Network

Biting satire on the world of network television about a washed-up news anchorman who has a nervous breakdown on air, which boosts the network's ratings. The company, recently acquired by a conglomerate, exploit the situation to the full, making the decision to turn their news programme into a gross entertainment package. Peter Finch won an Oscar for his portrayal of the tortured newsman, Sidney Lumet's Oscar and BAFTA award-winning film stars Peter Finch as a news anchorman who loses it on air, finds God and also finds his religious rantings upping the ratings, much to the delight of his bosses. At the time, Finch's antics seemed over the top - 20 years later, he probably wouldn't even get a show, let alone a series.