part II is a 1989 American science fiction comedy film and the second installment of the Back to the Future trilogy. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Thomas F. Wilson and Lea Thompson...
, in a scene set in the year 2015, the main character MartyMarty McFlyMartin Seamus "Marty" McFly, Sr. is the protagonist in the Back to the Future film trilogy, and is portrayed by actor Michael J. Fox. Marty was also the protagonist in the animated series where he was voiced by David Kaufman...
visits a stylized 1980s1980sFile:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
-themed diner. The "waiters" are interactive electronic monitors showing the faces of Michael JacksonMichael JacksonMichael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, Ronald ReaganRonald ReaganRonald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
and Ayatollah Khomeini, portrayed in a Max Headroom-like manner. - The comic strip DoonesburyDoonesburyDoonesbury is a comic strip by American cartoonist Garry Trudeau, that chronicles the adventures and lives of an array of characters of various ages, professions, and backgrounds, from the President of the United States to the title character, Michael Doonesbury, who has progressed from a college...
by Garry TrudeauGarry TrudeauGarretson Beekman "Garry" Trudeau is an American cartoonist, best known for the Doonesbury comic strip.-Background and education:...
had a character fashioned after Max Headroom named Ron HeadrestRon HeadrestRon Headrest is a character from the comic strip Doonesbury.During the 1980s Garry Trudeau thought it would be fun to do a political parody of the television program Max Headroom...
. He was to be a temporary replacement for a vacationing or napping Ronald ReaganRonald ReaganRonald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
. - The season 4 episode of FarscapeFarscapeFarscape is an Australian-American science fiction television series filmed in Australia and produced originally for the Nine Network. The series was conceived by Rockne S. O'Bannon and produced by Jim Henson Productions and Hallmark Entertainment...
, "John Quixote" featured the actor Ben BrowderBen BrowderRobert Benedic "Ben" Browder is an American actor and writer, best known for his roles as John Crichton in Farscape and Cameron Mitchell in Stargate SG-1.-Early life:...
appearing as a Headroom-type version of his character, John Crichton. - The Canadian rock band Sum 41Sum 41Sum 41 is a Canadian rock band from Ajax, Ontario. The band was formed in 1996 and currently consists of members Deryck Whibley , Tom Thacker , Jason McCaslin and Steve Jocz .In 1999, the band signed an international record deal with Island Records...
wrote a song called "Second Chance for Max Headroom" for their album Half Hour of PowerHalf Hour of PowerHalf Hour of Power is Sum 41's debut EP. It was released June 27, 2000, on Big Rig Records, a subsidiary of Island Records , and Aquarius Records...
. - In the 1987 film SpaceballsSpaceballsSpaceballs is a 1987 American science fiction comedy parody film co-written by, directed by, Mel Brooks and starring Bill Pullman, John Candy, Mel Brooks & Rick Moranis. It also features, Daphne Zuniga, Dick Van Patten, and the voice of Joan Rivers. The film was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on...
, a parody of Max Headroom appears as the character Vinnie, henchman of mobster Pizza the Hutt. Vinnie also appears in 2008's Spaceballs: The Animated SeriesSpaceballs: The Animated SeriesSpaceballs: The Animated Series, also known as Spaceballs: The Series, is an animated television series that premiered in 2008 on G4 and Canada's Super Channel, and is loosely based on the parody science fiction film Spaceballs...
, but without Max Headroom's characteristic stutter. - In the music video for Italian DJ Gigi D'AgostinoGigi D'AgostinoLuigino Celestino Di Agostino , better known by his stage name Gigi D'Agostino, is an Italian DJ, remixer and record producer...
's song "Another WayAnother Way"Another Way" is the name of a song made by Italian DJ and Italo artist Gigi D'Agostino in 1999, which was first released on the L'Amour Toujours album in the Electronic genre...
", the main character bears Max Headroom's appearance, stuttering and robotic motion. - During the final season of the educational television series Square One Television, another parody of Max Headroom named FAX HEADFUL had his own segment. FAX's monologues typically involved statistics and estimation, such as his musing on population density, or average yearly doughnut consumption.
- Channel 8 of Sirius Radio, which features songs from the 1980s, will sometimes have a character called "Less Headroom" between songs. He is billed as Max's "younger, more sophisticated brother".
- UsherUsher (entertainer)Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
's video for OMGOMGOMG may refer to:*Oh My goodness, or Oh My Gosh, a common abbreviation used in SMS and Instant Messaging*omg!, a celebrity news and gossip Web site run by Yahoo.com...
pays homage to him in the beginning scene. - In the music video "Love you like a Love Song" Selena GomezSelena GomezSelena Marie Gomez is an American actress and singer best known for portraying Alex Russo in the Emmy Award-winning Disney Channel television series Wizards of Waverly Place...
singer appears in Max Headroom-esque scenes.
External links
- Pictures of Frewer's transformation into Max
- Interview with Matt Frewer
- 1987 Max Headroom Pirating Incident - article and video
- Max to promote Digital TV - The Times Online
- Video of the Art of Noise featuring Max Headroom singing Paranoimia
- the Max Headroom project - Comprehensive Max Headroom information site