Unknown, see en:Max Headroom broadcast signal intrusion incident. on Wikimedia

It wasn’t uncommon to see Max Headroom back in the day. First introduced in 1985, he was a completely one-of-a-kind star whom BBC commentator Terry Wogan called the “ideal TV presenter.” So, what made him so special? He was the first computer-generated TV personality, a wisecracking news anchor who lived inside a portable TV set and discussed all sorts of topical issues. His very last appearance wasn’t until 2015, and suffice it to say, he was a hit until they turned off his tube. 

Now, he may have been a wiseacre, but how did Headroom wind up in one of TV’s biggest signal hijackings? Well, you could always ask the guy who did it—if we had any idea who he was. 

The First Hijacking: WGN-TV

The evening report started like any other. Around 9:14 p.m., The Nine O'Clock News blasted sports scores before televisions went completely black. Confused viewers had about fifteen seconds of dead air before Max himself popped on screen, dancing in front of a black and white background that frantically teetered back and forth. 

Except, it wasn’t him. It was a man in a Max Headroom mask bobbing his head and staring at the camera. The whole thing ended as quickly as it started, and for a moment, it seemed like a random blip. When the screen cut back to WGN, anchor Dan Roan chuckled and said, “Well, if you’re wondering what’s happened, so am I.” He went on about his business and restarted his coverage of the Chicago Bears.

The Second Hijacking: WTTW

Rubenz Arizta on Unsplash

Viewers only got a few hours of peace before the impersonator appeared a second time. One minute, you’re watching Doctor Who at 11:00 p.m., and the next, you’re listening to someone get called a nerd before maniacal chuckling begins. This guy then went on a minute-long, uninterrupted rant, free to say whatever he wanted as there were no engineers on-site that late at the station’s broadcast tower. 

Cue the head bobbing, the random moaning, the comments about Chuck Swirsky (whom he called a liberal), and the pièce de résistance: a random woman off-screen who tapped his bare behind with a fly swatter. 

Desperate engineers didn’t even have time to look into it. It only ended because the impersonator abruptly stopped transmission. 

Who Was Max Headroom 2.0?

Perhaps the craziest thing about this is that no one who did it—even after 40 years. Oh sure, theories have flown around: maybe it was a disgruntled former employee, or maybe it was a determined hacker. But those guesses are as good as yours.

It’s not like the police didn’t try. The FCC also got involved and launched its own investigation, but it all came up nil. Of course, it doesn’t help that decades of rumors and theories from internet sleuths only muddle any headway…if there was any to begin with. 

At this point, it almost wouldn’t matter if the perp did reveal himself. The statute of limitations has long since passed, and he wouldn’t face any criminal action if he admitted anything now. It’s a good thing, too, since at the time, he was threatened with at least a year in jail and a hefty $100,000 fine. 

But we doubt that’ll happen any time soon, if at all. Whoever did it is probably still bobbing his head in laughter knowing he got away with it. C-c-catch the wave, we guess!