Gentleman Jack, the period drama about Lister’s life and loves, is set to air on BBC One later this autumn. The eight-part series is set in 1832, the year Lister returned to her family seat of Shibden Hall in Halifax, West Yorkshire after a period of travelling. The name of the series is taken from a local nickname given to Lister, who always dressed in black and famously walked like a man.

The series is written by Sally Wainwright, best known for her blisteringly good work on Happy Valley, and will star Doctor Foster’s Suranne Jones as Lister. Sophie Rundle, who can currently be seen starring as Vicky Budd in the hit BBC One political drama Bodyguard, will play Lister’s future wife Ann Walker.

Gentleman Jack isn’t the first time that Lister’s story has appeared on TV. Lister and Walker appeared as characters in the 1994 BBC Two series A Skirt Through History, and Maxine Peake played Lister in another BBC Two production based on her diaries in 2010. Sue Perkins presented a BBC documentary about Lister that same year.

This ongoing fascination with Lister isn’t surprising, because her story makes for a cracking yarn. Born into a wealthy military family in Yorkshire in 1791, she defied the norms of her class and time by owning her own land, renovating her family seat, running a coal mine and becoming the first woman to climb several mountains in the Pyrenees.

Throughout 2018, Stylist is raising the profiles of brilliant women past and present – and empowering future generations to follow their lead – with our Visible Women campaign. See more from Visible Women here.

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