Renowned BBC actor Robert Glenister, known for roles in acclaimed dramas like Spooks and Sherwood, has candidly shared the severe financial and personal challenges he faced following a protracted legal battle with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The 65-year-old disclosed that the ordeal forced him to remortgage his home and led to episodes of blacking out during live theatre performances.
Glenister described the experience as “one of the worst times” in his life. The dispute centered on HMRC’s retrospective demand for backdated National Insurance contributions, which he found deeply unfair. “The legal battle with HMRC was horrendous,” he told the i Paper. “I didn’t mind the rule changes or paying, but making them retrospective was unjust. I had to remortgage the house.”
The actor also spoke openly about the misconception that television actors are all financially comfortable. “People assume that those who work in television are well off—some are, but many aren’t,” Glenister explained. The stress of the ongoing conflict took a heavy toll on his mental health, affecting his work and daily life for several years.
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“It wasn’t a day that went by during those four to five years when I wasn’t thinking about it,” he revealed. The pressure culminated in Glenister fainting on stage during a West End show, which led to the cancellation of a performance. “I took a week off, but I never really relaxed after that,” he said. Even in subsequent plays, he struggled to concentrate, feeling detached and distracted.
The fear of a repeat blackout episode lingers, casting a shadow over his acting ambitions, which have long been rooted in theatre. Glenister reflected, “It scares me, and that fear never really goes away.”
This isn’t the first time Glenister has publicly addressed his financial disputes with HMRC. Last year, it was reported that both he and his brother Philip, best known for Life on Mars, were subject to retrospective National Insurance assessments following HMRC’s reclassification of many freelance actors as employees. Approximately 60 actors were affected in this manner, leading to substantial backdated tax bills.
In Glenister’s case, the amount owed reached an astonishing £150,000. Regarding the house he remortgaged to manage this debt, he said, “To be honest, we’ll probably have to sell it in a couple of years because I can’t afford to pay it off.”
He concluded with a plea for fairness: “I don’t mind if HMRC changes the law—but they need to tell people upfront. Retrospective charges just aren’t fair.”