Neil Morrissey cast in Kay Mellor's new Yorkshire and Monaco-set The Syndicate

Along with Neil Morrissey, star of Line Of Duty, Unforgotten, Good Karma Hospital, the series will feature Emily Head (The Inbetweeners, Emmerdale), Taj Atwal (Line Of Duty, In The Club), Katherine Rose Morley (Thirteen, Last Tango In Halifax), Kieran Urquhart (The North Water, Vera) and introduces Liberty Hobbs (Grey’s Anatomy) in her UK debut.

Further cast includes: British YouTuber Joe Sugg (Waitress, Shaun The Sheep: Farmageddon) in his TV acting debut, Mark Benton (Shakespeare & Hathaway, The Halcyon), Gaynor Faye (Calendar Girls, Emmerdale), Katie McGlynn (Coronation Street, Waterloo Road), James Cartwright (Downton Abbey The Movie, The Archers), Kym Marsh (Your Money And Your Life, Coronation Street), Andrew Dunn (Dinnerladies, Coronation Street) and Lorraine Bruce (The Syndicate, White Gold).

Mellor said: “Lockdown has been a roller-coaster of emotions for all of us. I was devastated not to be able to begin shooting the new Syndicate.

"All the scripts were written and we were four days away from principal photography but now we’re ready for the stage and I couldn’t be more excited. We’ve got a loyal, star-studded cast and a talented crew, who have waited patiently in the wings.

"The BBC - Piers Wenger and Gaynor Holmes especially - have been utterly brilliant, supporting us all the way.

"This series is a brand-new story about a syndicate of low paid kennel workers who think they’ve won the lottery but have been robbed of their ticket.

"The chase to confront the culprit takes us to the wealthy French Riviera where the young syndicate find themselves well out of their depth.”

The series, set between Yorkshire and Monaco, is being made by Mellor's Rollem Productions for the BBC and BritBox.

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 (Katherine Rose Morley), Jake (Kieran Urquhart), Roxy (Taj Atwal), Gemma (Liberty Hobbs) and Colette (Emily Head) who all depend on their pay to get them from one month to the next.

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

In true Mellor style the "cat-and-mouse" thriller is peppered with the comedy, pathos and drama.

Gaynor Holmes, executive producer for the BBC, said: “We are so thrilled to have The Syndicate return to BBC One for a fourth series. Kay has written yet another brilliantly entertaining story and we can’t wait to see the fabulous cast bring it to life.”

Following the UK premiere, the series will be released as a BritBox Original Co-Production in the US and Canada.

Soumya Sriraman, president and CEO for BritBox, said: “I know I can’t wait to see this new season of The Syndicate brought to life by this phenomenal cast led by Neil Morrissey and full of familiar faces like Mark Benton, and I’m betting our community will love it."