Sheridan Smith’s critically lauded BBC crime drama The Cage has been dropped after just one series.
The decision to axe the drama comes despite it attracting more than three million viewers and achieving a perfect 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes from critics.
The five-part thriller debuted in April this year to rave reviews, with Ms Smith, in particular, garnering praise for her performance.
The cancellation arrives amid widespread cost-cutting measures at the BBC, with the corporation seeking to trim approximately half a billion pounds from its budget.
Sheridan Smith in the BBC’s The Cage
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BBC
Bafta winner Ms Smith starred alongside Michael Socha as Matty, with Barry Sloane, Geraldine James, and Ian Puleston-Davies among a strong supporting ensemble.
The series was penned by Tony Schumacher, the writer behind the Martin Freeman hit The Responder, and produced by Element Pictures.
A BBC spokesperson said: “We loved bringing Leanne and Matty’s story to BBC viewers and send our heartfelt thanks to Tony Schumacher, Element Pictures and all the cast and crew who worked on this powerful and poignant series.”
Meanwhile, a source told The Sun that “the BBC has to make way for new and returning dramas and not everything can become a long-runner.”
Sheridan Smith won’t be returning to The Cage
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BBC
The drama centred on Leanne and Matty, two casino workers in Liverpool who realise they are both pilfering from the same safe.
The discovery plunges them into an action-packed face-off with local gangsters and the police.
After news of The Cage’s axe emerged, fans flocked to social media to express their thoughts on the decision.
“Damnit I thought this was really good,” one disappointed fan wrote on X, while a second put: “Enjoyed the series, but unsure what series 2 would have brought.”
The Cage has been axed by the BBC
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BBC
“It felt like a closed ending. Right decision,” a third weighed in, and a fourth added: “It felt a very one and done show.”
Elsewhere, a fifth typed: “I thought The Cage was brilliant. Michael Socha was so believable. Excellent acting from all. However probably no where for a 2nd series to go.”
And a sixth commented: “This is misleading as while it was a banger it in no way needed nor suggested a second series.” (sic)
The axing of The Cage is the latest in a line of cancellations as the Beeb grapples with significant financial pressures.
Michael Socha also starred in the BBC drama
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BBC
Other casualties include RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, Celebrity Mastermind, Live At The Apollo, and Blankety Blank.
The BBC has insisted that fresh content from both Mr Schumacher and Element Pictures is in the pipeline, however, including a third series of Jimmy McGovern’s Bafta-winning prison drama Time.
A second series of Nightsleeper and the new David Nicholls drama You Are Here are also on their way.
Sadly for Ms Smith, the pattern of one series and done has become a familiar one in her career.
The BBC is currently cutting costs across the organisation
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PAHer previous dramas The 7:39, Cleaning Up, and The Castaways each lasted just a single series, whilst entertainment shows such as Pooch Perfect and Starstruck also failed to receive green lights for second runs.
Despite the run of axed projects, the Bafta-winning actress also boasts a CV with several successful projects such as Cilla, Mrs Biggs, and Gavin and Stacey.