The Demon Headmaster (1996 TV series)
A school headmaster uses hypnotic powers to control children.
The Demon Headmaster is a British children's science fiction television series produced for CBBC, based on the novels by Gillian Cross. It originally aired between 1996 and 1998, spanning three series. A direct sequel series began broadcasting on CBBC in October 2019.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Science fiction; Horror
- Runtime
- 25 minutes
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Network
- BBC1
- First aired
- 2 January 1996
- Last aired
- 22 January 1998
- Creator
- Gillian Cross
- Starring
- Terrence Hardiman
- Frances Amey
- Gunnar Atli Cauthery
- Thomas Szekeres
Facts from the source article.
Relation to the books
The television series adapted four of Gillian Cross's Demon Headmaster novels. Helen Cresswell wrote the scripts. The first three episodes of series one drew from The Demon Headmaster, while episodes four through six adapted The Demon Headmaster and the Prime Minister's Brain. For the second and third series, Cross wrote the storylines, which she later turned into books, and Cresswell converted them into screenplays.
Storyline
Dinah Glass moves in with the Hunter family and attends the same school as her foster brothers Lloyd and Harvey. She finds the school strange and her brothers hostile; pupils behave like robots, and Dinah herself acts oddly. She suspects the headmaster has a power over them and resolves to investigate, but the Demon Headmaster is determined to stop her. In the second series, a computer game called Octopus Dare becomes popular at school. Dinah excels at it and wins a place in the grand final, but the Computer Director is revealed to be the Demon Headmaster. In the third series, Dinah's father takes a job at the Biogenetic Research Centre, where the Demon Headmaster is director. He has created an Evolution Accelerator and wants Dinah's DNA to produce a perfect human with her intellect but no emotions, placing her in danger. On Christmas Day 1997, CBBC broadcast The Demon Headmaster Takes Over TV, a recorded pantomime performed at the CBBC Big Bash in Birmingham; Terrence Hardiman appeared only as pre-recorded images. This special aired once and has not been repeated. After the army dismantles the biogenetic research centre, Dinah contacts Professor Claudia Rowe, a biology and genetics expert, and they save materials; then strange events begin.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who stars in The Demon Headmaster (1996 TV series)?
The Demon Headmaster stars Terrence Hardiman, Frances Amey, Gunnar Atli Cauthery and Thomas Szekeres.
Which network aired The Demon Headmaster (1996 TV series)?
The Demon Headmaster aired on BBC1.
How many episodes of The Demon Headmaster (1996 TV series) are there?
The Demon Headmaster has 19 episodes across 3 seasons.
When did The Demon Headmaster (1996 TV series) first air?
The Demon Headmaster first aired on 2 January 1996.
More in British Children's Science Fiction Television Series
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