Max Headroom: 20 Minutes Into The Future

Edison Carter to Network 23.

Network 23, are you receiving me?

This is Network 23, intermittent device .

Edison Carter to Network 23.

Come on, clear this link!

Network 23 to Edison Carter: OK, we have a link strong and clear.

Your show goes live in two minutes.

- Your controller is Gorrister. - Thank you, 23.

Hello Gorrister.

Gorrister here, Edison.

Are you about the incident?

Descend then, I'll guide you once clear of the chopper

By the way, you've got competition. It's quite a scene down there.

No one before I'm on air.

30 seconds. We'll make it.

This is Network 23.

This is Network 23

"A Network That Means This" is now transmitting live to the world.

The award-winning Edison Carter, on the "What I want to know." - Three...

two... one... go!

This is Edison Carter, asking the questions you want answered.

Right now what I want to know is this:

Just what happened in apartment 42 in the last 60 minutes?

What I want to know is: who is suppressing the story?

What is it somebody doesn't want us to know?

Come with me, live and right now. Let's go and get some answers.

Alright, Control, I'm going in.

Gorrister, do you have an update?

All we have is: it's an explosion in the area toward the residence.

OK. Come to the eyewitness. Three... two... one... go!

Well, that's reporters and Metro Police everywhere...

There was an 'orrible noise and a woman come runnin' out.

They've took her

Hello.

No one here tell us why we've got to stay indoors.

Alright, Control, I'm getting out of the chopper now.

OK. From your position go North, 300.

Building 84B.

Security on the main door, so I'll take you in on the east side.

- Setting up time . - OK, Control.

I want you to turn right.

OK, Edison, there is an intersection ahead.

Go upstairs, and it's on the second floor.

- Number 42. - You got any update on that?

Apparently the wife's been hospitalized.

Yes.

But Carter is right at the scene. What?!

goin' on air? On what authority?

Put Carter out. Put him out!

Hi, Patrick.

Hi, Edison. This man said, "through-here-we-no-go".

It's typical. First time ever we get to a story before you,

Control just pulled us out!

Gorrister... Gorrister, I'm calling you on the link! How come this story is pulled?

It's just come down to Murray.

I'm not dropping this one, Gorrister. Something smells.

Gotta go round the back and see if I can access a window.

Edison, it's pulled!

Come on in!

Gorrister...

Gorrister, Gorrister, you maniac! You...!

Oh Jesus, I don't believe it! Gorrister, I'm in...!

Gorrister!

Right, yes. Bye.

Gorrister, you do not leave me, or anybody exposed down here.

- Hey, Edison, what is the problem? Easy... - The problem is almost got KILLED!

- The job was pulled, I pulled you in! - You cut me out!

And no job is over until I am back at base, you little idiot!

Edison, come on.

Won't take this "Pretty Madonna" crap. Not even from the Great Edison. LET ME PASS!!

Murray.

It's my ass down there, NOT HIS!

Now look. Just give me a controller that can do the job.

Just want somebody who can keep me alive out there,

- the best. - Okay, okay.

- The best! - Listen, Edison...

I was out there once, I know how you feel, but it stops THERE!

It's the big, isn't it?

I don't know. It was... pulled from high up... very high.

We've succeeded in pulling Edison Carter off there, Mr. Grossman?

Yes, fortunately our instructions were carried out in time.

ratings. We have every cause for satisfaction.

Overnight ratings Channel 23...

low 1.5 million, high 2.36 million which keeps us top network.

Projections for the next hour are excellent.

Let's move to the... 'blipvert' problem.

We may have to suspend... the use of 'blipvertisments', temporarily.

There have been, as you know, these... side effects on viewers.

However, returning to conventional 30-second advertisements...

will once again give viewers time to switch channels...

with the consequent dip in our ratings.

The very thing that Bryce designed blipverts to prevent.

The Zik-Zak corporation very keen to press ahead...

buying air time, using our blipverts.

Right now we are the only network that have blipverts.

Unless we use them ... Zik-Zak might deal with our competitors.

I do not intend to lose our major client.

There's probably no connection with blipverts.

By good heavens, isolated incidents of this phenomena have occurred throughout history.

People do sort of blow up. Spontaneously combust, you know?

No. I don't.

We need some more informed opinion on the matter.

So I avast Bryce to meet us on the video link.

Now he's our top man.

I want you to leave him absolutely to me.

Hello there, Bryce.

- I need to talk to you abou... - I'm rather busy.

I've succeeded in computer generating a parrot on the screen.

Oh, my congratulations. Whatever next?

It squawks.

Um... I wonder if you could find time to, a...

illustrate to the board here this little hitch we have on your blipverts.

Put simply - the human body has millions of nerve endings.

Each carries an electrical charge...

individually - very tiny,

but in combination - surprisingly large.

Normally, people burn it off, but...

in inactive people, it just builds up.

Now, because I designed blipverts to compress

a 30 seconds of advertising information into 3 seconds...

It appears the brain violently stimulates these nerve endings.

Simultaneously.

In some subjects it causes a short circuit.

Some particularly slothful, , literally explode.

Simple as that!

I've got rather good example of one, on this Rebus tape.

It won't be set down simple if blipverts go global.

My God.

Look here, the only people who are THAT inactive are pensioners...

the sick... or the unemployed.

I take it that your Rebus tape is in an extremely safe place.

Of course.

But, look, it's not my problem.

My brief was to find a way to stop channel switching.

I mean, you know - I only invent the bomb, I don't drop it.

We think it might affect sales if, um...

people begin to... suspect.

Well, don't tell them, then.

Unfortunately, one of our reporters may have got... quite near the truth.

We have to be very careful.

Ah, fire him. The cruelest - kill him.

Theora, I'm putting you with Edison Carter.

He is the best we have at Network 23. I think, volatile, but good.

Yes, I heard. And what was that story he was pulled from?

A-ha, Edison, this is Theora Jones.

I managed to .

While I've warned her you're a charmer.

- Hi. Oh, how's the head? - It's fine, how is yours?

Right, we do want to start.

No trouble, or I stock your pocket money. You know the rules.

Yes, we do. What do you say we start by breaking one?

So you can get on this rush of reporters

being pulled off hard stories for no reason?

Edison...

Sort of, um... access the inaccessible?

Edison, leave it!

Now back off, I mean it.

Given the kind of material you normally bring in,

what's so special about some microwave oven going hot?

Oh come on, Murray, since when the people guard exploded microwave?

Right, let's have a go.

Hey, there is no way through there, that's the executive level.

I know. Let's try up through the plumbing system.

From the lower level, where there is no security block.

hell.

I accessed the security systems Mr. Carter asked.

This place is about as inaccessible as I can get.

I'll leave you two together.

Alright, Theora, what do you get on the line, apart from the dirty pictures?

Um... there is missile missing from AKG.

- That's hot, isn't that? - Uh-uh.

Oh, an assassination of a whole medic team in Bolivia.

- How about that one? - Give it to Joe.

Bryce is a problem.

these computer-generating people...

want to know about blipverts.

And we... must keep him on air, then.

Unless Bryce can't sort out that effect, we simply can't use them.

You've seen the Rebus tape, it's just terrifying.

We've no choice. We committed to the campaign.

And the Zik-Zak Corporation's advertising contract - well, this is massive.

Massive or not - if this gets out, Network 23 is in serious trouble.

They've been too damn close to the truth twice already.

Theora, run that again, that last part.

Network 23 is in serious trouble.

They've been too damn close to the truth twice already.

Did they, now?

- What's that crew doing on the roof? - Camera 5,

Um... the party that covering Ben Cheviot's departure to New Tokyo to sign this big Zik-Zak contract.

This promises to be one of the most momentous meetings in the history of communications.

Oh, I should say, the history of communications of the world.

And we are looking forward to a long and happy association.

I'm sorry, Mr. Cheviot, we had a camera problem. We'll do that again, please.

We've always felt that the viewers are most importa...

Hey! What do you guys think you're doing? This is MY story.

- You wanna go back to Control. I'll handle this one. - , it's all yours

I understand, sir, you're off to New Tokyo to finalize that Zik-Zak contract.

Well, um... yes. This will be a major partnership between Network 23 and...

What's the 'blipvert problem'?

- What? Good God, man, it's completely out... - Too damn close twice already.