Suranne Jones has spoken about the impact her latest on-screen role is having.
The 42-year-old plays Anne Lister, the UK’s first ‘modern lesbian’ in BBC’s Gentleman Jack, and according to her, the role has "changed people’s lives." The LGBT+ period drama returned earlier this month for its much-anticipated second season.
The first season, which used Liverpool to transport viewers back to the 19th century with stunning costumes and carriages, ended with Anne marrying Ann Walker, who is played by Sophie Rundle. Season two picks up a month later when the newlyweds prepare to travel abroad for their honeymoon before settling into Shibden Hall together.
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Suranne leads the cast as landowner Anne Lister, who is known to locals as Gentleman Jack because of her commitment to challenging the status quo. The English diarist rarely took part in activities that, in society’s eyes, were for women and dressed ‘masculine.’
Speaking about the impact of her playing Anne in such a high-profile drama, Suranne, a former Coronation Street actress, said: "The fact that it’s changed people’s lives is extraordinary. This is something that can start a conversation with people that perhaps they wouldn’t have had tools to do before.
"So it’s an amazing thing to be part of. I think when we first talked about what Sally’s Gentleman Jack was going to be, it was almost like a steampunk period drama. There’s no other period drama like this."
Gentleman Jack is based on Anne's diaries which later revealed one of the best kept secrets of her time, that she was a lesbian. From the age of 15, Anne began writing personal diary entries, a tradition she carried on till her untimely death from a prolonged fever contracted from a nasty insect bite. The detailed stories, which are said to have totalled more than four million words, are what inspired the BBC to take Anne's story to the screen.
