British TV mystery is solved as people discover identity of Deal or No Deal Banker
He actually starred in a very famous soap.
One of British TV’s biggest mysteries has finally been solved.
For years, Deal or No Deal viewers wondered about the identity of the show’s original Banker, given that his voice was never heard and he only featured in phone calls to host Noel Edmonds.
But now, the man behind those big-money offers (and the measly ones too) has come to light—and he’s actually a Coronation Street star.
The earliest Banker in the Channel 4 series – which aired from 2005 to 2016 before being revived by Stephen Mulhern in 2023 – was actor Glenn Hugill.
Glenn, now 55, played Alan McKenna on the cobbles from 1996 to 1997, starring in 86 episodes.
His character was a detective, and he dated Fiona Middleton (Angela Griffin). They were due to get married, but Jim McDonald (Charles Lawson) exposed his one-night stand with Fiona on their wedding day.
Noel Edmonds hosted Deal or No Deal from 2005 to 2016 (Picture: Contract Number (Programme)) Banker Glenn Hugill played Alan McKenna in Coronation Street (Picture: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)Glenn didn’t stick around in Weatherfield after that, but he did go on to appear in other shows, including Dalziel and Pascoe, The Upper Hand, and Chandler and Co.
In 2001, he also presented the series The Mole.
Behind the camera, Glenn had his own production company named Possessed. In 2023, he sold it to ITV and joined Wheelhouse, the media giant established by Jimmy Kimmel.
It remains unknown who took over from Glenn as the Banker, but it’s believed he stayed in the role for a year.
Reboot host Stephen previously said of the Banker’s identity: ‘I don’t know who the Banker is, so I wouldn’t be able to recognise who it was.
He also served as an executive producer on Deal or No Deal (Picture: ITV/REX/Shutterstock) The original Banker featured on Deal or No Deal – and its celeb specials – for a decade (Picture: Channel 4)‘So, he could walk past me at any point.’
He added that the voice on the end of the phone is ‘male,’ but that’s all he really knows.
‘Supposedly, he goes into the hotel and listens to the contestants and what they’re up to. So when he comes on the phone to me, I’ve got to repeat what he says.’
This isn’t the first time the identity of the Banker has been spoken about publicly, but it seems Deal or No Deal viewers are only just catching on.
In 2015, former Pointless host Richard Osmon told Metro that Glenn was the Banker. It was also discovered that Glenn was an executive producer on Deal or No Deal, leaving some fans disappointed.
Reboot host Stephen Mulhern maintains that he has no clue who the new Banker is (Picture: ITV)Speaking about his show Two Tribes and how it came to be, Richard said at the time: ‘[It] was an idea that Glenn Hugill – the Banker on Deal or No Deal – and I had been thinking about for a long time.’
Glenn himself has never addressed the rumours, but it was previously implied that Noel, 76, was friends with whoever the Banker was.
Deal or No Deal ran for almost 3,000 episodes with Noel at the helm, giving away over £40million to contestants during its first run.
While the maximum prize now is £100,000, players used to be able to win £250,000.
Noel also hosted celebrity specials, which saw the likes of James Corden take on the Banker at his own game.
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