What can a 19th-century landowner teach modern British women about their sexuality? Rather a lot, it turns out – especially if that landowner is Anne Lister. The “first modern lesbian”, as she is considered by some, has been an inspirational figure ever since her diaries, detailing affairs with women, were decoded and published in the 1980s. But, thanks to Sally Wainwright’s rollicking period drama Gentleman Jack – in which Lister is played by the inimitable Suranne Jones – word of the Yorkshirewoman’s radical ways has spread like wildfire, upending many women’s lives in the process.
As the show’s second series concludes, a new documentary, Gentleman Jack Changed My Life, is taking a closer look at the show’s most devoted fans. For some, Jones’s depiction of Lister as a remarkably assertive woman has given them the confidence to come out to friends and family members; for others, the show has helped them make sense of their sexuality after years – or decades – of confusion.
