Suranne Jones, born Sarah Anne Jones (born 27 August 1978 in Middleton, England) is a British actor who started off in Coronation Street as Karen McDonald (nee Phillips) a very strong machinist with a Northern accent, once described as a "bulldog in hoop earrings"... then quit after four years to pursue different roles and showcase her talent.
And what talent she's showcased. She's been nominated for multiple awards on stage and screen since then, generally receiving very good reviews for whatever she's turned in.
Her roles have been pretty much entirely in British dramas - the only notable role Americans may know her from was her brilliant turn as Idris (the conscious of the Doctor's TARDIS temporarily transferred into a human form) in Doctor Who. However, LGBT fans may be more familiar with her performance as the title character in Gentleman Jack.
Key filmography
- Coronation Street (2000-2004)
- Unforgotten (2009)
- Doctor Who (2011) - "The Doctor's Wife"
- Scott & Bailey (2011-present)
- A Touch of Cloth
- The Crimson Field
- Doctor Foster (2015-present)
- Save Me (2018-present; concurrent with Doctor Foster)
- Gentleman Jack (2019-present)
- Vigil (BBC) (2021)
Tropes associated with Suranne Jones
- Fanservice: Did a number of lads' mag shoots while on Corrie, where she won an award for Sexiest Female at the British soap awards. Not so much these days, which is why her occasional love scene in film and TV (i.e. Doctor Foster, Save Me) generate tabloid headlines.
- Oop North: Possesses the accent of a woman from Oldham and generally uses it.
- Stage Name: Chose Suranne as Sarah was taken in Equity.
- Statuesque Stunner: Although at 5'8 Jones isn't exactly Amazonian, in many of her roles she appears to tower over her female and often male co-stars, even in the case of Doctor Who where (thanks to heels, big hair and larger-than-life character, plus a few assisting camera angles) she seemed to tower over her taller co-star, Matt Smith in some scenes and publicity images.
