Sheridan Smith has quit ‘Adult Material’.
The ‘Mrs Biggs’ actress was expected to portray British porn star Jolene Dollar in the Channel 4 drama, but the 37-year-old star – who is to appear in West End show ‘Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’, and BBC drama ‘The Barking Murders’ – has had to pull out of the role.
A Channel 4 spokeswoman told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre TV column: "Sheridan is not involved due to conflicting commitments."
Hayley Squires will take on the role instead, and she will appear in the series alongside Joe Dempsie, Siena Kelly, Kerry Godliman, Rupert Everett, Julian Ovenden, and Phil Daniels.
The ‘I, Daniel Blake’ star said: "I am so excited and incredibly grateful to be playing Jolene Dollar, she is like the wildest dream. Lucy has written the most complex, multi-faceted and morally challenging story.
"Throughout each episode you are constantly forced to question your own judgement and beliefs and that makes for the very best drama. I’m very lucky to be part of a female-led crew and an incredibly talented cast."
‘Adult Material’, created by screenwriter Lucy Kirkwood, is set in modern Britain and will delve inside the porn industry from the perspective of a woman who has been working in it her entire adult life, and has seen it grow from an illegitimate backroom enterprise to a mainstream and highly-profitable business.
Last year, Sheridan admitted she was planning to head to Amsterdam’s Red Light District to research the role.
She said: "I went to Amsterdam once. I want to go back for research."