The main reason this site came into being in mid-2005 was because there wasn't a first-rate Max site on the web.

There were, and are, scads of rather rough and sparse sites, and scads more pages with a paragraph or two of interest. Google has gotten very fast at updating site information, but even then many of its hits will turn up all-but-dead.

My intention here is to try and list all the other sites that contain some Max info of value and seem to have some longevity. To find others, use your favorite search engine. Here's a one-click Google link for your convenience:

All links will open in a new browser (tabbed-browsing fans, right-click and select "New Tab" if you don't have your global preferences set to open new tabs.)

Joe Struss' Max Headroom site

The oldest and (other than this one) the most complete Max site left on the net. Has a number of unique items, including a detailed synopsis of the unproduced episode "Theora's Tale."

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

IMDb is extensively linked from this site. Here are the main pages for the four shows:

IMDb: Max Headroom (UK telefilm, 1985)

IMDb: The Max Headroom Show (UK, 1985)

IMDb: The Max Headroom Show - Max Headroom's Giant Christmas Turkey (1986)

IMDb: Max Headroom (US series, 1987)

IMDb: The Original Max Talking Headroom Show (US, 1987)

Be warned, though, that IMDb's listings are uncharacteristically short and incomplete, and not without errors. (Among other things, actor Ron Perlman and writer William Gibson are erroneously credited for participation.) One goal of this project is to update and correct IMDb's Max-related entries - after we get it all straightened out here first.

Max in Newsweek, 20 April 1987

This appears to be the complete text and pictures (including the cover) of Max's Newsweek appearance.

The Max Headroom Pirate Attack

A short article, with a postage-stamp video clip, of the infamous "Max Headroom" video hacker attack on Chicago's WTTW PBS station. (See also the video collection on the YouTube page.)

The Other Max Headroom Shows: Audio

A large collection of MP3 audio clips from some of the other Max Headroom shows.

Did Max "Jump the Shark"?

Long collated discussion of whether Max Headroom ever "jumped the shark" (that is, committed self-destruction through stupid plot or story changes). Consensus: no. Reading: very interesting.

Max Headroom: Discussions

A collection of short, reasonably current discussions of Max. Some very nice stuff here.

John Humphreys: Max's Sculptor

The site of the UK sculptor who created Max's look, with a number of great photos of Matt Frewer being transformed into Max. A must-see! (See "Projects" under the main page.)

(Thanks to BlankMike for bringing this site to my notice, as it doesn't show up on any Google search!

Rod Lord: Max's Graphics Designer

The site of the UK 'graphimator' who drew the computer graphics screens for both Max and the original BBC Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. A must-see! (Click on the Hitchhiker's/Max group of pictures under the "Pictures" menu.)

 

Scumball

I cop to having not figured out exactly what's going on here, but inquiries are under way.

Max Terminology in Vulcan

Was there something about this you didn't understand? Join the club.

OCR-A Font (TTF) - for viewing this site

Compare these samples. The font your browser is using is shown in the light blue box.

If these two samples don't closely resemble one another, then you don't have the OCR-A font on your system, or it's a version with a different name. What you're seeing, then, probably looks more like one of these:

This site has a simple design, but if you're seeing it in your generic system monospaced font (typically Courier or Letter Gothic), you're not seeing it the way it was intended. You need to have the OCR-A font on your system to see it correctly. It makes no functional difference at all, but you might enjoy seeing things here as they were designed.

If you have a font named OCR-A or something similar (not OCR-B!) and you're still not seeing this site correctly, your version of the font likely has a different "system" name. The style sheet here will use (in order) "ocr a extended", "ocr-a bt", "ocr-a" or "ocra" for display. If none of those are found, it will use whatever font is set in your browser as the generic "monospace" font.

Here's what you can do to make things display correctly:

• Check the exact name of your font (in any font-using app or your font manager). If your installed OCR-A font uses another name, send me the exact name and I'll modify the style sheets to include it. This will be a boon to all other users with that exact font.
• Set your browser's default monospaced font to be your version of OCR-A. This will affect all website viewing when a page calls for a monospaced font.
• Check the list of auxiliary fonts you can install for any of your art, word processing or similar programs. Install it if you find one, then repeat the above steps.
• The Really Simple Solution: Download and install the TTF (TrueType) font from the link above. It should be a simple and painless process, and this is the exact font used for the site's design.