The pair will play rivals who are robbing the casino they work for. 

The BBC have announced a new show from writer Tony Schumacher, creator of The Responder.

The Cage is a high-stakes, high energy crime story set in the world of a Liverpool casino.

When Leanne (Smith) and Matty (Socha) 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.

The five-part drama comes from Element Pictures and director Al Mackay. It will shoot in and around Liverpool and Merseyside.

Tony Schumacher says:

“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. On top of that, having a director of Al’s calibre really is the cherry on the big Liverpool drama cake we’re baking together. 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.”

Christopher Aird and Hilary Martin, Element Pictures and Fremantle executive producers, say:

“We’re excited to be producing Tony’s unique drama for the BBC. Tony writes characters from the heart that break your heart, and we’re thrilled Sheridan and Michael are going to be playing Leanne and Matty. The Cage is a crime show, a show about family and a love story of sorts. It is by turns funny, poignant, thrilling, and sad; we know Al Mackay will bring his love of real-world characters to tell Tony’s story with verve and energy.”

The Cage is being made for BBC One and the iPlayer. We’ll keep you posted.