The Cage stars Sheridan Smith and Michael Socha: ‘You get feelings of madness in a casino’

Are there any places that foreground wealth disparity more than casinos? These are places to make or lose big money, where high rollers spend small (or large) fortunes on slot machines, at blackjack or on roulette tables, while all around them are workers on minimum wage. All that money tantalisingly within reach. 

So it is that writer Tony Schumacher, whose breakthrough The Responder was such a refreshing new take on the police drama, returns with The Cage – set in a casino in Liverpool.

Sheridan Smith and Michael Socha star as Leanne and Matty. The casino workers discover they are both stealing from their workplace in a five-part, high-octane thriller, where we might just find ourselves backing the robbers rather than the cops.

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Big Issue: High-rollers and low-paid wage workers under one roof – a casino is such a great place for a TV drama.

Michael Socha: The casino can be either a really fun environment or a massively dangerous one. And sometimes the two worlds collide. From my experience, especially doing the research for this, I realised they are ultimately quite dangerous places and gambling itself is quite a dangerous hobby unless you’ve got a real handle on it. The whole place is designed for you to bet more, to lose more, to spend more time there. There’s all sort of tricks of the trade.

Sheridan Smith: When we shot in the casino for days on end, all the cast and crew went so crazy because there’s no natural light. You genuinely get that feeling of madness, you know? And it’s designed for that reason.

MS: We got to meet both sides of the casino world. Morally, it’s, I suppose, the last step before illegal behaviour. Some people are just there for a bit of fun, but some might be there to flush some money, who knows? But it’s a place people come together and either win or lose a lot of money.

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Will we be on the side of your characters?

SS: My character is losing her house, she’s got a kid and she’s a single mum, she’s taking care of her nana with dementia. She would do anything for her family, so you totally relate to why she’s doing it. Even more so at the moment with the cost of living crisis. It’s nice to play a character so layered and flawed, because we all are. They’re everyday people that the audience can relate to – and even if whatever they’re doing is morally wrong, you’re still rooting for them because you want them to win. Because what would you do in that situation? You understand why we’re both doing it.

MS: Like Smith said, because the characters are so relatable and human, moral lines get quite blurred. They’re not snatching handbags off of the elderly, but they’re still robbing. But then, they’ve got reasons for robbing. These are good people doing bad things because of certain circumstances. So you’re rooting for these good people who are doing something quite naughty. 

When we read about this, we thought it might be a bit lighter after the heavy emotional content of 2025’s I Fought the Law – but five minutes in and you are screaming from a rooftop, Sheridan.

SS: I know. Me and my dramatics. I love that it’s more of an everyday woman, but even though it’s kind of make believe and not a real person – with the added pressure of having to tell someone’s real life – Tony’s brilliant at darkness. But the pay-off for those dramatic scenes and the heavy stuff is so much bigger when there’s the farcical caper of the whole thing going alongside it. When those moments hit, they’re quite powerful. But it was great to be able to do some comedy as well.

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And Michael – you were on the floor in an office surrounded by pills and bottles before episode one was out.

MS: As humans, we all feel like shit sometimes and because Tony’s done such an amazing job, we can connect with these characters. Because they are so human. As actors, we’re blessed to be able to have a go and explore all these emotions. 

How do you see the state of play for UK drama at the moment?

SS: I feel proud, with Adolescenceand what Stephen [Graham] and Hannah [Walters] have done with Matriarch Productions to give working-class people opportunities, and doing a story that’s so important. It’s something everyone’s facing – I’m a parent, Michael’s a parent.

MS: I don’t always understand the landscape of how British TV is going, but like Smith was saying, when I see some of the work people like Stevie and Hannah are doing, and being able to work with people like Tony [Schumacher] and Smith here, I’m just so grateful to be able to do this for a living. I owe everything to the Television Workshop [in Nottingham] – where I could go for free. 

SS: Those places are so important. Because where me and Michael come from, there aren’t drama schools like RADA. I’ve moved back to the village where I grew up, so it’s something I think about a lot. I go to my old school and see the shows – there is talent up here. But they don’t always know where to go. Kids need places to do drama. It’s hard times, and acting is a form of escapism and a way to get your feelings out.

Did you know each other before The Cage?

MS: It was good old [actor] Russell Tovey who introduced us.

SS: And Michael’s just got funny bones. So I knew he was going to be hysterical to work with. We’ve got separate storylines but as the show goes on, we’re kind of in it together like a really bad Bonnie and Clyde.

The Cage is on BBC One on Sunday nights and available to stream on iPlayer

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