Headroom Jams 'Doctor Who' Show
- Publication: Associated Press
- Date: 1987-11-23
- Author:
- Page: 15
- Language: English
CHICAGO (AP) — "Max Headroom" has been canceled and is no longer on the air, but that, that wa-wasn't nec-necessarily the case, the case in Chicago.
Many television viewers reported that the Sunday night broadcast of the British fantasy series "Doctor Who" on WTTW, Channel 11, was interrupted for about 90 seconds by a video pirate wearing a "Max Headroom" mask and making obscene comments.
The television station is investigating the incident, spokesman Andy Yoco said today, declining to comment further.
A similar transmission Sunday night also interrupted the sports section of the "9 O'Clock News" at WGN-TV.
The incident probably was the work of "some computer hack" working from a high-rise building with the ability to hook onto the station's signal emanating from the John Hancock Building, where the city's television transmitters are located, said Wally Wright, a news engineer for WGN-TV.
At least one viewer who saw the interruption managed to catch part of it on videotape.
David Howard of Algonquin, owner of a cleaning service, turned on his video recorder about halfway through the pirate intrusion.
"First the screen went blank for a moment, and then a pattern like metal grillwork began moving back and forth across the screen," said Howard, who is a "Doctor Who" fan. "Then someone in a 'Max Headroom' mask — he wasn't computer-generated like the 'real' 'Max Headroom' — appeared."
Howard said the masked man picked up a can of one popular soft drink, repeated a slogan for a rival soft drink that the stuttering Headroom character endorses, then made a remark about condoms.
Howard said that before the interruption ended, the intruder, who appeared to be naked from the waist down, was spanked on the buttocks with a flyswatter by someone standing off-camera.
Spelling correction: Anders Yocom
Disclaimer: These citations are created on-the-fly using primitive parsing techniques. You should double-check all citations. Send feedback to whovian@cuttingsarchive.org
- APA 6th ed.: (1987-11-23). Headroom Jams 'Doctor Who' Show. Associated Press p. 15.
- MLA 7th ed.: "Headroom Jams 'Doctor Who' Show." Associated Press [add city] 1987-11-23, 15. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: "Headroom Jams 'Doctor Who' Show." Associated Press, edition, sec., 1987-11-23
- Turabian: "Headroom Jams 'Doctor Who' Show." Associated Press, 1987-11-23, section, 15 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Headroom Jams 'Doctor Who' Show | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Headroom_Jams_%27Doctor_Who%27_Show | work=Associated Press | pages=15 | date=1987-11-23 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=16 April 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Headroom Jams 'Doctor Who' Show | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Headroom_Jams_%27Doctor_Who%27_Show | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=16 April 2025}}</ref>
- Title: Max Attack
- Publication: Annapolis Capital
- Date: 1987-11-30
- Title: Man in 'Max Headroom' Mask Crashes 'Doctor Who' Episode
- Publication: Aiken Standard
- Date: 1987-11-26
- Title: Pirage Jams 'Doctor Who'
- Publication: The Vidette-Messenger
- Date: 1987-11-23
- Title: Man in 'Max Headroom' Mask Crashes 'Doctor Who' Episode
- Publication: The Record
- Date: 1987-11-24
- Title: Doctor Who's unexpected visit from 'Max Headroom'
- Publication: Farmington Daily Times
- Date: 1987-11-24
- Title: Video Pirate Scrambles Up Max Headroom, Doctor Who
- Publication: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
- Date: 1987-11-24
