Glenda Shuttleworth is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Jodie Prenger. The character and casting was announced in June 2022 and Prenger made her first appearance on 5 August of that year. Prenger did not have to audition for the role and it was created for her in mind, which she was grateful for. Prenger was very happy to join the soap as it had been a dream of hers for years and her family had links to the soap as Prenger's great-uncle used to deliver the groceries of former cast member Pat Phoenix. Glenda was introduced as the sister of established character George Shuttleworth (Tony Maudsley) and she begins working as a barmaid of the Rovers Return pub, which Prenger was grateful for as it allowed her to interact with most of the cast. Prenger's singing was incorporated into the character and Glenda's backstory included the character working cabaret singer on cruise ships. Prenger has described the character as fun, bubbly and loving people, but admitted that she fronts a lot and wanted Glenda's vulnerability and backstory to be explored more. Glenda also sets up and runs a performing arts club for children.
Sharon Marshall incorrectly said on This Morning that Jodie would be leaving the soap in 2023 but this was later clarified to be a mistake. In 2024, Glenda was involved in a storyline which saw her be victim of a robbery at the Rovers, which Prenger described as being one of the scariest things that she had filmed in her career. The incidence shakes Glenda up and she struggles with the aftermath. That same year, Glenda develops a feud with George over their inheritance, but they later make up, which Prenger was happy about. Glenda also has a short-lived romance with Michael Bailey (Ryan Russell). Prenger called Glenda a hopeless romantic and hoped that the character would find love. Glenda has been well-received by viewers and critics and her first appearance had viewers writing on social media that they wanted to character to stay long-term on the soap. For her role as Glenda, Prenger was nominated for awards at the 2023 Inside Soap Awards and the Radio Times Soap Awards.
Casting and characterisation On 20 June 2022, it was announced that Jodie Prenger had been cast as Glenda Shuttleworth, the sister of established character George Shuttleworth (Tony Maudsley). Prenger had begun filming that same week. Joining Coronation Street had been a lifelong dream for the actress and she and her family were fans of the soap. Prenger called joining the soap an "honour" and a "special moment" in her life as it had been on her bucket list to be in the soap since she was little; she added that she had "always" wanted it to happen but did not believe that it would. She added, "To be part of something my family and I have loved for so long. And what a character, oh I have to say, total dream part. I can't wait for you all to meet fun and sassy Glenda". Prenger revealed that she already loved Maudsley and called her first day on set "one of the most nerve-wracking experiences", but said that everyone was "so gloriously lovely, kind and welcoming" and added, "It was, and is, everything I expected, and more". Coronation Street producer "Glenda sails in fresh from the cruise ships with a whiff of the exotic, quickly making best friends and enemies in equal measure. The character is loads of fun and has echoes of classic Coronation Street females of old. Jodie is a fabulous talent and we are all very excited to have her aboard. She has felt very Corrie since the moment she stepped onto set and I think the viewers will love her". Prenger later revealed that it felt "very special" to be cast on the soap as she had received a lot of "knockbacks" and felt like she was not good enough for the acting industry. She called joining the soap the "chapter" she "always wanted to read". Prenger revealed that she went "all giddy" during her first scene with Barbara Knox, who plays Rita Tanner, and that she was lost when she was watching a scene between Stephanie Beacham and William Roache, who play Martha Fraser and Ken Barlow, respectively. Prenger believed that she had scared Roache as she bowed when she saw him. Prenger's first day on set was the same day that her colleague Robert Shaw Cameron filmed his first scene as Laurence Reeves and they both shared their excitement at being in the Rovers.
The role was created with Prenger in mind and thus she did not have to audition screentest for the role, which the actress was grateful for as she believed that she had done badly in auditions for roles that she really wanted in the past. The actress met with MacLeod "prior to everything going". Prenger explained, "There was always a bit of talk but we did a show in Manchester [..] and that's when the talks really started but then there was a phone call, a lot of tears, that there was this part of Glenda. It was just amazing". Prenger revealed that she found out that she had received the role when her agent called her she was shopping in Ikea, which led to her screaming and crying. Prenger believed that this scared some of the shoppers in the store and that a woman nearly dropped a cactus that she was carrying. Prenger added, "I wanted to tell the world but I knew I couldn't tell anyone and I think that was the hardest thing. But yeah, I think I scared a lot of people in Ikea that day". Talking about working in the soap, Prenger said, "You know, the one thing, and you do speak to people in the [set] building, they go, 'I've been here 20, 30, 40 years', but it does fly. But I've had fun, it's just everything I've always wanted it to be and I can't really ask for more". Prenger called it "beautiful" that her dream of joining the soap had come true. Prenger added, "I think when your family have loved something for so long, it genuinely is an honour to be part of a constitution and a family. That's genuinely what it has felt like coming in. It's just a big, operating, lovely family and it's very, very special to me [...] On my first day I remember driving up to the gates at ITV and it felt like I was at MGM Studios. It was amazing. I didn’t need a trip to Disney World. I was already here!" Prenger's great-uncle used to deliver the groceries of former cast member Pat Phoenix, who played Elsie Tanner, a character that Prenger's grandmother "worshipped". Prenger described Glenda as a "woman to be reckoned with" and believed that she reminded her of her mother. Prenger also described her character as being fun, "camp" and loving people. Prenger also said that she looks different from Glenda when she is at home.
Prenger credited the people at Coronation Street for making her feel at home and said that she felt like her first six months on the soap had gone by quickly. Prenger has said that she loves having scenes with Patti Clare and Peter Gunn, who portray Mary Taylor and Brian Packham, as they make her laugh a lot, with Prenger calling it "entertainment within the entertainment". In March 2023, TV personality and "soap expert" Sharon Marshall incorrectly said on This Morning that Prenger would be leaving the soap as Glenda. However, it was later confirmed that this was not the case and that Prenger would be staying as Glenda, with Marshall confirming on Twitter that she had made a mistake and called Glenda "fabulous". That same year, Prenger revealed that she still sometimes get nervous on the soap. Prenger also revealed that her partner looks after their pets when she is at work. Prenger revealed that she walked into a gay bar in Manchester where someone shouted "Glenda, hello darling!", which made Prenger believe that people now were calling her Glenda rather than Jodie. Prenger has said that she often forgets that people are watching the soap, commenting, "It sounds bizarre but even when somebody recognises me in public I think they're staring because I've got lipstick on my teeth again!"
Development
Introduction and backstory Prenger made her first appearance as Glenda on 5 August 2022. In the episode, Glenda arrives at the same time that George has taken too many painkillers for his toothache and has to be hauled back in the back of a funeral car, and Glenda ends up instantly taking charge of the funeral proceedings instead. Glenda immediately becomes popular with George's partner Todd Grimshaw (Gareth Pierce) and the rest of the team. George is also happy to see her and introduces Glenda to his girlfriend, Eileen Grimshaw (Sue Cleaver). It is later revealed that Glenda is trying to get away from someone that she has been having an affair with.
In the character's introduction, Glenda has just returned from performing as a cabaret singer on cruise ships and she begins working as a barmaid in the Rovers Return pub. Prenger drew from her own experiences of working as a cruise ship entertainer to portray Glenda. Prenger said of the character, "She's a bundle of energy. She comes off a cruise ship and there’s a vibrancy to her that is a dream to play". Prenger said that she would be friends with Glenda in real life and would like to go on a cruise with her. An ongoing theme for Glenda is that she often sings but whenever she asks to sing at weddings or other events, she is told no and is not given the opportunity to. Prenger was happy that the soap had incorporated her singing into the character.
Prenger has said that it would be interesting to explore Glenda's backstory and see the character let others in as she "fronts a lot". Prenger called Glenda a "dreamer" who lived out of a "suitcase", which the actress related to. Prenger added, "it is nice to have that kind of grounding but I think she always reminisces in a fantastical way about, 'Oh, do you remember when I was on the ships', and probably half of it never happened", although Prenger was sure that Glenda had actually met Shirley Bassey. Prenger believed that Glenda is "completely insecure", explaining, "You know, we're all the same, we just want to get into a onesie with a top knot and snuggle up next to somebody. There is a lot of front with Glenda and it's nice to see these little snippets of her sometimes letting her guard down and I think she finds that hard to do. She probably fronts for other people. It's that thing of you put a front up for other people, you know, don't let the buggers grind you down".
Working as a barmaid