# Gentleman Jack (2019)

> A determined 1830s Yorkshire landowner sets out to restore her ancestral estate and win the heart of a wealthy neighbor, defying the conventions of her era.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/73172

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 16
- Episode runtime: 62 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: drama, history
- Created by: Sally Wainwright
- Network: BBC One
- Cast: Suranne Jones, Sophie Rundle, Gemma Whelan, Gemma Jones, Timothy West, Rosie Cavaliero, Joe Armstrong, Amelia Bullmore
- TMDB rating: 8.2/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7211618/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: mild
- Tone: witty, biting, assertive, dramatic, warm

## What critics say

Viewers broadly acclaim Suranne Jones's lead performance and Sally Wainwright's writing for a bold, witty portrait of Anne Lister, though the audience rating dipped in the second season.

## Synopsis

Gentleman Jack (2019-2022) is a British period drama created by Sally Wainwright for BBC One. Suranne Jones plays Anne Lister, a sharp-witted landowner in 1830s Halifax, West Yorkshire, who sets out to revive her inherited estate, Shibden Hall, and to secure her family's future by taking a wife. Her engine is ambition wrapped in defiance: she wants to restore the house and her standing while pursuing Ann Walker (Sophie Rundle), a wealthy neighbor, openly and on her own terms in a society that has no place for such a relationship. Opposing her are the expectations of relatives and local gentry, including her sister Marian Lister (Gemma Whelan) and uncle Jeremy Lister (Timothy West), along with money worries and the constant pressure of propriety. Each episode builds from estate business, courtship maneuvers, and social calls that turn into quiet battles of wit. The show runs for two seasons across sixteen hour-long episodes and is a single continuing story rather than a case-of-the-week format. Its tone is dry, witty and assertive, with a warm and biting sense of humor sitting alongside real emotional stakes. Shot in the Calderdale countryside, it captures the texture of northern English gentry life. Fans of Poldark, The Crown and Bright Star will find resonance in its costume detail, sharp dialogue and portrait of a determined woman.

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- [The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1996)](https://ember.film/tv/36169)
- [Little Women (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/63081)
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- [Jane Eyre (2006)](https://ember.film/tv/12909)

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