Exclusive: Original Demon Headmaster actor Terrence Hardiman will return for cameo in new reboot

Bodyguard actor Nicholas Gleaves is assuming the role of the villainous Headmaster for the reboot, but Hardiman will also appear in one of the upcoming episodes, RadioTimes.com can exclusively reveal.

• BBC revives classic children's TV series The Demon Headmaster

When contacted about returning to the series, Hardiman was asked about the iconic blue-tinted spectacles which he would remove to unleash the Headmaster's powers of hypnosis. Terrence told the production he had kept the actual glasses he wore in the original and so, 20 years, on both he and the specs are back to terrify a new generation of fans.

"I was thrilled when I heard that The Demon Headmaster was to be re-imagined for a new generation of children to enjoy," Hardiman said. "I thought it was a joke when I was first contacted to see if I would come back to play a part in the new series and thrilled and excited when it turned out not to be the case."

Emma Reeves, writer on the new series, said: “Terrence Hardiman’s Demon Headmaster is a children’s TV legend and it was always my dream to involve him in the new series. I was thrilled when he agreed to appear.

"Meeting the original Demon Headmaster made me both star-struck and terrified but he couldn’t have been nicer, and watching him and Nicholas Gleaves together was incredibly exciting.”

The original show was broadcast between 1996 and 1998. Over 20 years later, children will enjoy the same terrifying twists as they watch a group of mismatched kids discover their headmaster is using hypnotism to gain ultimate control of their school.

The new series is based on a new novel by original Demon Headmaster author Gillian Across, in which the Headmaster has become a ‘Super Head’ of an Academy.

Ten episodes of The Demon Headmaster will broadcast weekly, starting 14^th October 2019 on CBBC.

The original series - recently voted one of the top 10 CBBC shows of all time by RadioTimes.com readers - is also currently available to watch on BBC iPlayer.