When you see Suranne Jones’ name on the cast list, you know it’s going to be a hit.
She’s got your high-stakes dramas covered, from Gentleman Jack to Doctor Foster and Vigil. However, she then tells us that the one show she will not be appearing on is The Great British Bake Off.
Now, the 44-year-old actress has done a Margot Robbie and founded her own production business, TeamAkers, with her writer/producer husband, Laurence Akers, so she can both create and star in the series.
Her first attempt into producing is the ITV miniseries Maryland, about two sisters, Becca (Suranne) and Rosaline (Eve Best), whose mother dies unexpectedly. After her body is discovered in the Isle of Man, her siblings come there to learn she’s been living a double life, and they end up reconnecting after growing apart.
Surranne shared her inspiration: ‘I wanted to tell a story that was simply about a family and stay with them. There’s so much content out there and so we wanted to take it back to basics.’
‘Everyone can recognise themselves in the story, and relate to the unique relationship between the siblings. I have a brother, and the writer Anne-Marie O’Connor has a brother and sister, and we found that to be fascinating inspiration.
‘I also love the idea of double lives, because I don’t understand how people do it!
Suranne is thrilled that there are now more series with female protagonists, and she is excited to add to the present offers.
‘We’re telling the story of a woman in her 60s, which is brilliant and sometimes missing on television.
‘There’s a lot of female-led pieces now compared to 24 years ago when I was first getting started in the industry.
‘It was a big deal when Scott and Bailey came out [Suranne fronted the show with Lesley Sharp] in 2011. People would ask me about what it was like to have a show fronted by two women, but they wouldn’t ask men that. Now it’s changed dramatically. There’s no shortage now but there’s still room for improvement.’
The topic of grief is covered within the show – sadly Suranne lost her dad in January 2021, after he contracted covid-19.
‘Grief will happen to everybody, and I’m no different. It is something I, unfortunately, know quite a bit about,’ Suranne told us.
‘It’s a complicated emotion with many stages – disbelief, heartache, damage, anger, confusion, and the incredulity of it. It can be quiet and then it blows up again.
‘We shared stories in the writers’ room, and so it’s an amalgamation of different people’s stories. The complications mean we have so much to play with.’
Dealing with such deep emotions on set may be draining, but Suranne has ways to decompress.
‘We did a lot of cold water swimming, and I loved it. The water is so lovely in Ireland where we filmed most of the show. I had pyjama nights with Anne-Marie too.’
She also ensured she got family time with Laurence and their seven-year-old son. ‘My boys came over to see me, and I flew back to see them.’
Working alongside your spouse isn’t for everyone, but Suranne assures us that they’ve swiftly found the proper balance.
‘The key is that he does some projects, I do some projects, and then we’ll do some projects together so up to now, it’s been good. We can tell each other what we’ve been up to and say ‘good job’. We’ve got our own things going on.
‘We’re not trying to run before we can walk, and we’ve got lots to learn along the way but I’m loving it.’
Surranne would chose Doctor Who and want to play the Tardis again if she could do another series of a programme she’s been in.
‘That was really fun as she wasn’t a human. I’ve got a young son who would be impressed by it.’
Due to the nature of her roles, not everything is quite suited for him. ‘I’ll show him bits,’ she explained.
‘He’s seen me dropping onto the submarine in Vigil but that’s it for that series.’
The adoring mother took on a job only for the sake of her kid, but things did not go as planned. She starred as the title heroine in Christmas Carole, a reworking of the Charles Dickens classic.
‘He came to the screening with me, but then when I suggested we watch it on TV on Christmas Eve. He said, “No I’ve seen it.” My plan for us to watch it together the night before Christmas didn’t quite work.’
Gentleman Jack, based on historical person Anne Lister, is one film we’re unlikely to see her in again. Suranne believes the programme will be discontinued after only two seasons in 2022, despite fan support.
‘It’s been cancelled and that’s a fact,’ she stated to us. ‘I think the fans would love to see it back but… you know.’
What does a TV icon spend her time watching? ‘It depends on what mood I’m in! I’ve just finished watching Emily in Paris and I’ve got to be honest, I just wanted to see the costumes and to how cool Sylvie Gateau [played by Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu] was smoking around Paris in low-cut tops. Then I’m obsessed with Succession. I like watching The Great British Bake Off.’
Suranne is unlikely to be in the tent, unfortunately.I know Sandi Toksvig, and while she was presenting, she invited me to join her, but I declined.
‘My stress level would be funny for everyone else, but I don’t think I’d be able to handle it. I’d maybe do the Stand-up to Cancer special because it doesn’t matter so much if you mess up.’
Suranne knows precisely what programme she’d cast herself in if she could select any – Netflix’s Wednesday, about a young lady seeking to solve a monstrous mystery at her new school.
‘It may not be aimed at me but I absolutely love it,’ she disclosed to us. ‘It appeals to the teen goth inside me that I never knew was in there.’
And her dream cast? Sarah Lancashire, Keely Hawkes, Vicky McClure and Hannah Waddingham. ‘There’s a lot of people I’d love to work with,’ she declared.
Maryland will on ITV1 for three consecutive days from May 22. The series will be available to stream on ITVX.
