Gentleman Jack 2 - photos of York filming in lockdown

Life stood still and we retreated back indoors as Covid cases rose.

So it was a surprising delight to stumble across something a little bit special going on in York city centre.

I remember taking a socially distanced lunchtime walk with a neighbour and noticing some horses and carriages in College Street. Not an everyday occurrence in the 21st century!

Then I noticed her. Dressed all in black, with a full-length men's overcoat that snapped in the air like Batman as she strutted with purpose across the cobbled street.

Suranne Jones filming Gentleman Jack 2 in York in November 2020 - photo by Maxine Gordon

It was Suranne Jones, dressed as Gentleman Jack - the hero of the period drama filmed in York and across Yorkshire detailing the intimate life and thoughts of regency landowner and Yorkshire trailblazer Anne Lister.

As Suranne/Jack strode towards me, I grabbed my mobile and snapped some pictures.

The best one showed Suranne, clearly in her iconic Gentleman Jack outfit, walking with a masked member of the film crew, straight past the 'Welcome to York' sign!

My photo made the front page of The Press the next day (a first for me!).

Many members of our Camera Club were around too to capture the filming of Gentleman Jack in York on that day - and we share some of those photos here.

Fans of the show will be delighted to know that the second series starts on Sunday April 10, BBC One and the iPlayer at 9pm.

You can watch the trailer for the show here...

The show is based on the collected diaries of Anne Lister which were part-written in cryptic code and document all aspects of the private and public life of this remarkable woman including her romantic relationship with Ann Walker played by Sophie Rundle.

Series one followed Anne Lister's life as she inherited her uncle's fading estate, Shibden Hall in Halifax, which she attempted to restore while beginning a romance with Ann Walker.

Series two picks up just four weeks after series one ended with all eyes on Anne Lister and Ann Walker as they set up home together at Shibden Hall as wife and wife, determined to combine their estates and become a power couple.

A blue plaque from York Civic Trust commemorates Anne Lister at Holy Trinity Church in Goodramgate.

Anne Lister plaque in Goodramgate York

The plaque commemorated Easter Sunday, 1834, when Anne received what she considered a blessing of her ‘marriage’ to the woman she regarded as her wife, Ann Walker. This was said to be a key moment in LGBT+ history, 180 years before same-sex marriage was legalised in England.

The plaque - which was reworded after a controversy around the use of the word lesbian - now reads: "Anne Lister 1791-1840 of Shibden Hall, Halifax. Lesbian and Diarist; took sacrament here to seal her union with Ann Walker, Easter 1834."