Anton Bibby spoke to the ECHO in an exclusive interview about landing the role on The Cage, working with Sheridan Smith and representing his home city in his first major TV role
Anton Bibby spoke to the ECHO in an exclusive interview about The Cage(Image: 2026 THE CAGE © Element Pictures/BBC/Photographer James Stack)
Anton Bibby is still taking it all in after his breakout role on The Cage. The 23-year-old stars as Thomas in the new BBC crime thriller, which premiered last Sunday to rave reviews.
Landing the role is the culmination of an 18-year journey for the rising star as the Scouser first fell in love with acting aged five, when his dad saw an advert for acting classes in the newspaper. He told the ECHO in an exclusive interview: “When I was [a kid], I was like a pinball pinging off the walls. I was far too energetic. I think I was a pain in the backside. I was already playing footy, but my dad saw a Saturday drama class in the paper.
“I liked [wearing] fancy dress all the time. I was dressing up as all sorts. I even dressed up as a copper when we went to Sainsbury’s’.” Anton laughed: “My dad was like, ‘Get that off you!'”
But taking to the stage at the acting classes changed Anton’s life forever, as he added: “I was only five, and I just fell in love with acting. I remember being six and I was doing a bit of a Gavroche number from Les Mis, just on a school stage in Childwall. I went on and I did my first little bit.
“I remember the feeling and the rush of just like ‘Ah, this is where I want to be’. I’d felt nothing like it. And I think I’ve been chasing that feeling ever since to be honest.”
Anton, who hails from Wavertree, was firmly bitten by the acting bug and knew this was what he wanted to dedicate his life to. He credits his dad as his biggest supporter, but admitted there was natural scepticism about devoting his efforts to a notoriously difficult industry, when access to people from working class backgrounds has never been so high.
He added: “My dad used to always tell me, ‘Look, I’ll support you, but it’s a daft industry to go into you know mate’.”
Against all odds, Anton was undeterred and was determined to follow his dreams, as he managed to land a role at the prestigious Royal Central School of Speech and Drama [Central] in London. However, this didn’t come easy, as Anton worried he wouldn’t be able be able to follow the pathway he thought was set out for him. He said: “I went to Hugh Baird to get a BTEC to get the required UCAS points to get into [Central].
“I got pulled off the reserve list for Central a week before they started the three-year acting course, but I didn’t get in anywhere else.”
Anton was working behind the bar in Fletcher’s Bar in Allerton, wondering what he was going to do, before the call landed that he’d got his spot after a position come up at the last minute and changed everything.
Fate had intervened and Anton resolved he wouldn’t let the opportunity of a lifetime pass as he uprooted to London to devote himself to his craft. Years of sacrifice paid off when he auditioned for the role in The Cage and his understanding of the city, and the character of Thomas, ensured he landed the part in Tony Schumacher’s now celebrated BBC thriller.
Anton said being part of The Cage validated everything that had come before, as he added: “It’s unbelievably rewarding to know I haven’t done it all for nothing, you know what I mean? I wasn’t crazy and there was something in it.”
True to Anton’s story, getting the part was a whirlwind as three weeks after he accepted the role he was already on the set of a big budget production in his home city. He said: “The job I did before The Cage was doing pantomimes around schools in York, carrying the equipment and setting it up, so it’s quite a turn on a two-pence piece, really. I was just pure elated.”
Anton’s life had changed in an instant as he was then sharing the screen with one of the biggest stars in UK television, as he plays Sheridan Smith’s onscreen son in the show. The rising star was full of praise for the Cilla actress as she was true to her reputation as an honorary Scouser.
He added: “[Before filming] I’d rather not just meet her first time and pretend that I’ve been her son for 17 years. So I asked, ‘Can I have a coffee with her?’ Just being a bit cheeky. Literally half an hour later, I get a WhatsApp from Sheridan saying, ‘Hi babe, are you free tomorrow? We’ll catch up for a coffee.’
“Straight away, that was my first interaction and she was just so lovely. We both just felt dead normal together. And then from that point on, it wasn’t as overwhelming or as intense from that point.”
Anton Bibby plays Sheridan Smith’s onscreen son in The Cage(Image: 2026 THE CAGE © Element Pictures/BBC/Photographer James Stack)
He added: “She’s cut from the same cloth as us, if you like. She’s just down to earth, grounded as anything, dead normal.”
Anton is as authentically Scouse as they come and said it is an honour to represent his home city in his first major TV show. He added: “Liverpool has shaped me in a way that I’ve got a very strong moral compass. I know right from wrong. I’ve got the humour. It’s how to treat people and that flexibility with people.
“Scousers are very present when you’re with them because we’re interested in people. It’s hard to put into words, but Liverpool is always in my mind, my thoughts, the music, the culture, the history, my family, the footy. It’s just home.”
Representing his home city in such cinematic style with The Cage has meant so much to Anton as he said: “[The role] was a dream come true. I was just in a bit of shock [after getting the part], and, to be honest, it didn’t really sink in for a little while.
“It’s still kind of sinking in now. But then it was just straight to, ‘How can I do my best job with this?’ And that was the most important thing for me, to help tell this story, this beautiful story, as best as I could.”
The rising star has never been one to rest on his laurels as he’s building on the success with upcoming performances at the Edinburgh Festival before representing his home city once again in a BFI Short Film.
But, more importantly, he wants to savour the success of his breakout role as he comes to terms with what has happened that has rewarded a lifetime of devotion to his craft.
He added: “Five-star reviews is probably not going to be something that I can get used to throughout my career. So I’m definitely just trying to lap it up and enjoy it. But a lot of it’s not fully sinking in, to be honest. I can’t quite get my head around it. I’m really happy for everyone who’s put countless hours into it.”
The Cage episode two is broadcast on BBC One at 9pm tonight. All five episodes are now available to stream on iPlayer