Michelle Langan from Paper Cup Coffee has spoken to the ECHO about how her cafe/community project become a hub for production of the BBC show
Sheridan Smith was a regular at Paper Cup Coffee when she was filming The Cage in Liverpool(Image: Dave Benett/WireImage)
A Liverpool coffee shop owner said it was amazing for her café to become a hub for the cast of The Cage while filming was in the city. The BBC crime thriller, starring Sheridan Smith, takes place in the world of casinos and debuted to rave reviews on Sunday (April 26).
Liverpool is the proud home of The Cage as the five part series is set in the city and filming took place in the now disused Gentings Casino on Queen Square. The BBC show moves at a frenetic pace that required a lot of energy from the cast, so it was fortunate they had one of the city’s most loved coffee shops on hand to fuel the crew with their caffeine fix.
Michelle Langan opened Paper Cup Coffee in 2022 and told the ECHO in an exclusive interview how it was surreal to be serving some of UK TV’s biggest stars in Sheridan and Michael Socha when filming was in the city. She said: “They are both amazing.
“Sheridan is obviously a national treasure and I think Michael is really underrated. He’s done so much and he’s such a fabulous actor. It would be really bizarre to be behind the counter and then you’ve got Michael coming up doing the coffee order for [all the crew].
“It was really surreal. When you’re watching people on TV and then you see them in person, you always do feel a little bit starstruck. It’s a bit like I was watching them on telly the other week and now they’re standing in my shop.
“Never in a million years did I think when I was starting the shop up that we’d have any kind of the level of support from celebrities and bands that we had. I still can’t believe it to be honest.”
Michelle Langan outside Paper Cup Coffee(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
Sheridan has reprised her connection with Liverpool for the new drama, as the star has been hailed as an honorary Scouser since she played Cilla Black in 2014. Michelle said the 44-year-old TV star was a fan of the iced latte from Paper Cup and was just as genuine as you’d expect.
She added: “Everybody loved her. Even the caretaker on Queen Square was saying how lovely she was. She talked to everybody. She was nice to everyone and down to earth.
“One day she was in, I said we’ve got a mutual friend in common with [former Coronation Street actor] Andrew Lancel. He’s a friend of Sheridan and he’s a patron of our charity.”
Paper Cup is more than just a traditional cafe as it is also a charity that supports people experiencing homelessness in the city. The Cage is written by Tony Schumacher, whose empathetic writing connects with audiences as his well-rounded characters explore the human reason why people can find themselves in a desperate situation.
Michelle Langan with The Cage creator, Tony Schumacher, when filming came to the city
It is no surprise then that Paper Cup became a natural home for The Cage as Michelle said the cast and crew connected with the community message of the cafe’s project. She added: “The [cast and crew] would chat to our homeless customers, which was really nice too. There was no hierarchy or anything like that. Everything was dead down to earth.
“We’re so lucky because we do have people that like what we’re doing, want to help us and want to support us. You look at Tony Schumacher who talks about how he slept in his car when he was starting out.
“Everybody has got some link to someone they might know who has fallen on hard times. Or maybe they’ve had times themselves when it’s been a little bit touch and go as to whether things are going to turn. I think that touches a nerve with people as well, how anyone can fall on difficult times.”
Paper Cup is a Liverpool independent that champions local produce – and Michelle is proud that big BBC shows like this are coming to the city and putting the spotlight on her home region. She said: “We’ve got so much talent in Liverpool and we’ve got amazing buildings everywhere. I’m so pleased we’ve got really amazing stuff in Liverpool and it’s great to be giving local talent a chance. Local actors, local writers, it makes you feel proud.”
Creator Tony told Michelle how the project has clearly left its mark on the crew as many of the cast were talking about the café during the press tour ahead of the premiere last week. To show their thanks for fuelling the production, the crew sent a special thank you note to Michelle and the Paper Cup team on the last day of filming.
It said: “To Paper Cup, Thank you so much for keeping the crew going! It’s been a pleasure. Your café/charity is such a lovely idea and an inspiration to us all. We wish we could stay, I think we got into a routine. With love, The Cage.”
Casino chips used in the show were attached to the note, which now features in pride of place on the wall. Michelle was touched by the gesture as she said: “It was so lovely. On the very last day of filming , we sent them a trolley with loads of cakes for their tea break. They came into us and bought the card. The casino chips and said this was really special because the chips are from the tables they were using in the series.
“We’ve framed it. I’ve put that up yesterday. It’s up on the wall. If any customers come in, they can have a look and see if they can spot it on the wall.” All five episodes of the Cage are available to watch on iPlayer now