THE CAGE - sun 9pm bbc 1 - TV PACE. NO SPOILERS

[Blondeshavemorefun]

New upcoming crime drama, The Cage, starring Sheridan Smith (https://www.hellomagazine.com/tags/sheridan-smith/) and Michael Socha – and it could just be your next TV obsession.

Now if Miss SS gets to snog MS I will be very jealous

I loved him in showtrail and seem to have a little crush on him 💓
5 parts on weekly on a Sunday night x 5weeks

Filmed in and around Liverpool and Merseyside, the story centres around Leanne (Smith), a casino cashier who starts skimming cash from the safe to save her family home.

But when she discovers her boss Matty (Socha) is doing the same thing, both of their lives start to spiral out of control.

The newly released trailer shows Leanne, a single mum, and Matty, a gambling addict, form an unlikely partnership to keep their thefts a secret, but soon become entangled with brutal local gangsters and the police.

The series follows Leanne, a charismatic cashier at an inner-city casino in Liverpool, who starts skimming cash from the safe when she's threatened with losing her home.

When she discovers that her boss Matty is also taking money from the safe, "their lives are set on a collision course; with each other, the local gangster they're stealing from, and the police".

They're joined by Barry Sloane (House of the Dragon) as Gary, Geraldine James (Dope Girls) as Nancy, Anton Bibby as Thomas, Freya Jones as Emily and Sophie Mensah (Sanctuary: A Witches Tale) as Fen.

Sophie Mensah plays Amanda Ning
Rounding out the cast are Abby Mavers (Waterloo Road) as Kelly, Shaun Mason (Extraordinary) as Alan, Louis Emerick as Paul (The Power of Parker), Ian Puleston Davies (Tin Star) as Vincent, Julia Papp (Baptiste) as Irina, Katy Carmichael (Malpractice) as DCI Hannigan, Dave Hart (The Responder) as Danny, Eileen O'Brien (Not Going Out) as Nanna, Eithne Browne (The Responder) as Annie and Mona Goodwin (Extraordinary) as Trace.

Thank you for the heads up @Blondeshavemorefunbut this one is not for me.
I hate organised crime /gangster stuff.
Except Line Of Duty

It is good to have something that isn't a police procedural - but we have had a lot of drug and fraud things .

This drama would be so much better in the hands of, say, Jimmy McGovern.

I sort of assumed the 'old'things were a ham fisted attempt to suggest a whole community down on its luck. If you wander around working class Liverpool you aren't going to see lots of new cars . The casino had a worn out look. Not all casinos are flash, Vegas looking places. In fact, many are pretty depressing. I still think a 2001 computer wouldn't work though and I don't think you can buy that paper any more!

The 80s and 90s music probably reflected the lost youth of the main male character and his nostalgia for his vinyl buying days before addiction hit.

By the way, it's common for people in poverty (not that Sheridan was in real levels of poverty) to not have bank accounts and to keep money under mattresses, in shoe boxes- most especially older women but also women in general are more likely never to have had bank accounts or to have them controlled by partners, so they keep an emergency fund.

but grim, loads of swearing and violence. Drugs and gambling. She played a part before where she stole money but she is very good.

I def enjoyed and roll on Next Sunday

Recap e1

https://reelmockery.com/the-cage-series-1-episode-1-recap/amp/

#TheCage set in 1994 or 2026? Sheridan Smith is using a computer that runs on coal, but everyone’s got an iPhone 15. It’s not "aesthetic," it’s just a continuity migraine. Gritty misery is one thing, but at least pick a decade. 📺😵‍💫 #TheCageBBC #BBCOne

It’s also filmed in a kind of sepia fashion , maybe this adds to the ‘ old , but not old ‘ problem it has.

I have to also add it was yet another drama with far too many characters.

I am just watching episode 1 and these are my observations so far:

1. Hate SS's Fiat Multipla car. I think it is one of the ugliest cars I've ever seen!
2. Hate her tattoos.
3. Hate her botox lips.
4. What has happened to her hair? It looks like someone has hacked at it!
5. Hate the scouse accent.
6. Liverpool does not look great.

Overall, I'm finding it very seedy and grim. The criminal underworld is definitely not for me!

They're both utterly crap at hiding stuff. Who would be daft enough to keep £34K in cash or a load of cocaine in their wardrobe? The ex just happening to turn up looking for shoes and in doing so finding and nicking the cash all seemed a bit far-fetched. The ease with which they pinched such large sums from the casino also struck me as implausible. I'll give it another episode and will hope it doesn't have too many more plot holes.

Yes indeed. Very far-fetched.

I too was intending to binge this, but a bit un-thrilled with Ep 1. Will probably carry on to hear the story of Leanne’s mother, and to see the portrayal of her grandmother. It’s not quite at The Responder levels yet.

What’s the £1100 he was mean to lay ex wife ? If cms seems a lot for one child unless it’s 3/4mths worth as he obv doesn’t earn tons - or maybe he does and just gambles it - but wouldn’t have thought a casino worker would earn thousands

I assumed the x rays /cancer was her mum - she said she died 18mths ago

and tenancy prob went from nanna to mum (now dead) so can’t go a third time if I rem housing rules

so when nanna dies /care home they will be out of their home

and yes the other casino worker is a copper obv watching trying to catch out

It's weird that the recap site you've linked says the hospital letters were bills from the hospital:

Kelly (Abby Mavers) stops by Leanne’s place with a bill from the hospital. She says the postman gave it to her. Leanne thanks her and lays it down. Kelly tells her to go to bed because she looks shattered. Leanne gets up, and Kelly picks up the bill and puts it with a bunch of others.

There's no way the hospital letter is a bill, but an American viewer would very likely interpret it as being one. This is puzzling as it looks to be a UK-based site.

I assumed the hospital letters were to do with investigations into the possibility that Leanne has cancer, and that she is pushing the matter to one side on the grounds of her having quite enough stress in her life already.

This is what I thought too...that it is Leanne herself that has the cancer. The envelopes were addressed to her.

I've watched 3 episodes now and all I'm going to say is that I'm finding it more and more stressful as it goes on!

Let’s hope she doesn’t have cancer as her kids need her

she Also said about deposit for house so she thinks she will live

You binged 🙀🙀🙀🙀

I’ve watched three episodes. And need to finish it because I’m finding it stressful.

Shush 😜

I've finished all 5 episodes and I'm not saying anything except 😭💔🤧

Yup. Exactly my reactions too.

don't watch them. I switched off. It's not entertainment drugs and violence and gambling . It's just a load of misery.

Yes the hand tattoo looks awful.
She's dine the stealing money thing before too, she was a cleaner although more watchable than this!