English actress Suranne Jones, born Sarah Anne Akers, is one of the UK’s most acclaimed television stars and producers. Best known for her standout roles in Scott & Bailey, Doctor Foster and Gentleman Jack, she has built a career on powerful performances that have earned her critical acclaim and a loyal audience.
Here’s everything you need to know about Suranne Jones, including her rise to fame, life off-screen and what she’s up to now (including her upcoming TV dramas and projects).
TV shows with Suranne Jones
With a career spanning almost three decades, we take a look back at Suranne Jones' best TV shows.
Suranne Jones in Coronation Street
Suranne first caught the public's attention as mouthy Karen McDonald in Coronation Street which she starred in between 2000 to 2004.
Following leaving the Street, she went on to star in several drama series such as Vincent, Harley Street and as convicted murderer Ruth Slater in the mini-series Unforgiven which received acclaim from many critics.
Suranne Jones Investigating Witch Trials
Suranne Jones filmed a fascinating documentary about witch trials for Channel 4. The two-parter looks at how looking at how and why women were persecuted throughout history after being labelled as witches.
Suranne Jones in Vigil
We especially loved one of her latest BBC drama series, Vigil. In the first series, we saw the mysterious disappearance of a Scottish fishing trawler and a death on-board the submarine HMS Vigil bring the police into conflict with the Navy and British security services. DCI Amy Silva (Suranne) and DS Kirsten Longacre (Rose Leslie) lead an investigation on land and at sea into a conspiracy that goes to the very heart of Britain’s national security.
The second series takes place away from the submarine. On an appearance on The One Show, Suranne revealed, "There's no submarines, which I'm thrilled about because that was hardcore and it was in the middle of COVID," she shared.
The drama is also returning for series 3!
Suranne Jones in Doctor Foster
In September 2015, Suranne took the title role of Doctor Foster who sets out to find the truth after she suspects her husband (Bertie Carvel) of having an affair. Both the show and Suranne earned widespread critical acclaim and she won the National Television Award for Best Drama Performance amongst other awards.
The show ran for two series with Suranne Jones serving as associate producer for the programme's second series. The cast also included Jodie Comer, Bertie Carvel, Victoria Hamilton, Adam James and Tom Taylor.
Suranne Jones in Gentleman Jack
Suranne starred in the unique role of Anne Lister, a lesbian Yorkshire industrialist in the 1830s in the historical drama television series Gentleman Jack.
Written by the Happy Valley and Scott & Bailey creator Sally Wainwright, the first series aired in the UK on 19 May 2019 and despite filming delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the second series of the show was welcomed by glowing reviews from fans and critics.
After the delay between seasons, Suranne said, “Gentleman Jack should have been done by now but we’re not – it’ll have taken over a year by the time we finally finish at the end of October. The last few jobs I’ve done have all been so different. And I feel really blessed, especially given the time that we’re in, to be able to do three amazing jobs that all challenge me in different ways,” she said.
Suranne Jones in Maryland
Not only does Suranne star in the ITV series, Maryland – she also produced it too! Set on the Isle of Man, it tells the story of sisters Becca and Rosaline. Over the years, their relationship has grown in distance until the sudden death of their mother reunites them.
What are the new Suranne Jones dramas?
2025 is a big year for Suranne Jones as she's set to star in plenty of exciting new shows. From Netflix to ITV and BBC, the star can be found on major channels and streaming services.
Hostage
In this high-stakes political thriller, Suranne Jones stars as British Prime Minister Abigail Dalton whose husband is kidnapped amid international tensions. Dalton must confront personal peril and governmental collapse while navigating a fragile summit with the French President (Julie Delpy), who’s herself being blackmailed.
Written by Matt Charman, with Suranne as an executive producer, and packed with suspense, Hostage combines emotional depth with geopolitical intrigue. The full five-episode series arrives globally on Netflix in late August.
Channel and release date: Netflix – 21st August 2025
Suranne Jones in Frauds
This slick new crime thriller sees Suranne Jones both co-creating and starring as Bert in a gripping six-part heist saga for ITV. Paired with Jodie Whittaker as Sam, the story follows the pair reuniting after a decade behind bars to plan one last audacious job.
Filming began for Frauds in Spain in early 2025, and the show benefits from Jones’s dual role as lead actor and executive producer through TeamAkers.
Channel and release date: ITV – Coming 2025
Suranne Jones in Film Club
In this heart-warming comedy-drama called Film Club, Suranne Jones plays Suz, the quirky, supportive mother in a story about friendship and self-discovery. Co-created by Sex Education star Aimee Lou Wood and writer Ralph Davis, Film Club centres on weekly movie nights in a garage that spark emotional growth when life’s changes loom large.
Filmed in Manchester in late 2024 and produced by Gaumont, the six-part series is expected to arrive in 2025.
Channel and release date: BBC Three / iPlayer – Expected 2025
Suranne Jones in Vigil Series 3
Suranne Jones and Rose Leslie returns as DCI Amy Silva and DI Kirsten Longacre respectively in the thrilling third instalment of Vigil. The duo faces their most dangerous mission yet - a murder investigation at a remote Arctic research station amid rising global tensions over energy resources.
Filming kicks off in Scotland later this year, promising a suspense-filled continuation of one of Britain’s most successful dramas.
Channel and release date: BBC – Filming late 2025
How old is Suranne Jones?
Suranne was born on 27 August 1978, making her currently 46.
Suranne Jones' early life
Suranne grew up with her parents and older brother Garry in Greater Manchester in a house surrounded by two farms and their fields.
She was educated at Cardinal Langley Roman Catholic High School in Middleton. Speaking about her time at school, Suranne said: "I was bullied at school and I let that get hold of me and withdrew into myself — I regret letting that happen."
Interestingly, Suranne suffers from carpophobia, a fear of wrists, which she believes potentially may have developed as a result of viewing imagery of Christ's crucifixion and stigmata when she was a child.
Who is Suranne Jones' husband?
Suranne lives in north London with her writer husband and their five-year-old son.
Suranne Jones married her husband Laurence Akers, a scriptwriter and former magazine editor in 2014. They live in Muswell Hill, London and have a son, born in March 2016 and the actress has not revealed his name publicly.
Completing their family unit are two dachshund brothers called Mickey and Chase who they adopted during lockdown.
Aside from family and work, the most important things to her, she says, are her female friends. These include another former Coronation Street actress Sally Lindsay, current Corrie actress Jennie McAlpine, Gentleman Jack writer Sally Wainwright, Scott & Bailey co-lead Lesley Sharp, and her Gentleman Jack co-star Sophie Rundle.
“I love the women in my life, and I think the reason I need that is because my mum has gone – she passed away after a long illness in 2016. Everyone knows that life throws you curveballs as you grow and change, and my friends help fill that gap. They are like sisters to me,” she has said.
Suranne Jones on losing her father
The pandemic has affected Suranne in the most personal way possible. She contracted Covid at Christmas. Then in January, her father passed away from the disease.
Susanne has been open about struggling with her mental health after her father's death.
Speaking recently she said how her dad was in ICU for three months and they weren’t allowed to go into the hospital to see him. “We would FaceTime him and the nurse would answer in all the PPE, put the phone towards Dad and he wasn’t awake, but we would all talk to him anyway. It’s difficult to understand how awful Covid is unless it has touched you,” she said recently.
His sad passing comes just a few years after her mum passed away after a battle with dementia in 2016.
How tall is Suranne Jones?
Suranne Jones is 5′8″ (1.73m) tall.
Suranne Jones' career
Suranne has recently set up a production company with her husband called TeamAkers. They recently worked on Maryland and have filmed a documentary. They also have several commissions which are set to be released in 2025.
Since 2024, the actress has been president of the Sheringham Little Theatre in Norfolk. He role includes running theatre workshops with children and adults and hosting competitions for playwrights.
Is Suranne Jones on Instagram and X?
Suranne often posts behind the scenes photos and snapshots of her personal life on her Instagram account.
She does not have X (formerly Twitter).
Arabella Horspool is a Commercial Content Writer for Yours at Bauer Media. She's a bookworm who is passionate about TV, film and theatre. She enjoys cooking, scrapbooking, playing board games and loves going on walks with her three dogs.