‘The Cage’: Writer reveals he wrote the drama to understand his late brother’s addiction

‘The Cage’ is a high-energy crime story, centered around addiction, not alcoholism, but gambling. Its writer, Tony Schumacher, who is renowned for his craft and has a Bafta nomination to his name, recently shared what inspired him to write ‘The Cage.’ Tony said that he always wanted to write about addiction, and added that it was in a way a step to figuring out his late brother’s struggles.

Tony Schumacher reveals the idea behind ‘The Cage’

While speaking to BBC North West Tonight, Tony confessed that the idea of doing a drama on gambling was "always kicking around".

He continued, "My brother, who's sadly passed away now, he was an alcoholic, and I was always trying to figure him out, trying to get into his head and understand why he was the way he was." Tony mentioned that he always wanted to write something about addiction, “but not especially alcoholism,” as it was too close to home. He confessed to being terrified of having an addictive personality but added, “I'm addicted to work, which might be a good thing, but I'm not sure it is."

Further, speaking about gambling, he highlighted that it is such a major issue. “It's massive, and it's just a great place to start," Tony quoted.

‘The Cage’: How the city embraced the show and its characters

‘The Cage’ stars Sheridan Smith and Michael Socha in the lead. Speaking to BBC One, Tony expressed his contentment with the way the city embraced Smith in the series. The writer added that the staff at Paper Cup Coffee cafe on Queen Square fell in love with Smith.

Talking on the same lines, Smith told BBC Radio 2 that she felt like an "adopted Scouser." She added, "I just love the city. I love the people; they are so friendly."

‘The Cage’ premieres on 26 April from 06:00 BST on BBC iPlayer and 21:00 on BBC One.