Note: This interview contains spoilers from Tuesday’s E4 first look episode (October 16), which some readers may prefer to avoid.
Hollyoaks fans can breathe a sigh of relief, as Glenn Donovan’s reign of terror is finally over.
The evil villain finally got his comeuppance in Tuesday’s E4 episode, as Grace Black and her WAG allies all teamed up with a plan to poison him.
Taking inspiration from a certain Agatha Christie novel, Grace, Simone, Maxine and Courtney were all responsible for Glenn’s death by each pouring a vial of poison into his beer glass at The Dog, triggering a fatal heart attack.
Digital Spy recently caught up with Bob Cryer, who played Glenn, for his instant reaction to the dark storyline twist.
How are you feeling now that your time on Hollyoaks is all over?
“It’s bittersweet really. I had such a fantastic time on the show. I enjoyed filming in Liverpool and I miss the friends that I made over the year that I was there.
“But I’m also happy to be back with my family now, because it was a long year for my wife and three daughters. They saw me at weekends, then I was off on the train on Sunday afternoons to travel up for another week of filming. Now I can consolidate my role as husband and father to them, although I’ve now got a ‘family’ up in Liverpool who I’m missing quite a bit at the moment!”
Playing a horrible villain like Glenn, did you always know you weren’t staying around forever?
“Yeah, it was always a fairly short-term deal. I was told that right from the off and I knew that the clock was ticking. The audience have always wondered how long Glenn could survive. Even this week, he slipped through the net a couple of times.
“But now it was finally time for payback – I’m not sure there was anyone left in the village for him to get on the bad side of! Liam was the only one, and that’s only because he hasn’t been there.”
Did you enjoy the Agatha Christie-esque twist that all of Glenn’s enemies teamed up to kill him?
“I loved it. It was the right side of camp! There was a brilliant team-building nature among the WAGs. Every week, they seemed to get themselves a new member. It was fantastic, bold and funny too, because the story had its lighter moments. Now it’s all come together, with a brilliant array of talent involved.
“The individual fans of Simone, Grace, Courtney, Maxine, Kim, Farrah and Roxy have really enjoyed it and some people have even asked: ‘Can we see the WAGs sticking together after Glenn and finding a new target?’ Maybe it will just be like Avengers Assemble and they only do it for a very special occasion!”
Do you think Glenn will continue to cast a shadow over the village long after his death?
“That’s the thing with Glenn – there are always plenty of surprises. I don’t have any insider information, but I wouldn’t be surprised if some of Glenn’s skeletons from the past – and decisions that he’s made in the present – come back to haunt the family. It’s the Donovan family, so nothing is ever straightforward.”
Is there part of you that would have liked Glenn to die in next week’s storm stunt, or do you think this was a more fitting exit?
“I think this was the perfect way for Glenn to go. Dying in the storm would have been too good a death for him. It would have been too romantic and too heroic.
“What I love about Glenn’s death is that it’s so low-key and it’s actually what a real bastard deserves. He died at his own birthday party and it almost went unnoticed to begin with, but then the reality kicked in among his sons over what was happening. It’s not what Glenn would have wanted, but I think that’s perfect for him.”
What kind of reaction did you get from the Hollyoaks fans?
“In this game, there can sometimes be a blurring of the lines between the character and the actor. Social media means there’s a transparency to the process, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone treats you as separate from your character.
“I collected – a bit like in the style of Jimmy Kimmel on US TV – a number of the meanest tweets I could find about Glenn. I edited them together into a little video for when I left and played it to cast and crew. People absolutely loved hating him, which I took as a huge compliment. I did also receive some nice supporting tweets about the work I was doing to create Glenn.”
The Grace Black fans always had plenty to say about Glenn…
“Yes, one of the things you can’t take lightly when you join Hollyoaks is how vociferous the Grace Black fans are! I’m really indebted to them for putting up with me for so long. They really enjoyed it by the end. When they started to see Grace fighting back, they got their heroine back. Even though Glenn was instrumental in keeping Grace quiet for so long, it made the revenge all the more sweet.”
What are your fondest memories that you’re taking away with you?
“There have been some really great moments and set pieces across Glenn’s time on the show. I had some wonderfully solid storylines with all four of Glenn’s sons – I’m including Lucas Haywood as Toby, because he was fantastic.
“I also have to praise the people and the crew in particular, who are so hard-working and really love the show. They’re the oil that keeps the machine running. There are some intelligent, witty and talented writers. The producers steer this massive ship with 50-odd cast and so many storylines. I take my hat off to them. The people are warm and wonderful and I was really grateful to be part of that.
“I also have to say working with Tamara Wall, who plays Grace. It was always a partnership between us and I’ve got so much respect for her and what she’s created with Grace over the years. I was delighted to be involved in that.”
Glenn was briefly played by Neil Roberts before you took over. Was it tricky to come in and play a recast character?
“I could only get on with the job in front of me, so I don’t think it affected me as much as people thought it might. When you go into a show like Hollyoaks, there is no real rulebook for how you navigate your way through it. You have to be on your mettle regardless of the circumstances, so in some ways it didn’t affect me at all.
“Going into a long-running show when you’ve been a freelancer for 20 years, it’s about understanding the structure of the programme and fitting in with that. That’s quite enough to be getting on with, without worrying about what people are going to think about your character being recast.
“There’s always a backlash to any kind of change – a lot of it is justified and a lot of it isn’t. You either have to pick and choose or ignore them all. It was enough of a job on my hands without factoring that in as well.
“I’m looking forward to meeting Neil now, without any fear there about it being awkward! Now we’re both on the other side of Glenn, we’ll probably meet on the circuit and share our memories of that part of our lives.”
What’s next for you? Are you auditioning or spending some time with your family?
“A bit of both. Because of the heavy nature of Glenn’s final storyline, I didn’t get much of a summer holiday, so I’ve booked a couple of weeks away starting next week. Me and my family have got some time abroad over Christmas as well. Work-wise, there’s a couple of things already in the pipeline that I can’t really talk about at the moment.
“Another thing is that me and my dad [comedian Barry Cryer] wrote a book called Mrs Hudson’s Diaries about six years ago. We’ve now turned it into a radio show, which will be on Radio 4 just before Christmas. We’re recording that in two weeks’ time.
“The story is about Sherlock Holmes’s landlady. I won’t say who we’re each playing, but with my dad’s background in comedy, we’ve attracted some great talent. I won’t pre-empt the Radio 4 announcement but it’s got a couple of well-loved British comedy family favourites.”
Would you like to do another soap in the future?
“I’d love to, but I’d sit down with my wife and kids first to talk through the details! (Laughs.) Like a lot of actors, the soap world was a bit of a mystery for me, which you only perforated when you did a day here or a day there.
“I’ve almost got the full set already. I’m waiting for Casualty and Emmerdale, but I’ve done all the others in various guises. But now that I’ve worked on a long-runner for a year, it’s enough to get your head around the dynamic of soaps and what a wonderful world it is.
“The amount of effort that goes into producing half-hour of drama every night of the week is extraordinary. After seeing the way they constantly come up with new stories and ways to tease the audience, it’s whetted my appetite for another challenge like that, definitely.”
Hollyoaks airs weeknights at 6.30pm on Channel 4, with first look screenings at 7pm on E4.
Digital Spy Soap Scoop video – hit play below for all the latest Hollyoaks spoilers, as Ste and Harry’s wedding day looks set to go horribly wrong and Romeo declares his feelings for Lily.
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