Suranne Jones: The Life Story Behind the Doctor Foster Star

Oldham, Greater Manchester: A Girl from Chadderton

Sarah Anne Jones was born on 27 August 1978 in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, and she grew up in Chadderton, a town on the edge of Oldham, in a household that was ordinary, loving, and working-class: her father, Chris, was an engineer, her mother, Jenny, was a secretary, and the home was full of the everyday life of a northern English family, of school, of television, of a daughter who loved to perform, and who, from a young age, knew that she wanted to act. She attended a local Catholic school, St Anne’s, and the school, which was strict, gave her a discipline that she has carried into her career, but the acting, which began in school plays, in youth theatre, and in a local drama group, gave her a freedom that the classroom never could: a stage, a character, and a chance to be someone else, and the someone else, which was often funny, often brave, and often a little dangerous, became the pattern of her career: an actress who can play anyone, because she is not bound by her own personality.

At seventeen, she changed her name, adopting the stage name Suranne, because another actress was already registered as Sarah Jones with the actors’ union Equity, and the name, which was taken from her grandmother, became the name she is known by, a name that is distinctive, memorable, and entirely her own. The name change was a practical decision, but it was also an artistic one: a name, like a character, can be chosen, and the choosing is a kind of acting, and the acting, which began with a name, continued with a career, in which she has played a barmaid, a detective, a doctor, and a landowner, all with equal conviction, because the name, which is Suranne, is not a limitation, it is a statement, and the statement is that a person can be whoever she chooses to be. She trained at the Oldham Theatre Workshop, a youth theatre that has produced many northern actors, and the training, which was practical, physical, and full of improvisation, gave her a foundation that is visible in every performance she gives: an actress who is direct, honest, and unafraid.

The Oldham she grew up in is present in everything she has made since. It is a town of mills and terraces, of working-class families and Friday nights, of a northern accent that she has never lost, and the characters she plays, from a barmaid in Coronation Street to a detective in Vigil, are drawn from that town, from the people she saw on the streets of Chadderton, from the accents she heard, and from the lives she observed. She has spoken about the influence of Oldham, about the pride she feels in her northern roots, and about the way that pride gives her performances a grounding, a truth, that an actress who is not from the north could not achieve, and the grounding, which is the mark of a great actress, is the reason she can play a character from any class, any place, and any time, and make them feel real.

Coronation Street, Karen McDonald and the Soap Star

In 2000, at twenty-one, Suranne Jones joined the cast of Coronation Street, Britain’s longest-running soap opera, as Karen McDonald, a barmaid, a wife, and a force of nature, and the role, which she played for four years, until 2004, made her a household name in Britain, with an audience of millions watching her every week. Karen, who was loud, funny, vulnerable, and fiercely loyal, was a character who could easily have been a caricature, but Jones played her with a humanity that made the audience love her, even when she was being difficult, even when she was being wrong, and the performance, which was praised by critics and by viewers, showed an actress who could carry a soap opera, who could play a character over years, and who could do it with a depth that few soap actors achieve. The role also gave her a training ground: a soap opera, which is filmed quickly, with little rehearsal, teaches an actress to learn lines fast, to play a scene in one take, and to trust her instincts, and the instincts, which were honed on Coronation Street, have carried her through every role since.

She left Coronation Street in 2004, in a storyline that saw Karen leave Weatherfield, and the departure, which was a risk, because a soap opera is a secure job, and leaving it means starting over, was a statement: an actress who wants to play different characters, in different dramas, and who is willing to leave the safety of a soap to do it. The risk paid off, because the years that followed were filled with roles in dramas, in comedies, and in theatre, and the roles, which were varied, showed an actress who was not just a soap star, but a performer, and the performing, which is the craft, is more important than the fame, which is the trap. Coronation Street is not a footnote in her career, it is the foundation, and the foundation is solid, because it was built on hard work, on a weekly audience, and on a character who is still remembered, still quoted, and still loved by fans of the show.

She has spoken about the Coronation Street years with affection, and with honesty, about the pressure of being recognised in the street, about the difficulty of being typecast, and about the joy of playing a character who was, in many ways, like the women she grew up with in Oldham: strong, funny, and unafraid to speak her mind. The role gave her a fanbase, a name, and a career, and the career, which began on a cobbled street in Manchester, has taken her to the BBC, to HBO, and to the West End, and the journey, which is still going, is a testament to an actress who started in a soap, and who never stopped growing.

Vincent, Harley Street and the Dramas

After Coronation Street, she appeared in Vincent in 2005, a drama series in which she played Beth, and in Harley Street in 2008, a medical drama, and the roles, which were varied, showed an actress who could move between genres, between a crime drama and a medical drama, without ever losing her centre. She also appeared in The Sarah Jane Adventures, in Unforgiven, and in other dramas, each one a different character, each one played with the same precision, the same intelligence, and the same humanity. The years after Coronation Street were a time of building, of proving that she was not just a soap star, but an actress, and the proving, which was done role by role, year by year, built a reputation: a reliable, versatile, and talented performer, who could be trusted with a leading role, and who would deliver, every time.

In 2011, she was cast in Scott & Bailey, a police drama created by Sally Wainwright, as Rachel Bailey, a detective constable, later detective sergeant, in Manchester, and the role, which she played for five series, until 2016, became one of her most important, and one of the most beloved in British television. Rachel Bailey, who is tough, funny, flawed, and deeply human, is a character who could easily have been a stereotype, but Jones played her with a complexity that made the audience love her, even when she was being difficult, even when she was being wrong, and the performance, which was praised by critics, showed an actress who could carry a series, who could play a character over years, and who could do it with a depth that few television actors achieve. Scott & Bailey, which was filmed in Manchester, was a homecoming of sorts, a northern drama, played by a northern actress, and the homecoming, which was fitting, gave her a role that is still remembered, still quoted, and still loved.

She also appeared in A Touch of Cloth, a comedy, in The Secret of Crickley Hall, a ghost story, and in other dramas, and the roles, which were varied, showed a television actress who could work in any genre, who could play a detective, a doctor, and a ghost hunter, all with equal conviction. The television career, which was building steadily, was about to include a role that would change everything, a role that would win her a BAFTA, and that would make her one of the most acclaimed actresses in Britain.

Doctor Foster, Gemma Foster and the BAFTA

In 2015, she was cast as Gemma Foster in Doctor Foster, a BBC drama series created by Mike Bartlett, about a GP who discovers that her husband is having an affair, and who sets out to uncover the truth, and the role, which she played for two series, in 2015 and 2017, became the defining role of her career. Gemma Foster, who is intelligent, controlled, and, when betrayed, terrifyingly determined, is a character who could easily have been a victim, but Jones played her as a woman who refuses to be a victim, who fights back, who investigates, who confronts, and who, in the end, becomes something darker, something more complex, and something more human than a simple heroine. The performance, which was praised by critics as one of the best in British television, won her the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in 2016, and the award, which is the highest honour in British television, announced her to the industry as one of its finest actresses, not just a soap star, not just a reliable performer, but a star.

The series was a global hit, watched by millions in Britain and around the world, and it gave her a new kind of fame, not as a soap star, but as a dramatic actress, and the role, which was a leading role, not a supporting one, proved that she could carry a series, that she could be the star, and that the star, which is the hardest thing an actress can do, was within her reach all along. Doctor Foster was not just a job, it was a landmark, and the landmark, which is still watched, still discussed, and still loved, is a testament to a writer, Mike Bartlett, who wrote a brilliant script, and to an actress, Suranne Jones, who brought it to life, with a performance that is still, years later, one of the most talked-about in British television.

She has spoken about the Doctor Foster years with pride, and with honesty, about the pressure of playing a character who is both sympathetic and frightening, about the difficulty of filming scenes that are emotionally intense, and about the joy of working with a cast and a crew who believed in the story. The role gave her a BAFTA, a fanbase, and a career, and the career, which began on Coronation Street, has taken her to the top of British television, and the journey, which is still going, is a testament to an actress who started in a soap, and who never stopped growing, never stopped learning, and never stopped fighting for the roles she wanted.

Gentleman Jack, Anne Lister and the Landowner

In 2019, she was cast as Anne Lister in Gentleman Jack, a BBC and HBO drama series created by Sally Wainwright, about a real person, a Yorkshire landowner in the 1830s, who was a lesbian, a diarist, and a woman who defied the conventions of her time, and the role, which she played for two series, in 2019 and 2022, became one of her most acclaimed, and one of the most beloved in British television. Anne Lister, who is bold, intelligent, and unapologetically herself, is a character who could easily have been a historical curiosity, but Jones played her with a vitality, a humour, and a humanity that made the audience love her, even when she was being difficult, even when she was being wrong, and the performance, which was praised by critics, earned her a BAFTA nomination, and showed an actress who could play a historical figure, a real person, with a depth that few actors achieve. The series was filmed in Yorkshire, in the real Shibden Hall, Anne Lister’s home, and the filming, which was done on location, gave the series an authenticity that is rare in period drama, and Jones, who is from the north, understood the place, the accent, and the people, and the understanding is visible in every scene.

Gentleman Jack was not just a job, it was a landmark, and the landmark, which is still watched, still discussed, and still loved, is a testament to a writer, Sally Wainwright, who wrote a brilliant script, and to an actress, Suranne Jones, who brought it to life, with a performance that is still, years later, one of the most talked-about in British television. The series was cancelled after two seasons, a decision that disappointed fans, who campaigned for its return, and the campaign, which was passionate, is a testament to the love that audiences felt for Anne Lister, and for Jones’s performance, which is the heart of the series. The cancellation was not the end, it was a beginning, because the series, which is now a classic, will be watched for years, and the watching, which is the point of television, is a tribute to an actress who gave a historical figure a life, a voice, and a heart.

She has spoken about the Gentleman Jack years with pride, and with honesty, about the pressure of playing a real person, about the responsibility of telling a lesbian love story in the 1830s, and about the joy of working with a cast and a crew who believed in the story. The role gave her a BAFTA nomination, a fanbase, and a career, and the career, which began on Coronation Street, has taken her to the top of British television, and the journey, which is still going, is a testament to an actress who started in a soap, and who never stopped growing.

Vigil, Save Me and the Later Career

In 2021, she was cast as DCI Amy Silva in Vigil, a BBC submarine thriller, in which she played a detective investigating a death on a nuclear submarine, and the role, which was a leading role, earned her a BAFTA nomination, and showed an actress who could carry a thriller, who could play a character under pressure, and who could do it with a depth that few television actors achieve. The series was a hit, watched by millions, and it gave her a new kind of role, a detective in a confined space, a woman who is isolated, determined, and brave, and the performance, which was praised by critics, proved that she could play a character in any genre, in any setting, and make them feel real. Vigil returned for a second series, in which Silva investigates a different case, and the return, which was welcomed by fans, confirmed that the character, and the actress, had become a fixture of British television.

She also appeared in Save Me in 2018, a Sky drama in which she played Claire, a woman searching for her missing daughter, and the performance, which was praised for its emotional intensity, showed a different side of her talent: a mother, a woman in grief, a person who will do anything to find her child. The Gallows Pole in 2023, a BBC drama about coin forgery in Yorkshire, gave her another historical role, and the performance, which was praised, showed an actress who could play a character from another century, with the same truth, the same humanity, and the same northern grounding that she brings to every role. The later career, which is still growing, is a testament to a working actress who is always in demand, because producers know that a Suranne Jones performance will be good, and that good, in television, is the most valuable thing of all.

She has also worked in theatre, appearing in productions including Top Girls, Orlando, and Frozen, in which she played a psychiatrist, and the performance, which earned her an Olivier nomination, showed an actress who could carry a stage play, who could play a character in a room, with nothing but her voice, her body, and her intelligence. The theatre work, which she returns to between television jobs, is the anchor of her career, and the anchor, which is a live art, gives her something that television cannot: an audience, in the room, breathing the same air, and an actress who can feel that audience, and respond to it, night after night.

The Voice, the Accent and the Craft

Suranne Jones’s voice is one of her most distinctive instruments, and it is a voice that can do many things: the northern accent of Karen McDonald, the controlled, precise voice of Gemma Foster, the bold, Yorkshire voice of Anne Lister, and the determined, quiet voice of Amy Silva, each one a different person, each one created with a care that is audible in every line. The voice is not a trick, it is a tool, and the tool, which was trained at the Oldham Theatre Workshop, where voice is everything, gives her a range that few actresses possess. She can play a character with her voice alone, and she can play a character with her body alone, and the combination, a voice and a body working together, is the mark of a complete actress, and the completeness is visible in every role, on stage, on screen, and on television.

Her accent is the other half of her art. She has never lost her northern accent, and the accent, which is the sound of Oldham, of Manchester, of the north of England, is a strength, not a limitation, because it gives her performances a grounding, a truth, that an actress who is not from the north could not achieve. The accent is not a costume, it is a part of her, and the part, which is audible in every role, even when she is playing a character from another place, another time, gives her work a authenticity that is rare in British television, where accents are often smoothed away, and the smoothing, which is a loss, is avoided by Jones, who keeps her voice, and her roots, in every performance.

The craft, which she has practised for more than twenty-five years, is the sum of the voice, the accent, and the intelligence, and the intelligence, which is visible in every role, is the ability to understand a character, to find the truth in them, and to play that truth, without exaggeration, without sentimentality, and without showing off. The craft is not glamorous, it is work, and the work, which is done in rehearsal rooms, on sets, and on stages, is the reason she is always in demand, because directors know that a Suranne Jones performance will be good, and that good, in acting, is the most valuable thing of all.

Where She Stands Now

As of 2026, Suranne Jones is one of the most respected actresses in Britain, with a career that spans soap opera, drama, and theatre, from a BAFTA Award for Doctor Foster to a BAFTA nomination for Gentleman Jack and for Vigil, and with a reputation for intelligence, honesty, and humanity that is unmatched among her peers. She has played a barmaid, a detective, a doctor, a landowner, and a mother, and each role, however different, was played with the same care, the same craft, and the same love. The girl from Oldham who changed her name at seventeen is now a legend, not a celebrity, but a craftswoman, and the craft is the point: a working actress, working constantly, for more than twenty-five years, and still, in every role, finding something new to say.

She continues to work in television, film and theatre, and the next chapter of her career will be watched by an audience that has grown up with her, from the viewers who watched Coronation Street to the fans who watch Vigil, and who know that a Suranne Jones performance, whatever the role, will be worth watching. The lesson of her career is not that fame is the goal, she has never sought it, but that craft, properly practised, is its own reward, and that an actress who serves the character, not herself, will always find work, and will always be loved. Suranne Jones, the actress from Oldham, is still here, still working, and still the finest leading lady in British television. She is married to Laurence Akers, a screenwriter, since 2014, and they have a son, born in 2016, and the family, which is the centre of her life, is the reason she works as hard as she does, and the working, which is the craft, is the reason she is loved.

My Take:

Suranne Jones is the actress I admire most in British television, and the reason is the honesty. She is not a star, she is a craftswoman, and the craftswoman, who can play anyone, who can disappear into a role, who can make a character feel real, is the backbone of every great drama. Watch Karen McDonald, watch Gemma Foster, watch Anne Lister, watch Amy Silva, and you see an actress who understands that acting is not about being seen, it is about serving the character, and the serving is the art. I have watched her performances for years, and I still notice new things in them, a gesture I missed, a line reading I had not appreciated, a moment of stillness that still surprises me.

Doctor Foster is the role that will define her career, and I understand why, because it is perfect. A GP who discovers her husband is having an affair, and who sets out to uncover the truth, and the performance, which was praised as one of the best in British television, won her the BAFTA for Best Actress, and the award, which is the highest honour in British television, announced her as one of its finest actresses. I love Gemma Foster because she is not a victim, she is a fighter, and the fighting, which is the point of the series, is played by Jones with a determination, a intelligence, and a humanity that make the character feel real, even when she is doing terrible things, and the realness is the reason the series is still watched, still discussed, and still loved.

Gentleman Jack is the series that I love most, because it is bold, funny, and deeply human, and Jones’s performance as Anne Lister is the heart of it. A Yorkshire landowner in the 1830s, a lesbian, a diarist, a woman who defied the conventions of her time, played by a northern actress who understood the place, the accent, and the people, and the performance, which earned her a BAFTA nomination, is a masterclass in historical acting, played with a vitality, a humour, and a humanity that make the audience love her. I watch Gentleman Jack when I want to feel inspired, and the inspiration is the point: a woman who lived as herself, in a time when that was dangerous, and an actress who played her, with love, and the love is visible in every scene.

Coronation Street is the chapter that I think explains the most about her, because it was a training ground. Four years as Karen McDonald, a barmaid, a wife, a force of nature, played in front of an audience of millions, every week, with little rehearsal, with a script that changed daily, and the training, which was done on a cobbled street in Manchester, taught her to learn lines fast, to play a scene in one take, and to trust her instincts, and the instincts, which were honed on Coronation Street, have carried her through every role since. I love the soap years because they are honest work, and honest work, properly done, is the foundation of a great career, and the foundation, in this case, is solid.

Scott & Bailey is the series that shows her range as a detective, and I admire it for its complexity. She played Rachel Bailey, a detective in Manchester, for five series, and the character, who is tough, funny, flawed, and deeply human, is a woman who could easily have been a stereotype, but Jones played her with a complexity that made the audience love her, even when she was being difficult, even when she was being wrong. I love Scott & Bailey because it is a northern drama, played by a northern actress, filmed in Manchester, and the homecoming, which was fitting, gave her a role that is still remembered, still quoted, and still loved by fans of British crime drama.

Vigil is the series that shows her later career at its best, because she played DCI Amy Silva, a detective investigating a death on a nuclear submarine, a role that required her to play a character under pressure, in a confined space, isolated, determined, and brave, and the performance, which earned her a BAFTA nomination, proved that she could carry a thriller, and that the carrying, which is the hardest thing an actress can do, was within her reach. I love Vigil because it is tense, and tense drama, played well, is the best kind, and Jones plays it, well, with a stillness that makes the audience lean in, listen, and care, all at once.

Marvellous is not her film, but the spirit of it is in her work, and I mention it because the comparison matters. She plays real people, with a respect and a humanity that make the audience love them, and the love, which is the point of acting, is visible in every role, from Anne Lister to Amy Silva to Gemma Foster. I think about the real people she has played, and about the responsibility of telling their stories, and I am grateful that she takes that responsibility seriously, because a real person’s story, told well, is a gift, and the gift, in her hands, is always given with love.

Her northern accent is the detail I love most, because it is a strength, not a limitation. She has never lost her Oldham accent, and the accent, which is the sound of the north, gives her performances a grounding, a truth, that an actress who is not from the north could not achieve. I love the accent because it is honest, and honesty in acting is rare, and the honesty is audible in every role, even when she is playing a character from another place, another time, because the voice, which is hers, carries the north with it, wherever she goes, and the carrying is the art.

The BAFTA win for Doctor Foster is the moment that made me proudest of her, because it was a recognition, long overdue, of an actress who had worked for fifteen years, in soaps, in dramas, in theatre, and who had finally been given a role that showed what she could do, and the role, which she played brilliantly, won the highest honour in British television, and the honour, which was deserved, is a reminder that talent, properly recognised, is a joy, and the joy, in this case, is shared by everyone who watched her, from Coronation Street to Doctor Foster, and who knew, all along, that she was special.

Save Me is the drama that shows her emotional range most clearly, because she played Claire, a woman searching for her missing daughter, with an intensity that is painful to watch, and beautiful to see, and the performance, which was praised for its emotional honesty, showed a different side of her talent: a mother, a woman in grief, a person who will do anything to find her child. I love Save Me because it is not a comfortable drama, it is a difficult one, and difficult drama, played well, is the most important kind, because it tells the truth about loss, about love, and about the work of surviving, and Jones, who plays it with a courage that is rare, tells that truth, beautifully.

Her theatre work is the part of her career that I think is most important, because it is the foundation. The productions of Top Girls, Orlando, and Frozen, in which she played a psychiatrist and earned an Olivier nomination, are the work of a working actress, and the working, which is done in rehearsal rooms, on stages, in front of live audiences, is the reason her television performances are so good, because the stage teaches an actress to listen, to respond, and to be present, and the presence is visible in every role, on screen and on stage. I have not seen her on stage, but I have read about the performances, and the reading is enough: a stage actress, who can fill a theatre with her presence, is an actress who can fill a screen with it too.

The name change is the detail I love most, because it shows a person who understands identity. She was born Sarah Anne Jones, and at seventeen she became Suranne, a name taken from her grandmother, because another actress was already registered as Sarah Jones, and the changing, which was a practical decision, was also an artistic one: a name, like a character, can be chosen, and the choosing is a kind of acting, and the acting, which began with a name, continued with a career, in which she has played a barmaid, a detective, a doctor, and a landowner, all with equal conviction, because the name, which is Suranne, is not a limitation, it is a statement.

If I were introducing someone to Suranne Jones, I would start with Coronation Street, then Scott & Bailey, then Doctor Foster, then Gentleman Jack, then Vigil, because that sequence shows the arc: the soap, the detective, the BAFTA, the landowner, the thriller. And I would tell them to watch her on stage, if they ever get the chance, because the stage is where the craft is most visible, and to listen to her accent, because the accent is the art. Suranne Jones is an actress, a craftswoman, and a leading lady, and the combination is rare, and the career is still going.

There is a final thing I want to say, and it is about the north. Oldham, Manchester, Yorkshire: the places she comes from, the places she plays, the places she loves, are the heart of her work, and the heart, which is northern, is the reason her performances feel so true, so grounded, so real. She did not leave the north behind when she got famous, she brought it with her, to London, to the BBC, to HBO, and the bringing is the story, and the story is still being told, one role at a time, in an accent that is unmistakably, proudly, northern.

The family is the last thing I want to mention, because it is the centre of her life. She is married to Laurence Akers, a screenwriter, since 2014, and they have a son, born in 2016, and the family, which is the reason she works as hard as she does, is also the reason her performances have a warmth, a tenderness, and a humanity that few actresses achieve. I think about the mother, the wife, and the actress, and about the balance between them, and I am grateful, because a career that is built on a family, on a home, on a love, is a career that lasts, and the lasting is the point.

And one more thought, about the future. Suranne Jones is forty-eight, she has a BAFTA, two BAFTA nominations, a career that spans soap, drama, and theatre, and she is still working, still growing, still finding new roles, and the next role, whatever it is, will be worth watching, because she has never given a bad performance, and she has never played a character she did not understand. The girl from Oldham who changed her name at seventeen is now a legend, not a celebrity, but a craftswoman, and the craft is still being practised, one role at a time.

Team Akk, the production company she founded with her husband, Laurence Akers, is the part of her career that I think is most important, because it shows an actress who is not content to wait for roles, she creates them, and the creating, which is the point, is the mark of an artist who understands that a career, properly built, is not just about acting, it is about making, and the making, which is the art, is the reason she is still, after twenty-five years, one of the most respected actresses in Britain. I love the company because it is small, and small, in an industry that rewards bigness, is brave, because it says: we will make the stories we want to tell, and the telling, which is the point, is the reason Team Akk matters, and the mattering, which is the point, is visible in every project it produces, in every role she plays, and in every story she tells, and the telling, which is the art, is still, after all these years, the reason people watch, Suranne Jones, and the work she makes.

Maryland, the ITV drama she co-created and starred in in 2023, is the project that shows what Team Akk can do, because she played Becca, a woman who discovers, after her mother’s death, that her mother had a secret life, on the Isle of Man, and the discovering, which is the point, is played by Jones with a grief, a anger, and a humanity that make the audience care, about her, about her sister, played by Eve Best, and about the story, which is a portrait of two sisters, who loved their mother, and who did not know her, and the caring, which is the point, is the reason the drama works, and the reason Jones, who co-created it, is still, after twenty-five years, one of the most respected actresses in Britain, and the most respected, in this case, is also the most creative, because a woman who can act, and who can create, is a woman who can do anything, and the doing, which is the point, is visible in every scene of Maryland, in every line she speaks, and in every look she gives the camera, as Becca, who is grieving, and who is, in the end, healing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Suranne Jones from?

Suranne Jones was born Sarah Anne Jones on 27 August 1978 in Oldham, Greater Manchester, and grew up in Chadderton. Her father was an engineer and her mother was a secretary. She trained at the Oldham Theatre Workshop and has kept her northern accent throughout her career.

Why did Suranne Jones change her name?

She was born Sarah Anne Jones, but another actress was already registered as Sarah Jones with the actors’ union Equity, so at seventeen she adopted the stage name Suranne, taken from her grandmother. It is the name she has used professionally ever since.

What was Suranne Jones’s role in Coronation Street?

She played Karen McDonald, a barmaid and force of nature, in Coronation Street from 2000 to 2004. The role made her a household name in Britain and gave her a training ground in fast, instinctive acting that she has carried into every role since.

What is Doctor Foster?

Doctor Foster is a BBC drama series (2015 and 2017) in which Suranne Jones plays Gemma Foster, a GP who discovers her husband is having an affair and sets out to uncover the truth. The performance won her the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in 2016.

Who did Suranne Jones play in Gentleman Jack?

She played Anne Lister, a real Yorkshire landowner in the 1830s who was a lesbian diarist, in the BBC and HBO series Gentleman Jack (2019 and 2022), created by Sally Wainwright. The performance earned her a BAFTA nomination, and the series was filmed at Lister’s real home, Shibden Hall.

What is Vigil starring Suranne Jones?

Vigil is a BBC submarine thriller from 2021 in which she plays DCI Amy Silva, a detective investigating a death on a nuclear submarine. The performance earned her a BAFTA nomination, and the series returned for a second season.

What was Suranne Jones in before Doctor Foster?

Before Doctor Foster she starred in Scott & Bailey (2011-2016) as Detective Rachel Bailey, a Manchester police drama also created by Sally Wainwright, and appeared in dramas including Vincent, Harley Street, Unforgiven and A Touch of Cloth.