A forthcoming storyline on Channel 4’s hit comedy Shameless is to mirror a real life robbery in which the thieves tunneled underneath a cash machine to steal from it.

In the episode, Frank Gallagher (David Threlfall) will help Jamie Maguire (Aaron McCusker) mastermind a plot to dig a tunnel that will lead them to millions of scratchcards which they intend to nick.

However, unlike the real life thieves, Frank and Jamie’s attempt to steal the cards will be foiled when the tunnel collapses on them…

The PA reports, “Production staff on the series spent months planning the storyline, and building the set. They created an underground set with caverns, ventilation tunnels, access shafts, sewers and vertical shafts which were more than 30ft high.”

Of the plotline, and the uncanny similarities between the real-life robbery, the show’s producer, Jean Holdsworth, said, “We’ve spent months working and filming our tunnel heist, which we thought was a top secret storyline.

“It’s a major cliff-hanger for the end of the current series of Shameless and we couldn’t believe it when we saw the news at the weekend.

“Shameless has a knack for staying topical, often filming storylines months ahead of real-life events mirroring our drama.

“We recently had our very own take on David Cameron’s Shameless Squads with our Eviction Task Force, which again was filmed over six months ago – and now this.”

Perhaps there’s a psychic on the writing team! If so, fingers crossed they don’t write an Armageddon storyline any time soon…