Sheridan Smith has been cast as a cleaner with a gambling addiction who sees a way out of her trouble via illegal insider trading
Bafta winner Sheridan Smith will play a cleaner with an online gambling addiction who gets access to illegal trading information in new ITV drama Clean Break.
The six-part series will focus on the culture clash of cleaners on zero hours contracts and the big money world of Canary Wharf and the stock market.
Cilla star Sheridan, according to ITV, will play 'sassy office cleaner Sam ...one of an invisible army of cleaners on a zero hours contract who mop, sweep and vacuum in the early hours. Struggling with an on-line gambling addiction, Sam realises she has access to lucrative stock market information which if used correctly could be the answer to all her prayers.'
In the background, she is also fighting a husband who is threatening to take custody of their two daughters, Alice, 14, and Lily, eight, Sam is being backed into a corner and needs to come out fighting.
Can Sam get back into the black via inside trading and avoid prison?
Clean Break has been created and written by newcomer Mark Marlow and will be directed Lewis Arnold (Humans, Broadchurch, Misfits, Banana) when it's filmed in London in the autumn.
Executive producer Jane Featherstone said: “It’s such a pleasure to be making a show for ITV about contemporary Britain with a strong and complicated female lead character. It’s also enormously gratifying that this comes from an exceptional brand new voice, Mark, and a brilliant up and coming director, Lewis Arnold. Expect it to be moving, funny and surprising.”
