The Demon Headmaster

The Demon Headmaster is a series of books by Gillian Cross which were later adapted as a television series starring Terrence Hardiman in the title role and Frances Amey as Dinah.

The title character is a strange being with the powers of hypnosis and a desire to take over the world, as he believes it will be better under his ordered rule. He has piercing light green eyes, which he normally hides behind dark-tinted glasses – removing these in order to hypnotise his victim(s).

He is referred to only as 'the Headmaster' both in the books and on television, except when he takes on an alias – such as the Computer Director in The Prime Minister's Brain, and on each occasion he uses a title rather than a name. However, it would appear in this same story that he does have an actual name (though we are never told what it is), which he enters into the list of people with security clearance for emergencies on the computer at Number 10 Downing Street, and which Dinah Hunter later deletes and replaces with a security warning. The idea of him having a real name is again used in The Demon Headmaster Takes Over when his clone- possessing his hypnotic powers and personality while lacking any of his personal knowledge- attempts to force Dinah to reveal his name to him so that he can take control of the powerful computer known as the Hyperbrain, which requires an identification system to grant control of it to another, with the Headmaster unable to take control as he cannot remember his name.

Even a close reading of all the Demon Headmaster books reveals virtually nothing about the title character and/or his background. It is never made clear whether or not he is human; however, given that his clone — created after his 'death' in the fourth book - possessed his hypnotic powers and desire for control despite lacking any of the original Headmaster's memories, it is clear that he is far from normal.

Read more about The Demon Headmaster:  Reading Order, TV Adaptation, Audiobooks

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