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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Entertainment
Jessica Sansome

What The Syndicate on BBC One is about and where you have seen the cast before

If you're looking for a new show to fill your Tuesday evenings, you need look no further.

The Syndicate is returning to BBC One for its fourth series tonight (March 30) featuring an all-new cast.

The Kay Mellor drama last aired five years ago while the first series aired back in 2012.

The brand new fourth series will see the new group of characters who work at a local kennel called Woodvale Kennels in Yorkshire.

But the owners of the kennels soon announce they're planning to sell off the company to a big chain causing panic among the hard-up staff

However, the workers, who pool together to play the lottery each week, discover they have won the lottery with local newsagent Frank giving them the news worth around £27million.

But when the jackpot is claimed by someone else, they realise their winning ticket has been stolen.

The official BBC synopsis reads: "When the owners of Woodvale Kennels announce they are selling the business to a large corporate chain, the staff are devastated to realise they may well be out of a job.

"This is disastrous news for Keeley, Jake, Roxy, Gemma and Colette who all depend on their pay to get them from one month to the next.

The Syndicate's Roxy (TAJ ATWAL), Jake (KIERAN URQUHART), Gemma (LIBERTY HOBBS), Colette (EMILY HEAD), Keeley (KATHERINE ROSE MORLEY) (BBC/Rollem Productions)

"As the staff’s future is thrown into question, the weekly lottery looks like the only lifeline to gambling addict Keeley.

"So when she checks the ticket with local newsagent Frank and the machine goes off she is ecstatic!

"But is everything as it seems and will our syndicate get what’s rightfully theirs?

"Set between Yorkshire and Monaco, we see our kennel workers spend every last penny they own to see justice done."

And the cast is full of familiar faces so let's take a look at who's who and where you have seen them before

Neil Morrissey has joined the cast as Frank Stevenson while Gaynor Faye plays Cheryl Armitage, Frank’s fiancée.

Cheryl owns the newsagent where Frank works and where the syndicate have bought their lottery tickets for the past three years.

Gaynor Faye and Neil Morrisey as Cheryl and Frank (BBC/Rollem Productions)

As for the actors themselves Neil will be known for his roles in Men Behaving Badly, Waterloo Road, Unforgotten and Line of Duty to name but a few.

Fans will recognise Gaynor from a whole host of roles including most recently in Emmerdale where she played Megan Macey from 2012 to 2019.

Before that, the 49-year-old Leeds actress, who is the daughter of The Syndicate's creator Kay, also appeared in Playing the Field, Fat Friends, and starred in the stage adaptation of Calendar Girls.

Coronation Street star Katie McGlynn takes on the role of Georgina Clarke in her first major role since leaving the ITV soap.

Kate McGlynn in her first major TV role since leaving Corrie (BBC/Rollem Productions)

The 27-year-old Rochdale actress played Sinead Tinker from 2013 until 2020 when the character tragically died from cervical cancer which she discovered while pregnant with her first child with Daniel Osbourne.

And Katie's former Corrie co-star Kym Marsh also make an appearance as Donna Sanderson, also in her first acting role away from the cobbles after playing Michelle Connor for 13 years.

Former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Joe Sugg also makes his acting debut in The Syndicate.

The YouTuber, who plays Roxy's 'flaky boyfriend' Sam, landed his first TV role after starring in the West End musical Waitress which came after he made it to the Strictly final in 2018 with now girlfriend Dianne Buswell.

Joe Sugg (Bristol Post)

Also among the cast is Line of Duty's Taj Atwal as Roxy Varma, The Inbetweeners star Emily Head as Colette, and Mark Benton, known for a plethora of roles including in Waterloo Road and Northern Lights, plays Graham Woods.

Grey's Anatomy and Criminal Minds actress, Liberty Hobbs also stars as Gemma Hepworth, Vera actor Kieran Urquhart plays Jake Thackerty and Katherine Rose Morley, who has also appeared in Vera as well as The Mill, Last Tango in Halifax and Call the Midwife, takes on the role of Keeley Sanderson.

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