is a 3 time BAFTA-winning writer and director of shows including Last Tango in Halifax and Happy Valley.
Her new drama, Gentleman Jack, began on 大象传媒 One on Sunday 19th May and on 大象传媒 iPlayer.
Sally explains the background to the story which is based on the life of as documented in her diaries, part of which were written in a secret code.
The content of the diaries was considered so controversial when the code was cracked in the 1890s by a later inhabitant of that they were concealed behind a panel in the hall until the 1930s when the hall passed into the ownership of the Halifax Corporation. The diaries were moved to the local archives where historian discovered them in the 1980s. In 2011, Lister's diaries were added to the register of the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme.
Who was Anne Lister?
There鈥檚 so much to say about Anne Lister - it鈥檚 difficult to know where to start.
She inherited Shibden Hall when she was 35, in 1826, and took on a very hands-on management of the estate.
She鈥檚 primarily famous for being a prolific diarist but she was also an openly gay woman in a world where gay women were invisible. Back then, male homosexuality was illegal but female homosexuality wasn鈥檛 because it just didn鈥檛 exist as far as most people were concerned.
Anne Lister refused to be invisible in so many aspects of her life. She鈥檚 known to us primarily as a lesbian diarist, but there鈥檚 so much more to her. What I personally love about her is that she was phenomenally intelligent, super bright and had an extraordinary mind but she also had this amazing positivity and had this real passion for life. Her life was for living and she really engaged with the world. She lived a packed life and wrote about it all so comprehensively. The diaries are an extraordinary document and she lived an extraordinary life.
Tell us about Anne Lister鈥檚 diaries
We know that she bought really good quality books to write in and had a very healthy sense of her self-worth, which I love about her and is why I think she鈥檚 so inspiring. I like to think that she knew how important she was going to be, but you also worry that she might be upset if we read these intimate things that she didn鈥檛 want other people to see.
She wrote in code because what she was doing could be regarded as criminal. I suppose the interesting question is why do you write it down if it was regarded as criminal, why do you provide evidence of what you鈥檝e done? For me it comes back to the idea that she was an extraordinary human being and she must have had some idea that her life was important and worthy of that documentation. I think it鈥檚 fascinating that anyone creates a code to write in and sticks to it over such a long period of time, over so many years.
What is Suranne Jones like as Anne Lister?
For a long time I couldn鈥檛 imagine who would be Anne Lister because in my mind she鈥檚 just this epic, epic woman and I couldn鈥檛 imagine who could ever bring enough to it. Suranne came in to read and she just blew me away right from the start. It was clear she鈥檇 thought about it a lot and there was something special about her energy. So by the time we had started filming it felt very well formed because Suranne had put a huge amount of work in. I think she has captured something really extraordinary; all of Anne Lister鈥檚 passion for life, the humour, her physical energy.
As well as having this phenomenal intelligence, Anne Lister was also extraordinarily physically fit and must have walked ten miles a day easily. She was very hands-on on her own estate and walked around much of it. She鈥檇 walk back and forth to see Ann Walker several times a day at Lightcliffe, which was about four miles away. She was a real force of nature and I think that is something which Suranne has really got her head around and captures. I鈥檝e never seen Anne Lister, I鈥檝e never been able to see Anne Lister in my mind鈥檚 eye so I really needed someone to come along and say 'this is it' and Suranne kind of did that. I was so delighted with what she brought to the role.
What was it like filming at Shibden Hall?
God, it was really emotional. I felt I was so lucky to be there and to be the person who got to do this. It was a magical thing to be able to do; to be a part of that house and its atmosphere and try to bring that to screen with such an extraordinary cast. What Suranne brought to that character was just monumental; it was epic. I think she was worthy of Anne Lister and Anne Lister was worthy of her, it was amazing.
What do you hope audiences will make of the series?
I hope they feel entertained, I hope they meet a character who they鈥檒l be glad has come into their lives.
Watch Gentleman Jack on 大象传媒 One on Sundays at 9pm and on 大象传媒 iPlayer
Meet the characters in Gentleman Jack
Find out more about Anne Lister's diaries
大象传媒 News - The Life and Loves of Anne Lister
More interviews with the cast and production team
Download or listen online to an extensive podcast interview with Sally Wainwright from 2017