BBC AXES SHERIDAN SMITH DRAMA THE CAGE AFTER ONE SERIES

The BBC has confirmed that The Cage, the crime thriller starring Sheridan Smith, will not return for a second series. The five-part drama aired in April and followed casino workers Leanne, played by Smith, and Matty, played by Michael Socha, as they embezzled profits from their employer while unaware that casino managers were running their own criminal scheme. The series was created by Tony Schumacher, who also wrote The Responder. A BBC spokesperson said the broadcaster "loved bringing Leanne and Matty's story to BBC viewers" and thanked Schumacher, Element Pictures and the cast and crew for what it called "this powerful and poignant series." One report put the programme's audience at around three million viewers.

The programme received a three-star review, with critic Nick Hilton writing that the drama was "sweet and simple, not bad but not terribly good either." One account described Smith's performance as "superb." According to one report, the decision not to commission a second series was unrelated to budget cuts at the BBC. The broadcaster said it will continue working with Element Pictures on two other dramas: You Are Here, starring Claire Foy and Matthew Macfadyen, and a second series of Nightsleeper.

The Cage is one of several BBC titles cancelled in recent months. In July, the BBC axed Blankety Blank, Celebrity Mastermind and Live at the Apollo, citing what it called funding challenges. Earlier this year, the BBC said it hoped to save £500 million over three years by cutting between 1,800 and 2,000 jobs. The corporation has also announced the end of winter sports programme Ski Sunday after 50 years on air, and the cancellation of RuPaul's Drag Race UK after 11 series.