Halifax, 1832. Rejected by aristocratic Vere Hobart, Anne Lister returns to her shabby ancestral home, Shibden Hall, determined to restore its fortunes and find herself a wife.
Anne begins a playful but dangerous courtship of shy local heiress Miss Walker, who quickly finds herself captivated by the attention of her charismatic and unusual neighbour.
Anne Lister and Ann Walker are growing closer, but are they playing with fire? Meanwhile, the Rawson brothers step up their attempts to outmanoeuvre Anne in the coal business.
Anne and Ann are consumed by the excitement of their affair, until bad news prompts Ann Walker to reveal a crippling and compromising secret.
The arrival of a sinister figure from Ann Walker’s past prompts bitter Mrs Priestley to stir up trouble, jeopardising Ann’s future with Anne Lister.
As Ann Walker’s mental health spirals out of control, her Scottish in-laws step in and Anne Lister faces a heart-breaking decision.
Anne finally confronts Christopher Rawson and, as she heads off to Europe, puts in place a bold but risky coal plan.
Difficult news from Shibden threatens to call Anne back from her aristocratic lifestyle in Denmark, while Ann Walker finally finds the courage to take control of her future.
Gentleman Jack creator Sally Wainwright and stars Suranne Jones and Sophie Rundle discuss Anne Lister and Ann Walker's marriage, and the pressures they face from all around them.
Anne Lister’s revelation that her new wife Ann Walker is moving in with her in Shibden shocks Ann’s relatives and leaves Anne's former lover Mariana devastated.
In France, Ann Walker is shocked by details about Anne Lister’s complicated relationship with Mariana Lawton. Back in Halifax, Ann’s family are hatching a plot to marry her off.
Anne Lister throws herself into public life in Halifax but privately struggles to resist Mariana Lawton’s magnetic pull.
Anne Lister is drawn back into her complicated past with Mariana during a trip to Lawton Hall. Back at Shibden with her in-laws, Ann Walker receives a visitor.
Halifax is smashed to pieces by a mob hungry for political change. It’s a dangerous time to be a Tory – and a lesbian – but Anne Lister refuses to keep a low profile.
In the face of a campaign to destroy their relationship, serious cracks are appearing in Anne Lister and Ann Walker’s marriage.
Anne's plans for her Halifax empire grow grander by the day, and she ignores Parker's warnings against the spiralling financial risk. She and Ann press on with the proposal for a division of the Walker land, meeting Captain Sutherland's every obstruction head-on. But Ann's litigious determination to secure her share of the family estate sends shockwaves through her tribe of relations.
Anne refuses to introduce Ann to her society friends during a trip to London, and simmering resentments on both sides of the relationship boil over. Back in Halifax, Anne is privately dismayed to realise she cannot count on the support of her family and receives terrible news about a friend. The ongoing mission to divide the Walker estate puts the couple under even more strain when Captain Sutherland arrives from Scotland determined to destroy Anne's reputation.
This uplifting documentary follows British women of all ages who have taken inspiration from Anne Lister, the 19th-century lesbian at the centre of drama series Gentleman Jack, with dramatic results. That includes coming out to themselves, their children, their parents and grandparents. In her sixties, Yvonne only realised she was gay when she watched the TV show. She has been a Mormon all her adult life, but is now in conflict with her faith after discovering her true sexuality. In Manchester, Sami tried to come out to her mum 10 years ago, but went straight back in the closet after a hostile response. The portrayal of Anne Lister in the drama gives her the confidence to try again and heal the rift with her mum.
BAFTA-winning writer Sally Wainwright (Last Tango in Halifax, Happy Valley) and star Suranne Jones (Doctor Foster) talk about the true story behind their new BBC drama that revolves around a remarkable and unlikely love affair, and takes place in the turbulent world of Britain’s industrial revolution. Set in 1832 in West Yorkshire, Gentleman Jack is based on the diaries of Anne Lister, a landowner and industrialist who is often described as ’the first modern lesbian’. After years of exotic travel, Anne returns to Halifax, determined to transform the fate of her family and their faded ancestral home Shibden Hall – and to find herself a wife.
The cast discuss the diary of Anne Lister on which the story is based
Discussing the wardrobe
Sally Wainwright discusses the writing process
The historical context to the series
Gentleman Jack creator Sally Wainwright and stars Suranne Jones and Sophie Rundle discuss Anne Lister's impact two centuries after she lived.
