Gentleman Jack: Suranne Jones reveals ‘sadness’ as HBO pulls plug on historical drama after two seasons

Suranne Jones shared an emotional post about her time on Gentleman Jack after HBO confirmed the historical drama would not be returning after two seasons.

Set in the 1830s, the series was based on the real-life diaries of landowner, pioneer and “gender-nonconforming entrepreneur”, Anne Lister which documented her relationships with women.

In light of the news, the actress, 43, shared her “sadness” over the series ending and posted a bloopers reel to Instagram on Friday to mark her time on the show.

Writing in the caption, Jones, who played Anne Lister, penned: “I just wanted to take a moment to reflect on our beautiful journey making this show. While it is sad news Gentleman Jack will not be renewed, this show has brought so many together.

“It has enabled people to share their stories, brought joy, emotion and creativity and gave me a real connection to you as it’s audience.

“Anne Lister now has a statue in the Piece Hall. There is a Blue plaque in Holy Trinity church yard celebrating Anne and Ann’s union in 1834. There is a college named after Anne Lister on the east campus at the University of York.

“Shibden now has more visitors than ever before and you will find Anne Lister walks, tours and trails galore when visiting Halifax and it’s surrounding areas.

“I have never been involved in a show that has made such a huge impact and touched my heart like this one has. It wasn’t always the easiest job I’ve had… but it was always worth it to see the response it got.

“THANK YOU for all your support. Thank you to Sally Wainwright for bringing us this amazing story and passion. Thank you to @lindaviemakeup and @tompye33 for the stunning work over both seasons and to our design team who blew me away on set everyday.

“To our cast and crew who are just so talented and beautiful and finally I love you @sophiesophierundle. You are a true friend and a total star. Love Suranne.”

Although HBO confirmed the historical drama would not be returning, BBC, which co-produces the show, said it was “in discussions” about its future.

UK ratings for the second series had dramatically fallen, with the season finale reaching 3.2 million viewers, almost three million less of the debut series, which attracted 6.14 million.

Speaking of their decision, HBO told Deadline: “When we began this journey more than five years ago, we knew the series’ creator Sally Wainwright had a uniquely compelling vision, and it’s been tremendously gratifying to see how Anne Lister’s journey has resonated with viewers.

“We are incredibly grateful to Sally, to the impeccable Suranne Jones and Sophie Rundle, and to the entire cast and crew for bringing Anne and Ann’s story to life.

“We’d also like to thank our partners at BBC and Lookout Point for their collaboration on two remarkable seasons.”

While a spokesperson for the BBC told Metro: “We are tremendously proud of Gentleman Jack, a show which has made a huge cultural impact, and we are in discussions with Sally about what’s next.”