The Demon Headmaster

Reading of the recent death of Terence Hardiman, the original Headmaster, prompted me to see if the series was online. Sadly it wasn't, but this remake was available on iPlayer. One episode and I was hooked and binge-watched all ten episodes.

Of course the children in this series had all the 21st century tech you might expect. In one episode they find a video cassette and have no idea what it is.

The acting is excellent, as one would expect from a BBC series, and for me the acting honours go to Jordan Rankin as school bully, Blake Vinney.

So why have I given this very watchable series only 7 stars? Sadly it is because of the eponymous villain. Hardiman's Headmaster had presence and a true sense of menace. Sadly the 2019 Headmaster, played by Nicholas Gleaves, comes over as really rather banal.

That said I thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon's viewing and can recommend it.

This program is way too intense for young children. Not only is there many frightening scenes but doesn't make sense: one second they are normal living in the world then the next second they wake up and are in a different universe it was like it was starting again. The story line is not planned out right and the moment where the pm comes and then he gets hypnotised then he isn't- just cut the scene! Actually no just cut all the scenes !!!!!! Also why are there so many secrets? There is one massive secret then a sea of them around. I really hope they don't get a next series- it is horrible. On a recent review i read it said that it was as intense as a 9pm thriller!!! I STRONGLY AGREE this is why children shouldn't be watching this! Why is it so dark and confusing? Also they are always in the dark figuratively and literally they never get the real truth without INSANE tragedy. I do not recommend this for young people.

When I first heard The Demon Headmaster had been 'revived', I was initially quite sceptical. I liked the '90s series as a kid, and couldn't picture how it could work in the 2010s. However, I was pleasantly surprised, having been hooked by the end of the first episode. I was able to see how necessary it was to continue it in modern age, what with the politics around academy schools, and particularly the domination of technology in our lives. The Orwellian references are pretty explicit, but not overwhelmingly so, and feel really natural to the storyline and reflect genuine fears in modern society. For a show aimed at children to be so subtly imbued with political ideas is impressive to say the least.

The series retains the original's plot of the Headmaster's control of a school using hypnotism, but it manages to stay fresh with its different approach to characterisation. The main difference I liked was the fact that none of the characters are immune to the Headmaster's powers, making him seem more of a genuine threat. It also adds strain to the main characters' relationships, as the Headmaster's influence prevents them from controlling their own actions towards each other. The actors portraying the teenage characters, particularly, those of Lizzie and Blake, are exceptional, conveying a range of emotions in a very raw and authentic way.

Nicholas Gleaves delivers an outstanding performance as the titular Headmaster. He manages to stay calm and collected, in an inhuman way characteristic of Hardiman's performance from the original show, but also conveys a barely contained rage at certain moments, which set it apart from what Hardiman did with the role, at make it fresh and exciting.

I can't recommend it enough, not only do I think children should watch it, but adults as well, it's as tense as any 9pm BBC thriller I've watched recently, and brilliantly sharp on so many levels. A must-watch.