The Demon Headmaster (TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Demon Headmaster. |
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The Demon Headmaster Title Card
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| Genre | Science fiction drama |
| Created by | |
| Starring | Terrence Hardiman Frances Amey Gunnar Atli Cauthery Thomas Szekeres |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of series | 3 (1996–1998) |
| No. of episodes | 19 (list of episodes) |
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| Original network | |
| Picture format | 4:3 Colour 576i |
| Original release | 2 January 1996 – 22 January 1998 |
The Demon Headmaster is a British TV show made for kids. It is based on the popular children's books by Gillian Cross. The show was first shown on CBBC between 1996 and 1998.
The first series had six episodes and aired in January 1996. The second series had seven episodes and was shown from September to November 1996. The third series had six episodes and aired in January 1998.
Many scenes for the first series were filmed at schools in Hatch End, London, and Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire. Other parts were filmed around West London. The tall Vulcan Tower building is actually the Atrium building in Uxbridge. Special computer effects were used to make it look like it was on a traffic island near Warwick Avenue. Later series were filmed in villages like Sarratt, Hertfordshire, and other places in Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire.
A new TV series, which is a direct follow-up to the original, started on CBBC in October 2019. In this new series, Nicholas Gleaves plays the main character. It was confirmed on BBC Breakfast that this was a continuation of the first show.
Contents
How the Show Connects to the Books
The TV show The Demon Headmaster was based on four of Gillian Cross's novels. The scripts for the show were written by Helen Cresswell.
The first three episodes of the first TV series were taken from the first book, also called The Demon Headmaster. Episodes 4 to 6 of the first series were based on the second book, The Demon Headmaster and the Prime Minister's Brain.
For the later TV series, things were a bit different. Gillian Cross first wrote the main ideas for the TV storylines. Then, she wrote the books based on these ideas. Helen Cresswell then turned these storylines into scripts for the TV show.
Storylines from Each Series
Series 1: The Headmaster's Secrets
Part 1: The Demon Headmaster (Episodes 1–3)
This part is sometimes known as Look Into My Eyes, even though that title does not appear on screen.
Dinah Glass moves in with the Hunter family. She starts going to the same school as her new foster brothers, Lloyd and Harvey. It is a tough start because her brothers seem to dislike her, and the school feels very strange. Pupils suddenly start talking like robots and doing odd things. Even Dinah finds herself acting strangely. She is sure the headmaster has some kind of power over everyone. Dinah is determined to find out what is going on, but the Demon Headmaster is just as determined to stop her.
Part 2: The Prime Minister's Brain (Episodes 4–6)
Octopus Dare is the new computer game that everyone at school is playing. Dinah is the only one who is really good at it. Soon, playing Octopus Dare is all she can think about. She wins a spot in the grand final, and she is very excited. But there is something strange about the whole situation that makes Dinah feel scared. Her friends decide to go with her to the final. Before long, they find themselves in big trouble when the Computer Director turns out to be their old enemy, the Demon Headmaster.
Series 2: The Headmaster Strikes Again (Late 1996)
Dinah's father gets a new job at the Biogenetic Research Centre. But it turns out the Demon Headmaster is the director of this center! This time, the Headmaster wants even more power. He is trying to change how living things develop, a process called evolution. The Headmaster has created a machine called the Evolution Accelerator. This machine can speed up the process of evolution. He wants Dinah's DNA to create a "perfect" human. This new human would have Dinah's intelligence but no feelings. To test his ideas, he puts Dinah in great danger.
CBBC Pantomime: The Demon Headmaster Takes Over TV (1997)
On Christmas Day 1997, CBBC showed a special called The Demon Headmaster Takes Over TV. This was a recorded version of the CBBC Pantomime. It was performed at the CBBC Big Bash event in National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham that year. While the first two TV series have been shown many times, this special was only broadcast once and has never been repeated.
Series 3: The Headmaster Returns (1998)
Dinah and her brothers are quite sure they have gotten rid of the Demon Headmaster for good. When the army starts taking apart the biogenetic research center, Dinah contacts Professor Claudia Rowe. Professor Rowe is an expert in biology and genetics at a nearby university. With Dinah's help, Professor Rowe saves some important materials, and they become friends. Then, strange things start to happen.
Libraries begin to close, and their books are taken away. Telephones stop working, and there is no internet. People start talking like robots, even Professor Claudia Rowe. More and more people seem to be wearing strange badges. All these signs point to one thing: the Demon Headmaster must be back. Dinah's search leads her to the university. There, she discovers he has taken over a project about artificial intelligence. He is developing a Hyperbrain, which is a computer with super-human intelligence. This computer could control all the information in the world. Both the Demon Headmaster and the new, thinking Hyperbrain want Dinah for the special knowledge she has.
Main Characters and Cast
Series Regulars
- Frances Amey as Dinah Glass (later known as Dinah Hunter) and Eve
- Terrence Hardiman as The Demon Headmaster
- Gunnar Cauthery as Lloyd Hunter
- Thomas Szekeres as Harvey Hunter
- Anthony Cumber as Ian
- Kristy Bruce as Ingrid
- Rachael Goodyer as Mandy
- Tessa Peake-Jones as Mrs. Hunter
- Katey Crawford Kastin as Rose Carter
Series 1 Guest Stars
- Jake Curran as Jeff
- Danny John-Jules as Eddy Hair
- Florence Hoath as Bess
- Andrea Berry as Camilla Jefferies
- Danny Kanaber as Robert Jefferies
Series 2 Guest Stars
- David Lloyd as Mr. Hunter
- David Baukham as Mr. James
Series 3 Guest Stars
- Jay Barrymore as Michael Dexter
- Nina Young as Professor Claudia Rowe
- Richard Hope as Professor Tim Dexter
- Tony Osoba as Mr. Smith
- Alphonsia Emmanuel as the Voice of the Hyperbrain and the Hyperbrain Lady
- Natasha Lee as Kate
Awards and Recognition
The show was nominated for Best Drama at the BAFTA Children's Award in 1997.
