Robert Glenister, one of the leading stars of Light in the Hall: Still Waters, has a famous brother: Philip Glenister, best known for playing DCI Gene Hunt in Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes.
New Season, New Story
More than three years after the first season of the psychological Welsh thriller The Light in the Hall (Y Golau) aired on Channel 4, the show returns with an entirely new cast and plot. The original series focused on a mother grieving her daughter's murder.
The second season, titled Still Waters, is set in the fictional Welsh town of Llanemlyn. A synopsis teases: "A controversial plan to expand the reservoir reignites long-buried tensions." The story spans two timelines, beginning in 1995 when activist Llyr Owen dies in a bombing and his cousin Rhys is jailed for the crime. Thirty years later, Rhys returns home to a community divided by protest. Trainee journalist Caryl becomes drawn into the story, uncovering hidden truths and secrets that have shaped the town for decades.
Robert Glenister's Role and Career
Robert Glenister, 66, plays Robert Davies in the new series. He stars alongside Sian Reese-Williams, Mark Lewis Jones, and Nia Roberts. Glenister is best known for his roles in Hustle (2004–2012), Spooks (2006–2010), Sherwood (2022 and 2026), and more recently A Thousand Blows (2025).
Philip Glenister: A Famous Brother
Robert's brother Philip Glenister, 63, is famous for his role as DCI Gene Hunt in the BBC series Life on Mars and its sequel Ashes to Ashes. Other notable roles include DCI William Bell in State of Play and Reverend Anderson in Outcast. Recently, Philip appeared in the second series of After the Flood as Jack Radcliffe.
Philip recently spoke about his famous family on Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh. Their father, John Glenister, was a renowned television director who worked on The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Emma, Rumpole of the Bailey, Play for Today, Dennis Potter's 1971 biopic of Casanova, Marie Curie, A Touch of Frost, Alan Plater's On Your Way, Riley, Hetty Wainthropp Investigates, and A Bit of a Do. John Glenister passed away in 2024 at the age of 92.
During the interview, host Alan Titchmarsh asked Philip: "Your dad is a famous director, John Glenister, very well known. With your brother as well, Robert, doing acting as well, was it a foregone conclusion?" Philip replied: "Not for me! Robert knew he wanted to act from a very early age, he did theatre locally. I always thought I would be in the industry but I always thought I'd be behind the camera a bit like the old man, you know. I'm still working on it but it never quite worked out like that!"
He added: "It was terrible. Having one actor in the family is better than having two. My dad, because he knew the ups and downs of the industry and everything, when I told him I'd been offered a place at drama school, he went, 'Oh no!'"
The Light in the Hall series two is available to watch on Channel 4.
