Period drama Gentleman Jack started on BBC One last night (May 19) and viewers couldn’t get enough of Suranne Jones.
The Doctor Foster and former Coronation Street actress, 40, stars as a wealthy landowner with a penchant for travelling who returns to her family home in West Yorkshire.
Her character, Anne Lister, is based on the real-life figure most famous for keeping an extensive diary, sometimes written in code, that detailed her romantic and sexual relationships with other women.
Read more: Ex Corrie star Suranne Jones denies BBC drama lesbian scenes are ‘gratuitous’
Viewers flocked to Twitter after the opening episode aired to hail Suranne as an “amazing” and “brilliant” actress.
One said: “Can already see #GentlemanJack is going to be brilliant. Suranne Jones is as amazing as always. Who could possibly resist Anne’s charms?!”
Another tweeted: “If episode one is anything to go by then the BBC have got another hit on their hands. I’m hooked already. Suranne Jones is amazing #GentlemanJack.”
A third wrote: “#GentlemanJack flippin’ ‘eck! Suranne Jones was absolutely brilliant! I think I was getting a girl crush and I’m a straight 60 year old! Phew, its getting hot in here lol.”
Someone else commented: “#GentlemanJack Suranne Jones was brilliant as Anne Lister. She must be as fit as a butcher’s dog with all that power walking everywhere. Looking forward to rest of the series. Great start.”
A fifth said: “Loved the pace, the music and Suranne Jones is brilliant as #GentlemanJack another success for Sally Wainwright.”
Can already see #GentlemanJack is going to be brilliant. Suranne Jones is as amazing as always. Who could possibly resist Anne's charms?! 👏
— Louisa Block (@LouisaBlock) May 19, 2019
If episode one is anything to go by then the bbc have got another hit on their hands. I'm hooked already. Suranne Jones is amazing #GentlemanJack 🎩❤🌈
— Leanne Dixon (@LeanneDixon_) May 19, 2019
#gentlemanjack flippin' 'eck! Suranne Jones was absolutely brilliant! I think I was getting a girl crush and I'm a straight 60 year old! Phew, its getting hot in here lol.
— Serendipity Sarah (@Sarahndipity59) May 20, 2019
#GentlemanJack Suranne Jones was brilliant as Anne Lister. She must be as fit as a butcher's dog with all that power walking everywhere. Looking forward to rest of the series. Great start.
— Pete Raiders (@peteraiders) May 19, 2019
Loved the pace, the music & Suranne Jones is brilliant as #GentlemanJack another success for Sally Wainwright.
— Debbie Myers (@chubbifingers) May 19, 2019
In the series opener, set in 1832, Anne returned to the family estate at Shibden Hall in Halifax, home to her father (Timothy West), aunt (Gemma Jones) and sister (Gemma Whelan).
She’d been living in Hastings with her lover, Vere Hobart (Jodhi May), but it quickly became apparent that something had gone awry – and she was back to figure out what she wanted to do with her life.
We learned, through flashbacks later in the episode, that Vere had left Anne for a man and moved abroad.
Anne set about distracting herself from her heartache by working to set her estate’s finances in order, collecting the rent due from its tenants and arranging for the rich coal deposits buried under her land to be exploited.
Read more: Former Coronation Street co-stars Suranne Jones and Jennie McAlpine reunite for Instagram snap
She caught wind of a wealthy young woman, Ann Walker (Sophie Rundle), living with some older relatives nearby. And when the pair eventually met, Anne was struck by her beauty and felt certain the attraction was reciprocal.
Did you enjoy the first episode of Gentleman Jack? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know.