For years, game show fans have speculated over the identity of the enigmatic Deal Or No Deal Banker – and now one of British TV’s greatest secrets has been brought to light.
In the original show, which first aired in 2005, the Banker was only present in phone calls to the host, Noel Edmonds.
But unbeknownst to viewers, the mystery man had been gracing British TV screens long before Deal Or No Deal.
Pointless host Richard Osman has revealed that the man on the other end of the phone was none other than Coronation Street star Glenn Hugill.
Hugill is best known to fans for his role as police detective Alan McKenna, a part he played from 1996 to 1997, appearing in 86 episodes of the soap.
In the show, Detective Alan McKenna was due to marry Fiona Middleton (Angela Griffin), but their nuptials were called off when he discovers her one-night stand with Jim McDonald (Charles Lawson).
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In the original Deal Or No Deal show, which aired in 2005, the Banker was only present in phone calls to the host, Noel Edmonds
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But unbeknownst to viewers, the mystery man had been gracing British TV screens long before Deal Or No Deal. Pictured: Current host Stephen Mulhern
But since his character was last seen on the cobbles, Hugill has flipped the script, starring from the sidelines on Deal Or No Deal.
In addition to playing the role of the elusive Banker, he was reportedly also involved in the assembly of the show as an executive producer, which was disappointing to fans.
The original show ran from 2005 to 2016, before being rebooted in 2023, with Stephen Mulhern as the new host.
Hugill ran his own production company behind the scenes, Possessed, which he sold to ITV two years ago to join the team at Wheelhouse, Jimmy Kimmel’s media behemoth.
It had been previously insinuated that Noel Edmunds was friends with the Banker and, thereby, knew his identity.
Despite this revelation, the host of the reboot, Stephen Mulhern, maintains that he has no idea who the current show’s Banker is.
‘I don’t know who the Banker is,’ he said, ‘so I wouldn’t be able to recognise who it was – he could walk past me at any point.’
Mulhern notes that the voice on the other end of the phone is ‘male,’ but divulges no further information.
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Pointless host Richard Osman has revealed that the man on the other end of the phone was none other than Coronation Street star Glenn Hugill (pictured)
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But since his character was last seen on the cobbles, Hugill has flipped the script, starring from the sidelines on Deal Or No Deal
With Noel as the face of the show, Deal Or No Deal ran for almost 3000 episodes.
Mulhern’s reboot is on its second season and ongoing.
But the question of Hugill’s replacement remains unanswered – will fans be able to sniff out the identity of the Banker once more?
Earlier this year, a contestant who won a record-breaking amount on Deal Or No Deal revealed all about her experience on the show.
Nay Nay, 28, bagged £75,000 on the popular ITV game show hosted by Stephen Mulhern, 47, during an episode that aired in February.
After growing up watching the programme with her mother, the paralegal from London decided to apply when she searched online to see if it was still broadcast.
The decision paid off and Nay Nay ended up breaking show records with her huge win, and has told MailOnline how ‘blessed’ she feels.
Throughout her game, Nay Nay stuck to her plan of not taking any of the Banker’s offers and staying with her original box until the end – and it proved to be a great success.
She shared her experience of being on the show, including insider details of how contestants are selected to play.
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Nay Nay, 28, bagged £75,000 on the popular ITV game show hosted by Stephen Mulhern , 47, during an episode that aired in February
When a new game begins the names of every player in the studio are spun on a screen and one is randomly chosen.
Quite often, contestant’s family members will be shown sat on the front row of the audience and in Nay Nay’s case, her grandmother.
‘They’re not actually sitting there when the names are turning… they move them there once you’re selected to play,’ she explained.
The paralegal revealed she didn’t know she would be chosen beforehand, and added ‘you will never actually know when it’s your turn to play’.
