Glenn Wilhide

Glenn Wilhide
Born1958 (age 67–68)
Maryland, U.S.
EducationLeighton Park School
Alma materUniversity of York
OccupationsScreenwriter, television producer, playwright
Spouse
​
(m. 1996)​

Glenn Wilhide (born 1958) is an American screenwriter, playwright, and television producer.

In 2025 Glenn Wilhide wrote Akenfield, a new stage adaptation of the rural masterpiece by Ronald Blythe, which in September 2025, with support from Arts Council England, was produced in Suffolk by SHAKE Festival, directed by Jennifer Caron Hall.[1][2][3][4] The set was created by sculptor Laurence Edwards[5][6][7][8] and the cast was made up of local Suffolk people with authentic Suffolk voices.[9]

Early life and family

Wilhide was born in Maryland, USA, to American parents. His family moved to the UK when he was a child and he was educated at Leighton Park School in Reading, Berkshire, and the University of York where he read English and History of Art. He is married to Jennifer Caron Hall, the daughter of actress and ballerina Leslie Caron and the late Sir Peter Hall.

His paternal grandfather (1890-1954), who like he and his father was also named Glenn Calvin Wilhide, was for many years the Design Director at the Black and Decker company in Towson, Maryland, where he invented the first hand power drill, among many other patents.[10][11]

Production career

Glenn Wilhide was co-founder of the independent production company, ZED Ltd in 1985, and with partner Sophie Balhetchet, produced dramas, documentaries, and talk shows.

Wilhide's first full producer credit was a feature film titled The Road Home (1985), directed by Jerzy Kaszubowski and shot in Poland for Channel 4.[12][13] It was released as Cienie in Polish one year later.

With Balhetchet, Wilhide produced The Camomile Lawn (1992), directed by Peter Hall and starring Felicity Kendal, Jennifer Ehle, Toby Stevens, Tara Fitzgerald and a young Rebecca Hall. It was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Drama Series and won the BAFTA for Best Costume. In 2018 it was named No 4 in The 60 Best British TV Shows of All Time by The Daily Telegraph.[14]

Also with Balhetchet, Wilhide produced The Manageress (1993) about a female manager of a football club, starring Cherie Lunghi, Tom Georgeson and Warren Clarke. It was commissioned for a second series. A BBC documentary about Karren Brady, who became the first female managing director of Birmingham City F.C. in 1994, was titled The Real Life Manageress after the series.[15][16][17]

Wilhide and Balhetchet also produced The Peacock Spring (1996) starring Naveen Andrews, Jennifer Caron Hall and Hattie Morahan.

Wilhide disbanded ZED Ltd in 1996, and began working as a freelance producer at Granada TV, developing projects primarily with Gub Neal in the drama department.

Wilhide produced the first series of The Royle Family (1998) starring Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash, which they co-wrote with Henry Normal. The Royle Family won the Best New Television Comedy award at The British Comedy Awards, and it ranks 31st in the BFI TV 100. The following year Wilhide produced Mrs Merton and Malcolm (1999) written by The Royle Family team. Both shows were made by Granada TV for the BBC.

Wilhilde produced Metropolis (2000), about a group of recent graduate friends finding their feet in London, written by Peter Morgan, which he also directed with Tim Whitby.[18][19]

List of works

Year Title Director Studio(s) Notes
1984 A TV Dante Peter Greenaway, Tom Phillips Artifax for Channel 4 Associate Producer (Pilot)
1984 26 Bathrooms Peter Greenaway Artifax for Channel 4 Associate Producer (Pilot)
1985 The Possessed Yuri Lyubimov, Jolyon Wimhurst Zed Ltd for Channel 4 Associate Producer
1986 Le Tango Stupéfiant Anne Foreman Zed Ltd for Channel 4; La Sept Producer
1987 The Road Home Jerzy Kaszubowski Zed Ltd for Film4; Film Polski Producer
1988 HOPPLA Anne Teresa de Keersmaker Zed Ltd for Channel 4; La Sept Producer
1988 The Manageress Chris King Zed Ltd for Channel 4; ECA Producer
1989 The Missing Reel Christopher Rawlence Zed Ltd for Channel 4; La Sept; Bravo Producer
1992 The Camomile Lawn Peter Hall Zed Ltd for Channel 4; ABC Producer
1994 Why East Grinstead? Ian Sellar Zed Ltd for Channel 4 Producer
1994 Loach on Location Laurence Boulting Zed Ltd for BBC Two Producer
1995 The Peacock Spring Christopher Morahan Zed Ltd for BBC One Producer
1998 The Royle Family Mark Mylod Granada TV for BBC Two Producer (first season)
1995 Mrs Merton and Malcolm John Birkin Granada TV for BBC One Producer
1999 Metropolis Glenn Wilhide, Tim Whitby Granada TV for ITV Producer and Director
2025 Akenfield, A Play Jennifer Caron Hall SHAKE Festival Playwright

References

  1. ^ Fossett, Abygail (5 October 2025). "Review: Ronald Blythe's Akenfield on stage in Ipswich. 5 out of 5 stars". East Anglia Daily Times.
  2. ^ King, George (21 May 2025). "Classic Suffolk book to be adapted for the Stage". BBC News.
  3. ^ Larner, Catherine. "The new stage production based on Ronald Blythe's Akenfield". Great British Life.
  4. ^ Wild, Stephi (3 September 2025). "Ronald Blythe's Akenfield revived in local staging". Broadway World.
  5. ^ Western, Chloe (18 June 2025). "Suffolk sculptor Laurence Edwards to help create Akenfield". EADT.
  6. ^ Western, Chloe (1 July 2025). "Costume maker Constance Mackenzie joins Akenfield stage play". EADT.
  7. ^ Humphreys, Vicky (7 October 2025). "Jenny Hall (Akenfield)". Adventures in Theatreland.
  8. ^ Skyring, Sophie (25 September 2025). "Akenfield play by SHAKE Festival sells out in Framlingham". EADT.
  9. ^ "Akenfield - Jenny Hall and Glenn Wilhide interview". Beyond The Curtain. 22 September 2025.
  10. ^ "Design for a Portable power driven tool D129 046 S". Directory of American Tool and Machinery Patents. August 1941.
  11. ^ "USD113447" (PDF). patentimages.storage.googleapis.
  12. ^ "The Road Home (1987)". Time Out. Archived from the original on 2019-07-29. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
  13. ^ "The Road Home (1987)". BFI. Archived from the original on December 30, 2018.
  14. ^ "From I Claudius to... : 60 Best British TV Shows of All Time". The Daily Telegraph. 25 April 2018. Archived from the original on 29 July 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  15. ^ Thacker, Gary. "Football on the Small Screen 2: The Manageress". The Football Pink. Archived from the original on 2019-07-29. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
  16. ^ "Karren Brady". BBC One - Young Apprentice. Archived from the original on 2019-08-03. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
  17. ^ "Women in football". Wales Online. 24 November 2003. Archived from the original on 29 July 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  18. ^ Billen, Andrew (8 May 2000). "Friends Together". New Statesman.
  19. ^ "Six-packs of twentysomethings". Irish Times. Archived from the original on 2018-09-25. Retrieved 2019-07-29.
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