Michael Socha & Sheridan Smith Are Casino Workers in 'The Cage'
Michael Socha and Sheridan Smith in "The Cage"
(Photo: Element Pictures/James Stack)
The BBC has released a first look at its forthcoming crime drama The Cage, a new five-part series starring Sheridan Smith (Gavin & Stacey) and Michael Socha (Toxic Town) as a pair of casino workers who discover they have more in common than just their place of employment. (Spoiler alert: They're both robbing it.)
Set in the high-stakes, high-energy world of an inner-city Liverpool casino, the story follows Leanne and Danny as they discover they're both regulalry skimming a bit off the top at their place of employment, putting them in immediate conflict with one another, with the police, and with the local gangster who runs the business they're stealing from. (Judging from their outfits in the above image, I'm going with "dealer" and "pit boss" as their likeliest jobs.)
The "cage" in a casino, by the way, is the designated area where financial transactions occur: Exchanging cash for chips, cashing out winnings, that kind of thing. The "cage" in this instance could also be the metaphorical trap our two leads find themselves in, or maybe a little bit of both.
The series hails from Tony Schumacher, the man behind the successful BBC/BritBox hit The Responder, and it's clear everyone's hoping lightning will strike twice here. “Coming back to the BBC with my second major show and being able to work with such talents as Sheridan, Michael, and the teams at Element Pictures and the BBC is such an honour," Schumacher said in a statement. "I'm hoping people will find it funny, dark, but most of all full of love, life, and entertainment, and I can't wait for the world to see it.”
Michael Socha and Sheridan Smith in "The Cage"
(Photo: Element Pictures/James Stack)
Here's the series' synopsis.
When Leanne and Matty discover they are both robbing from the safe at the inner-city casino they work in, their lives are set on a collision course; with each other, the local gangster they're stealing from, and the police.
Alongside Socha and Sheridan, the series’ ensemble cast includes Ian Puleston Davies (D.I. Ray) as Vincent, Julia Papp (Baptiste) as Irina, Barry Sloane (The Sandman) as Gary, Geraldine James (Dope Girls) as Nancy, Sophie Mensah (Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale) as Fen, Shaun Mason (Extraordinary) as Alan, Katy Carmichael (Malpractice) as DCI Hannigan, Dave Hart (Ragdoll) as Danny, and Mona Goodwin (Still Up) as Trace. Supporting cast includes Eileen O’Brien (Not Going Out), Eithne Browne (Emmerdale Farm), Anton Bibby (Liverpool Narcos), Abby Mavers (Waterloo Road), Louis Emerick (G’wed), and newcomer Freya Jones.
“The Cage is character-driven, hugely entertaining and full of heart, and I’m delighted that Tony has chosen the BBC to be the home of his second series following on from the success of The Responder,” Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, said. “With Sheridan Smith and Michael Socha leading the cast, Al Mackay directing, and the team at Element Pictures producing, viewers are in for a treat.”
The five-part series is directed by Al Mackay (Kidnapped) and shot in and around Liverpool and Merseyside. Executive producers include Hilary Martin for Fremantle, Christopher Aird, Ed Guiney, and Andrew Lowe for Element Pictures, alongside both Schumacher and Smith. Lucy Richer serves as executive producer for the BBC, and Clare Shepherd will produce. Fremantle will handle global sales and distribution.
The Cage doesn’t yet have a release date or an American distributor, but this project certainly sounds awfully BritBox coded, just saying.
