‘Brilliant’ period drama on BBC iPlayer is just like Downton Abbey but much steamier

Called “sensual”, “playful”, and “brilliant”, the series is often described as being just like Downton Abbey, but way steamier, and it’s based on a real person.

The little-known show boasts an incredible rating (Image: BBC)

Fans of period dramas such as Downton Abbey and The Gilded Age are in for a treat because there’s an underrated, lesser-known gem that is just waiting to be binge-watched.

Described as “sensual”, “playful”, and “brilliant”, the series is often described as being just like Downton Abbey — but way steamier. What’s more, it’s based on a real person.

Gentleman Jack is a British historical drama created for television by the brilliant Sally Wainwright (Happy Valley, Scott & Bailey) and is a co-production between BBC One and HBO.

It first premiered on television in the UK in 2019, with series two following in 2022, however that same year, HBO announced they would not be renewing the show for a third season, while the BBC stated that although they wanted to carry on into season 3, they would need to find brand-new production partners to do so.

Starring the outstanding Suranne Jones in the lead alongside the talented Sophie Rundle, both actresses, especially Jones, have been praised for their splendid performances in the show.

They’re joined by Joe Armstrong, Amelia Bullmore, Rosie Cavaliero, Gemma Jones, Gemma Whelan, and Timothy West to round out a stellar cast.

Suranne Jones stars alongside Sophie Rundle as the series’ lead pair (Image: BBC/Lookout Point/Jay Brooks)

Both seasons are available to stream for free on BBC iPlayer, and the show’s official plot states: “It’s 1832 in West Yorkshire, England – the cradle of the evolving Industrial Revolution – where landowner Anne Lister is determined to save her faded ancestral home, Shibden Hall, even if it means bucking society’s expectations. In addition to reopening the coal mines, a part of Lister’s plan to help her family is to marry well.

“But the charismatic, single-minded Lister — who dresses head-to-toe in black and charms her way into high society — has no intention of marrying a man. Gentleman Jack examines Lister’s relationships with her family, servants, tenants and industrial rivals, and would-be wife. The real-life Anne Lister’s story was recorded in her diaries, and the most intimate details of her life are revealed for the series.”

With a smashing 92% average rating across both seasons on Rotten Tomatoes, Gentleman Jack has garnered glowing praise from all corners, with one critic writing: “Lively, tongue-in-cheek at times and enormously playful, Gentleman Jack is an utter gem of British drama. You can’t take your eyes off the central character, and you’re drawn into her world and her heart with exquisite ease.”

While another reviewer said the show is “exuberant, it’s fun, it’s playful. It just makes you feel good”, a third critic called it “[A] buoyant, utterly seductive drama.”

The BBC period drama has been described as “sensual, fun, and brilliant” (Image: BBC screengrab)

Yet another impressed reviewer said of the rousing period drama: “Gentleman Jack is disrupting the conventions of one of our most fiercely loved dramatic forms, at a time when we most need them disrupted. It is a masterpiece.”

While one critic wrote: “Representative, daring, cerebral, and romantic, GENTLEMAN JACK remains one of the most original and refreshing series on television. Suranne Jones once again knocks it out of the park, balancing a complex character’s strength and vulnerability.”

The praise doesn’t stop there, with one critic calling the show “a rare and genuine treat”, adding, “It’s a full-blooded, full-bodied period piece with a vibrant and authentic inner life that is fully relatable yet true to its own time.”

Audience reviews for Gentleman Jack are equally praiseworthy, with one IMDB user commenting: “Enjoying every minute of this outstanding series. I rarely give a 10 star rating but this one captures a top rating from me. Highly worth your time.”

Another impressed fan of the show writes on IMDB: “There are no words that can describe my excitement and anticipation for each episode, love for the entirety of this show, and how much I absolutely adore Surranne Jones’s character, Anne Lister. Her ability to embody such a emboldened, sexy, masculine female, with beautiful feminine undertones leaves me in a giddy stupor.”

Both seasons of the series are available to stream for free on BBC iPlayer (Image: BBC/Lookout Point/HBO/James Stack)

While one audience review on Rotten Tomatoes reads: “Everything about this show is absolutely brilliant. I re-watched the entire first season before starting in on the second and thoroughly re-enjoyed it. Suranne Jones performance is intoxicating and in fact every role has been cast with the perfect actor for the part.

“The production values are as good as anything I’ve seen and I’ve seen many, many period shows in my time. Sally Wainwright’s writing, as with all her shows, is just the best.”

While one viewer said it’s the “best show that ever is or was. Suranne Jones and Sally Wainwright nailed it,” another simply commented, “Best show. Period. Better does simply not exist.”

One glowing audience review states: “This show is an absolute delight. It’s a fascinating look into history through the true diaries if a woman who dared to live as she desired. There is so much to enjoy from a tv show, drama, love, humour, beauty and it’s historical. I am very disappointed that HBO has cancelled Season 3.”

Gentleman Jack is available to stream for free on BBC iPlayer.