Glen Donnelly is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Richard Huggett. The actor joined the cast shortly after leaving E Street, and he relocated from Sydney to Melbourne, where the show is filmed. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 7 December 1990. Glen was introduced as the secret son of series regular Jim Robinson (Alan Dale). He came to Erinsborough to meet his father and to ask for money to pay for his mother's funeral.
The character was portrayed as being independent, mature and strong. One of Glen's most notable storylines featured an inappropriate relationship between him and his half-sister, Lucy Robinson (Melissa Bell). Scenes between them were edited out by the BBC upon their UK airing. Glen also had a romance with Gaby Willis (Rachel Blakely). Huggett decided not to renew his contract and Glen departed on 6 February 1992, following an accident which left him paralysed. Huggett reprised the role in November 2021, appearing until 28 July 2022 during the serial's finale.
Creation and casting
In 1990, Neighbours faced "ratings wars" with fellow soap operas in both Britain and Australia, leading to producers scrapping the serial's "goody-goody" image and introducing more sex and scandal in a bid to increase ratings over Coronation Street and Home and Away. The change in storyline direction was prompted by Shaunna O'Grady's decision to quit her role as Beverly Marshall. The character of Glen was soon introduced as Jim Robinson's (Alan Dale) long-lost, illegitimate son. The news causes "embarrassment" for Jim and problems for Glen, who develops an attraction to his half-sister.
Richard Huggett was cast as Glen. He joined Neighbours shortly after leaving his role as Sonny Bennett in E Street. On his arrival, Huggett said Glen was "very different" from Sonny. Huggett was forced to relocate from Sydney to Melbourne for the role and he revealed it affected his personal life.
Development
Characterisation
Glen has been described as "independent, tough and mature beyond his twenty years". He is used to fighting his own battles. When his mother died of cancer, Glen was "full of grief for his mother and resentment for Jim". When Glen arrives in Ramsay Street, he assumes that Jim does not want to know him and he comes in a "fight-picking mood". Jim eventually persuades Glen that he knew nothing about him. Glen and Jim's oldest son, Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis), do not get on and Glen resents the fact the only jobs he can get mean Paul would be his boss. In 2021, ahead of his return scenes airing, Huggett said Glen was "a troubled young man", but he had grown up and was "a lot calmer now. He doesn't bite quite as easily anymore." He added that there would be a confrontation with Paul.
Incestuous relationship
One of the character's more notable storylines was an incestuous relationship with his half-sister Lucy Robinson (Melissa Bell). This was Neighbours''' first incest storyline. The plot was created as part of a revamp of the show, which saw storylines become more "hard-edged", following a decline in ratings. Neither Lucy or Glen were aware that they were related after he arrived in Ramsay Street and before she returned home from boarding school. When Glen and Lucy meet they are "unable to deny the attraction between them". Glen and Lucy kiss and they are discovered in a compromising situation that angers their father, Jim. Of the storyline Huggett said "The story of Glen's and Lucy's growing feelings for one another might seem pretty audacious, but I think it works because it has been handled sensitively. It was a great acting challenge." He added that incest was a brave subject for Neighbours, a family show, to tackle and that he was surprised about the reaction it caused. Viewers in Australia called Network Ten to complain about the storyline, which was branded a "scandal" and "one of television soaps' most daring encounters". Three episodes featuring the incest scenes between Glen and Lucy were dropped by the BBC when they were due to be aired in the UK. Tony Pratt of the Daily Mirror noted that the pair "were becoming a mite too friendly for the Beeb's liking". The episodes were later shown uncut in repeats on UK Gold.