Gentleman Jack attracts 5.1 million viewers to BBC1
Gentleman Jack, starring Suranne Jones as lesbian landowner Anne Lister, scored over five million viewers for BBC1 last night.
A whopping 5.1 million viewers, according to Broadcast, tuned into the opening episode of the new period drama, which is inspired by Anne’s coded diaries and explores how Anne, dubbed “Gentleman Jack,” had a string of romances including one with Ann Walker (played by Sophie Rundle).
Penned and directed by Happy Valley writer Sally Wainwright, Gentleman Jack now looks sure to be a hit with such a high opening number.
While the figure doesn’t match the exploits of recent megahit Line of Duty, which pulled in nearly 8 million viewers for its opening episode, the Beeb will no doubt be thrilled with attracting such a high audience – especially given the time of year.
[Suranne Jones talks about the period drama]
Meanwhile, ITV stalwart Midsomer Murders pulled in a respectable 3.4 million viewers for its latest adventure, which saw a woman in a coma suffer an usual death at the hands of a comic! Well, Midsomer does love a bizarre murder!!
ITV will no doubt now be looking to Hatton Garden, which kicks off tonight, to provide a ratings boost.
The eagerly-anticipated drama, starring Timothy Spall and Kenneth Graham, tells the story of the multi-million-pound robbery.
And it looks to have all the ingredients of a sure-fire hit…
