Look Into My Eyes

It's time to play the music, it's time to light the lights, it's time go Backstage as we talk about Chapter 17 tonight! Yes, this week we're looking at Chapter 17 of Facing The Demon Headmaster - Backstage and, in one of our longest episodes in recent history we cover everything from digging into how hypnotism works, to the Headmaster's manifesto to the return of the Headmaster's greatest drama queen tendencies. 

This was such a fun episode to record, we hope you all enjoy it and we hope you stick with us as we speed into the final few c...

Where Is The Headmaster? Sadly not the opening line to the 2025 hit by Raye but in fact the title of Chapter 16 of Facing The Demon Headmaster! With only three chapters to go we're truly into the climax now, with gangs of hoodlums menacing Mrs Hunter, TV appearances, a deep dive into the First Purples and bafflements galore. There truly is something for everyone on this week's episode of Look Into My Eyes!

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"By The Strength Of R.." no it's not an episode of Mummies Alive, it's Chapter 15 of Facing The Demon Headmaster - Under The Bandages. This chapter is genuinely terrifying and we dissect it's horror in all its gory detail, from hypnotism to happenstance, from heartbreak to hospital horror. The plot is really picking up now as we enter the last set of chapters, with the Headmaster revealed what will Dinah and friends do next? Find out on this week's episode of Look Into My Eyes!

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"Take it off! Take it off!", with umpteen references to the Masked Singer and a confused Rosemary to boot we come roaring back with the latest episode of Look Into My Eyes! In this episode we're digging into Chapter 14, the reveal of DJ Pardoman and Lloyd's shocking realisation of how much Dinah has been fooled by the Headmaster.

We cover all sorts including a comparison to Eddie Hair, timeline issues with DJ Pardoman's career and the question everyone's asking: why is DJP carrying around 10 books of press cuttings !?! 

The answers to all this and more o...

We're back with a wonderful return to form and a chapter title that features punctuation again! Let joy be unconfined, as this week we cover Chapter 13 of Facing The Demon Headmaster: '... A Chance To See His Face...'. The chapter has everything you could want, from Café Puns, to angry egg women, from the mechanics of shortages to a discussion around the unique position that Phil Ashby occupies in Dinah's life. It's a chapter of contrasts and we're here to cover them all on this week's episode of Look Into My Eyes!

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We're back and today we move into the intensity of Act 3 as we look at Chapter 12 of Facing The Demon Headmaster - Without Dinah. This chapter covers a huge amount, including hypnotism rules, a deep dive into Lloyds psyche and a surprisingly detailed conversation about the London A-Z. Let it never be said that we don't give you a wide variety, on this week's episode of Look Into My Eyes.

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Music Credits

"Dopplerette" Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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We could never be accused of selling out, even when we're reading Chapter 10 of Facing The Demon Headmaster - Sold Out! Join us as we discuss Ellie's rudeness, an attack on the Tate & Lyle factory and take a deep dive into how Purple actually works. Enjoy!

Stick around at the end to hear that even the best of us sometimes lose the ability to form coherent sandwiches....

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Aaaand we're back, slightly later in the day than expected but nevertheless here with the second part of our discussion of Chapter 9 of Facing The Demon Headmaster - Reporting Back (So I suppose that'd just be 'back'?)

Either way this is a brilliant episode where we dig more into Phil Ashby, Bernadette's bedside manner and of course, the one, the only, the living legend that is, Mr Hunter himself. Enjoy!

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We have a real treat for you over the next two weeks as we take a double episode to cover one of the longer chapters in Facing The Demon Headmaster, Chapter 9 - Reporting Back. This episodes cover the first half of the chapter, including Dinah & Lloyd's arrival back after Maidborough hospital and then the SPLAT meeting. We also cover investigative journalism, slander, trauma and much much more besides. Enjoy!

Stick around at the end to hear the original intro that we re-recorded.

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On today's episode of Look Into My Eyes we're diving into Chapter 8 of Facing The Demon Headmaster, Phil Ashby and as usual our topics range from Architecture to Cruelty and from Role Reversals to a brief forray into the book we might have had... There's something for everyone as we dive into this emotionally charged, but fascinating chapter on today's episode of Look Into My Eyes enjoy!

Stick around at the end to hear Rosemary's attempt to prouncounce phenomenon... Do doo do doo doo, manomanom etc.

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Great Ley, High Ley, All The Leys and much more besides, that's what we can promise you on today's episode of Look Into My Eyes as we deep dive into Chapter 7 of Facing The Demon Headmaster. We use this episode as a chance to dig into the Headmaster's plans so far, and think about conspiracys, the implications of the clone and answer the question of "What was his plan to get Dinah to the hospital in the first place?". All this with our usual interjections into pronuciation, ducks and a consideration of the adaptation that might have been. Enjoy!<...

🎶 Dennis Ryan, the babe they called Dennis Ryan
He grew, grew grew and grew

Grew up to be, yes he grew up to be
A boy called Dennis Ryan, a boy called Dennis Ryan 🎶

Yes today's podcast is all about Chapter 6 of Facing The Demon Headmaster - Dennis Ryan. This episode truly has something for everyone, from canals to timelines, breadcrumbs to the antics of small time celebrities with a dash of trauma thrown in. What's not to love? Enjoy!

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On today's episode of Look Into My Eyes we'll be saying Halloween, not because of the time of year but because today we're looking at Chapter 5 of Facing the Demon Headmaster: Ian's Plan. (and if you want the context for that joke I advise you look here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsvscxwwNZw)

In this episode we deep dive into each member of SPLAT, take a look at Ellie's involvement in all of this and try and tease apart exactly what the Headmaster is planning at this point, all with our usual brand of humour swinging i...

TW: Adoption, Losing Parents

We're back! And this week we're looking at Chapter 4 - The Face In The Photo. This is a really emotional chapter that gives us an amazing opportunity to think about Lloyd and Dinah's relationship and how it's changed over the course of the last six books. Not only do we cover that but we also start to think about the Headmaster's broader plan, as well as family dynamics, SPLAT growing up and much much more besides. Enjoy!

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"Who am I?", not the constant searching by Jean ValJean for meaning, but in fact the title of Chapter 3 of Facing The Demon Headmaster. We cover everything from Ellie seemingly giving the game away early on, to Rosemary's sadly unfulfilled hope that this plotline was nothing to do with the Headmaster. We also cover the quality of the writing and our memories of a pre-social media internet. All interspersed with our usual "let's not take ourselves too seriously" attitude.

Enjoy!

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It's time to rock DJ (Pardoman) as we introduce one of our most enigmatic characters ever in the aforementioned DJ Pardoman. We cover all sorts in this episode including DJPs Omnipresence by contrast to the Headmaster's, Abba Voyage, Bananas, and the way in which Lloyd's perspective is nicely foregrounded. Join us for a great jaunt through early 2000s nostalgia, flash mobs and much much more. Enjoy!

Stick around at the end to hear our trevails as we attempt to record even in the presence of a very persistent ice cream van!

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Well we're back, and what a season is ahead of us! Today we're starting a new book, Facing the Demon Headmaster as SPLAT attempt to foil the Headmaster's latest scheme, involving a DJ with a changing face and a club called Purple. Today's episode takes in all manner of topics including: Local Democracy and Planning, Bananas, COVID food shortages and possibly the most wholesome moment in the entire series so far. Join us to laugh, cry and be baffled as we tackle a new chapter a new book in today's episode of Look Into My Eyes!

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Today's episode features a very special guest, Kristy Bruce, who starred as Ingrid in Series 1, 2 & 3 of the CBBC Adaptation of the Demon Headmaster. The conversation takes in everything from Kristy's early memories of acting at Sylvia Young's, through to how the experience of being involved in the show is still with her today. We even discuss what it was like climbing up rubbish chutes, and where we think Ingrid might be now. Kristy was an absolute joy to interview and we hope you have as much fun listening to it as we did recording it. Enjoy!

Want...

As we round the final corner it's a two part season finale! In this episode we cover the characters of the book, from the Headmaster Clone to Mrs Hunter, from Claudia to Ingrid we dive deep and look at arcs, development and all sorts of other tangents as we go. Don't forget to also tune into Part 2, where we'll cover themes and most importantly, Rosemary's predictions for Book 6! Enjoy!

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And here we are with Part 2 of our Season Finale (make sure to listen to Part 1 first!). In this we cover all the themes of the book, dream about the book we might have had and come to the most important topic of all. What does Rosemary predict for Book 6? Thank you so much to you all for listening this season and we can't wait to be back on 24th June 2026. Enjoy!

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I had hoped you'd find your way to this episode
And that would mean, oh my friend, we have made it to the end

Yes indeed, but not the end of Raye's incredible new album, this week we contend with the final episode of the CBBC 90's adaptation, and it's a specially extended episode to boot! We cover everything from Revolting Youth to Holograms, Awakenings to Nonsense, as well as asking why the series keeps trying to fetch happen in the form of Plum & Jelly. We've crammed as much as we can into this episode and...

It's not an April Fool, but in fact the penultimate episode of Series 3 of the CBBC Adaptation of the Demon Headmaster, and what a show we have today! There's hologram tech, the clash of the titans between The Headmaster and the HyperBrain, Your Wildest Dreams and even Harvey ruining Mandy & Ian's love life. It's all here and it's all for you our listeners on today's episode of Look Into My Eyes!

If you'd like to buy tickets or vote for us at the Golden Lobes, visit Cheerful Earful here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/cheerfulearful/2093036

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After nearly 3 years we've finally made it, to the episode that has made the phrase "Can I help you?" the most terrifying four words in the English language for Jonathan in particular. Yes indeed, we're talking today about Episode 4 of Series 3 of The CBBC Demon Headmaster TV Adaptation. We cover topics as broad ranging as Bottle Episodes, Book Burnings and Inconsistencies, as well as starting to explore some of the series bigger themes including the clash of control and information. We will also spend a fair amount of time discussing "that scene" so join us for a nostalgic romp...

Escalation is the order of the day as we cover Episode 3 of Series 3 of the CBBC TV Adaptation. We cover topics like the clash between Knowledge & Control, why the show shifts the emphasis on Tim's Parenting, and how the Headmaster's clone is a wonderful passenger princess.

We also cover our first email and stick around at the end for a good four minutes of pre-podcast chat about chairs. What more could one desire on this week's episode of Look Into My Eyes!

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It's an absolute cracker this week as we move on to Episode 2 of Series 3 of The Demon Headmaster CBBC Adaptation. Whether you're looking for a discussion of sexism and power dressing, Ian & Mandy's relationship or even just a god old farce, we've got it all!

This is a wonderful episode of the adaptation and I hope we do it justice, on this week's episode of Look Into My Eyes! 

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Grab your nostalgia goggles, IRC logins and jump behind the sofa, because today we're starting to cover one of the most nostalgic seasons of the Demon Headmaster, Series 3. We cover everything, from locations to actors and Civics 101 to conspiracy theories. We couldn't be more excited to start this trip down memory lane, and we hope you'll join on this incredible journey on today's episode of Look Into My Eyes!

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We've talked about it long enough so here it is! In this episode we really attempt to break down some of the plot points that have been coming up again and again over the last couple of episodes, as well as finally trying to understand who was doing what, and where at all times! We also cover topics like:

See the flowchart, and timeline here:

Well we made it to the end of Book 5, and though we've learned a lot, I don't quite think we've attained "All The Knowledge In The World". This week we cover Dinah's unique ability to recite Lewis Carroll under pressure, how the Green Hands fit into everything and of course, that epilogue... Join us for a wonderful round up as we finish off this incredible book, all here in this specially extended episode of Look Into My Eyes!

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It's the penultimate chapter of the book and on this week's episode of Look Into My Eyes we're answering the question everyone's asking "Which Side Are You On, Dinah Hunter?". We cover a lot of ground including the way the chapter mixes magic and science, machines with no morality, how the HyperBrain could take over the army and Ingrid's comedy timing. It's all here, on this week's episode of Look Into My Eyes!

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It's A Trap! Not the episode but Chapter 15 of The Demon Headmaster Takes Over, and things are really hotting up as we head towards the finale. In the episode we discuss the Benny Hill/Scooby Doo nature of SPLAT's plan, Justice for Ian and why the book continually equates the Headmaster's Clone with the original. We also talk about colour printing for longer than one might imagine, but don't let that put you off as we barrel on towards the finale in this week's episode of Look Into My Eyes! Enjoy!

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On today's episode we are finally told to stop going on tangents and actually focus on something as Mrs Hunter Steps In for Chapter 14. This is a chapter that ends in a really dark place but along the way we try and lighten things a bit as we talk about the joy that is Harvey Hunter, the family resemblance between Mrs Hunter and Lloyd. We also cover some of the darker stuff too, including the horror movie of the entry into the AIU and the unspeakable cruelty of an a-moral machine.

It's a rollercoaster of an episode...

It's indeed not Just a Computer but in fact a new episode of Look Into My Eyes! On this week's episode we dig into Chapter 12 of The Demon Headmaster Takes Over and cover everything from weird students, to criminal negligence with even some Clair Obscur thrown in for good measure. It's a chapter full of emotional weight, Dinah's continued growth and some incredible foreshadowing of what's to come, join us as we explore it together on this week's episode. Enjoy!

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After a short break for Christmas we're back and ready to get stuck in Chapter 12: SPLATweb! Listen as we discuss Kate's emergence as a character, how much the books have grown in emotional maturity and the plethora of callbacks to all the previous books in the series. We even talk about Crisis on Infinite Earths and speed-running, there really is something for everyone on this week's episode of Look Into My Eyes!

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IT'S CHRISTMAS!!! And it's also our 100th episode, join us as Jonathan and Rosemary take a look back at Rosemary's predicitions, Rosemary does a quiz about page 100 and both hosts reflect on the last 100 episodes. Stay tuned at the end for some hints as to episodes you might see in the future, but overall enjoy and have a very happy Christmas!

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It's time we appreciated all the fruits of the season as we dig into Chapter 11 of The Demon Headmaster Takes Over - Plum and Jelly. Join us as we talk shepherd's pies, editing victims, school residentials and most importantly Justice for Ian! Enjoy!

Look out for our Christmas Episode next week!

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We'll be searching high and low in this episode as we look at Chapter 10 of The Demon Headmaster Takes Over - Hiding Dinah. We cover Wildest Dreams, The Growth of Ingrid and even 1984 as we go high brow. Stick around at the end to hear our recording session being overrun by a feline friend, it's all here and it's all happening on this week's episode of Look Into My Eyes, enjoy!

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It's a mystery to me, the game commences
For the usual fee plus expenses
Confidential information, it's in a diary
This is my midnight investigation, it's not a public inquiry

On today's episode we look at Chapter 9 of The Demon Headmaster Takes Over: Midnight Investigation. Not a sequel to the Dire Straits song, but an account of Michael and Dinah's ill-fated trip to the AIU. We cover all sorts including impossible calendars, the significance of midnight in Children's Literature and how much Rosemary saw coming on her first read. Enjoy!

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What are your wildest dreams? Whether they're scrummy dreams about ponies or sausage rolls (can you tell I've been watching too much Blackadder?), they're all welcome here on this week's episode of Look Into My Eyes. This week we're looking at Chapter 8 of The Demon Headmaster Takes Over - Your Wildest Dreams! 

In this episode we discuss 90's parenting, Lloyd stepping up as a Big Brother and even the significance of people dressed as penguins forcing themselves into phone boxes. Enjoy!

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We're not only down with the kids, we're KidzIn this week as we discuss Chapter 7 of The Demon Headmaster Takes Over - KidzIn (or CrazySpace in the original edition). Join as we discuss underselling, the politics of HyperBrain, and the joys of legacy and continuity in this franchise. Grab your milkshakes, internet handles and blocked websites for this week's episode of Look Into My Eyes!

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