Max Headroom’s Giant Christmas Turkey
Max dreams of hosting his own opulent Christmas special, complete with a Dickensian carriage ride with his face on a TV in the middle, and then awakens so he can host a far more traditional studio-bound Christmas special. Dave Edmunds and Bob Geldof drop by to visit, and Max comments on how amazing it is that none of the “snow” blowing in from “outside” is melting. Max and Bob improvise a short ditty called “Merry Christmas, Santa Claus (You’re A Lovely Guy).” Max meditates on the nature of Christmas and is then joined by Robin Williams to discuss the holiday’s commercial potential. Tina Turner bursts into the studio to bring Max a new set of golf clubs. Max then sings a full version of the song he and Geldof came up with, reminding viewers to contemplate the sacrifices of Santa Claus, who apparently receives no Christmas gifts himself.
script & songs by David Hansen & Paul Owen
with additional material by Matt Frewer
directed by David G. Hillier
music not creditedCast: Matt Frewer (Max Headroom), Dave Edmunds (himself), Bob Geldof (himself), Tina Turner (herself), Robin Williams (himself), The Southwark Cathedral Choir (themselves)
Videos: “Run Run Rudolph” (Dave Edmunds)
Notes: The second season of The Max Talking Headroom Show – as it was originally called in the UK – aired first on the American
pay cable channel Cinemax, with a delayed broadcast several months later on Channel 4 in the UK (which had the effect of making the second season seem more dated than New Coke); it also had the effect of placing this special between the first and second seasons for the British viewing audience. In America, this was – barring any advertisements for the aforementioned failed soft drink – the last Max Headroom project to appear prior to the American-made series on ABC. The song “Merry Christmas Santa Claus (You’re A Lovely Guy)” was actually released as a single, but Max failed to join the hit list of perennial Christmas classics.
LogBook entry by Earl Green
Hamlet, price of Denmark, is distraught after the death of his father, to say nothing of the ease with which his uncle has taken the late king’s place both on the throne and in the queen’s bed. The late king’s ghost appears, hinting that his death was no accident and urging Hamlet to avenge him. When the ghost next appears, it tells Hamlet that the current occupant of the throne is the killer. The knowledge sharpens Hamlet’s desire for revenge and slowly begins to drive him mad. He plans to expose his uncle as his father’s assassin, but the new king is too wily to be drawn out so easily. Hamlet becomes more relentless, and soon doesn’t care who pays the price for the truth to be known.