‘Gentleman Jack’ first look: ‘Last Tango in Halifax’ writer’s new BBC period drama

The BBC has unveiled the first look at Gentleman Jack.

The new period drama is created, written and directed by Sally Wainwright, creator of Last Tango In Halifax, To Walk Invisible and Happy Valley.

Gentleman Jack began filming in and around West Yorkshire and in Copenhagen, Denmark in May.

The eight-part series is based on the diaries of remarkable Regency landowner Anne Lister (Doctor Foster star Suranne Jones), who – after years of exotic travel and social climbing – returns to Halifax, West Yorkshire in 1832, determined to transform the fate of her faded ancestral home, Shibden Hall.

Sophie Rundle (Bodyguard, Peaky Blinders) plays Ann Walker, the wealthy heiress who Anne Lister soon sets her sights on marrying.

Gemma Whelan (Game of Thrones) will play Anne Lister’s sister Marian, alongside Timothy West (Last Tango In Halifax) as their father Jeremy Lister, and Gemma Jones (Bridget Jones’s Diary) as Aunt Anne Lister.

The cast also includes Stephanie Cole (Still Open All Hours), Peter Davison (Doctor Who), Amelia Bullmore (Scott & Bailey), Vincent Franklin (Happy Valley), Shaun Dooley (Broadchurch), Joe Armstrong (Happy Valley).

Writer Sally Wainwright commented earlier this year: “I’m delighted that the story of Anne Lister has attracted such a talented, stand-out cast.”

The official synopsis reads: “Gentleman Jack is a remarkable and unlikely love story, set in the complex, changing world of Halifax – the cradle of the industrial revolution. The drama will explore Anne Lister’s relationships at home with her family, her servants, her tenants and her industrial rivals, who will use any dirty tricks they can to bring her down. At its heart is Anne’s relationship with her would-be wife, Ann Walker.”

The book The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister is available to buy on Amazon.

Gentleman Jack will air in the UK this autumn on BBC One and in the US at a later date on HBO.