Nicholas Gleaves will play The Demon Headmaster when the show returns to screens later this year, the BBC has announced.
The children’s drama, which aired between 1996 and 1998, originally starred Terrence Hardiman as the frightening headmaster with hypnotic powers.
He will now be replaced by the Bodyguard and Coronation Street actor as the hit show returns more than 20 years later.
Gillian Cross, author of the books the original series was based on, has released a new novel which reveals the Demon Headmaster has become a “Super Head” of an academy.
Gleaves said: “It is an absolute stroke of genius to bring back this iconic series and I feel incredibly lucky to play the role.
“The Demon Headmaster is a dark magician and I’ve loved bringing the character to life. It’s always an actor’s dream to play extremes and he is the ultimate villain.”
Cheryl Taylor, head of content at BBC Children’s, said: “We all know how compelling and memorable the original Demon Headmaster series was and when we heard that Gillian Cross had created an updated version we thought it was too wonderful a creative opportunity to miss.
“We’re sure that the fierce battle between the plucky pupils and our manipulative new Demon Head – Nicholas Gleaves – will prove just as hypnotic for all CBBC drama fans.”
The new series will air as ten 30-minutes episodes and will be available to watch on CBBC and BBC iPlayer.
