HBO and BBC One’s revolutionary series, ‘Gentleman Jack’, was a massive hit. The show depicts the story of real-life lesbian pioneer Anne Lister, who broke stereotypical norms by living her life the way she wanted it to.
Sally Wainwright’s adaptation of Anne Lister’s coded diary depicts her as a smart, gritty, and strong-willed intellectual. She is seen in the series beating men at their own games time and time again.
The only frustration that she has is the role that society assigned to her due to the era’s approach to sexual issues. The Georgian Yorkshire society of the old doesn’t favor same-sex relationships as it is deemed immoral.
The BBC officially confirmed ‘Gentleman Jack’ Season 2 back in May 2020 after the success of the first. The network representative expressed their excitement to have Sally Wainwright and crew for an upcoming new season.
Lead actress, Suranne Jones, is also excited for Season 2. In a recent interview, she said, “We’ve always dreamed there would be more, and now we get to play it all out.”
After almost a year since the initial announcement, fans of the show are eager to get updates on the show. Here’s what we know about ‘Gentleman Jack’ Series 2 so far.
‘Gentleman Jack’ Series 2: Cast
The show wouldn’t be the same without Suranne Jones. Her alluring and captivating performance as Anne Lister is second to none.
We can most definitely expect Suranne to replace her role as the charismatic protagonist. But who else is going to be on the show once Season 2 rolls around?
We can also expect Anne Lister’s wife, Ann Walker, to make her regular appearance. That means Sophie Rundle, who plays the role, should also be back for Season 2.
Reports have also claimed that Game of Thrones’ star Gemma Whelan, who plays Anne’s sister Marian, will also return. Other notable names that will be among the cast of ‘Gentleman Jack’ Series 2 include:
- Timothy West (Captain Lister, Anne’s father)
- Gemma Jones (Anne’s aunt, who also happens to be named ‘Anne’)
- Peter Davison (William Priestly)
- Amelia Bullmore (Eliza Priestly)
- Rosie Cavaliero (Elizabeth Cordingley)
- Tom Lewis (Thomas Sowden)
- Joe Armstrong (Samuel Washington)
In a recent interview, Sally Wainwright also teases that Captain Lister and Aunt Anne may not see the end of Season 2. “The elder Listers both died in 1836,” she said.
But she also said that fans shouldn’t rule them out just yet. Wainwright further stated that she hasn’t made up her mind just yet since she loves the character of Aunt Anne so much.
For the viewers who also love Aunt Anne, don’t lose hope just yet. The show isn’t technically a documentary. So, just because the real Aunt Anne died doesn’t mean it will also be the case for the hit drama series.
‘Gentleman Jack’ Series 2: Plot
As for the plot, expect bigger and bolder stories to tell about Anne Lister and Ann Walker. This is what Sally Wainwright claims in a recent statement with BBC.
At the end of Season 1, we saw the couple walking out of the church as newlyweds. Based on that moment, many assume that Season 2 will be all about the couple’s married life.
In a recent interview with Digital Spy, Sally Wainwright said that the couple would move into Shibden Hall together. “Series two is going to be about how they will introduce their married life into the general public,” she said.”
Season 2 will also show how Anne Lister and Anne Walker will deal with their detractors. Wainwright reveals that the criticisms and discrimination that they get will have a negative effect on their relationship.
Wainwright also added that Season 2 will show more of Anne Lister’s stubbornness. This trait will also affect her relationship with Ann Walker.
The real-life couple also loved traveling. So we could expect to see more locations in Season 2. There’s also the issue with the coal mine, which was left unresolved in the previous season.
Anne finally defeats the Rawson brothers, which begs the question, “will Christopher Rawson (Vincent Franklin) get the punishment he deserves?”
There’s also the part of Sam Washington learning that Tom’s uncle couldn’t write. Season 2 might see him finding out that his brother (who was murdered and fed to pigs) didn’t actually go to America after all.
Gemma Whelan also shared some tidbits of information about Season 2 while doing an interview earlier this year. She couldn’t reveal a lot of details about the new season and understandably so. However, Whelan did shed some light that would get fans excited.
According to her, she’s had the first four parts of the official script since Christmas. “There’s a lot more in store for Marian,” she said, “and Anne, and the entire Lister family. There will be a lot of twists and turns that you wouldn’t want to miss”
‘Gentleman Jack’ Series 2: Release Date
Since the official Season 2 announcement back in May 2020, there hasn’t been any official announcement on the release date. However, if we would base it on Season 1, series two would likely arrive later this summer.
Unfortunately, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, delays are going to be inevitable. All we can do is wait for any updates that will come in the next few months.
Gemma Whelan also had some disappointing news about how the entire situation affects the filming of season two. She claims that filming has been on-and-off ever since it started and that there isn’t any exact date of when Season 2 will come on air.
Lookout Point also released a statement earlier about the show’s postponement. According to the production company:
“Reluctantly, we have decided to delay the start of production for Gentleman Jack series two due to the ongoing Covid-19 emergency. Huge thanks to our cast and crew and our incredible, inspiring fans for their understanding. Sending everyone a bit of Anne Lister strength and energy at this difficult time.”
