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Joanna Scanlan loved her 'exciting' role in series two of 'Gentleman Jack'

Joanna Scanlan is excited by her role in Gentleman Jack's second series credit:Bang Showbiz
Joanna Scanlan is excited by her role in Gentleman Jack's second series credit:Bang Showbiz

Joanna Scanlan loved working on the second series of ‘Gentleman Jack’.

The 60-year-old star - who is set to play "hunting, shooting, fishing, country landowner" Isabella 'Tib' Norcliffe in the upcoming second season of the BBC One period drama - has opened up on the "exciting" role and the history behind her character, who was a friend and lover of Anne Lister (Suranne Jones).

She told the Daily Mail newspaper's Baz Bamigboye: “The more you look into the history and reality of what happened, the more exciting it becomes.”

The ‘The Thick of It’ actress added: “She was fearless. A lot of women were doing their own thing — if they were fortunate enough to have the means.”

Last weekend, the ‘After Love’ star won the Best Actress gong at the BIFA Awards for her performance as Mary, a convert to Islam who goes to France to find out the truth about her dead husband.

She is currently working on new Channel 4 six-part thriller 'The Light In the Hall', which is set in Wales and known as 'Y Golau' in Welsh.

She said: “I'm filming in the Welsh language for the first time in my life!”

Joanna previously opened up on her preparations to play "snuff taker" Tib in 'Gentleman Jack' and revealed she has her own experience with the substance, a smokeless tobacco that can be snorted or inhaled.

Over summer, she said: "Tib is a real historical character. She appears in the incredible diaries on which 'Gentleman Jack' is based.

"So I am a bit nervous as to whether I can fulfil the dreams of many people's imaginations having read those diaries.

"I wonder if we will have real snuff? I suspect we won't. I have taken snuff in my time. It must have been adolescent experimentation. It was pretty unpleasant, as I remember."