Gentleman Jack; The Cane Field Killings

“Behind the familiar frilly bonnets and linen drawers, the glorious landscapes and draughty old estates, Gentleman Jack is disrupting the conventions of one of our most fiercely loved dramatic forms, at a time when we most need them disrupted. It is a masterpiece. A gleeful, radical shake-up of period drama that repositions history, sexuality and class with the wink of an eye and poke of a cane.”
Chitra Ramaswamy, The Guardian

“As much as Lister dominates, Sally Wainwright’s skill is to maintain our interest in the other characters, who could easily become an irrelevance if not given enough care and attention. But this really is the Anne Lister Show, with Suranne Jones’s dynamic performance a shot in the arm for Sunday night drama.”
Joe Clay, The Times

“The chief problem with Gentleman Jack is that our mannish heroine, who appears in every scene, is simply not very likeable. She bullies people. She bulldozers every conversation. The show’s creator, Sally Wainwright, expects us to take Anne Lister’s side, but I can’t see why we would.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“She might lack Bridgerton’s diverse casting and Billie Eilish covers, but Gentleman Jack’s rollicking pace, vivid design and witty scripts likewise collapse the distance between historical characters and the modern viewer – as well as underlining the point that Lister is an anachronistic figure. She’s no saint, but she remains a riveting figure – and Wainwright’s series a rip-roaring romp.”
Marianka Swain, The Telegraph 

“It’s an intriguing pretext for what turns out to be a disappointingly ordinary police procedural, flirting with big ideas around post-apartheid identity before reverting to type – as if two jealous writers were wrestling over the script between takes. Western cop show clichés abound, which is a shame because the landscapes of swaying sugar cane and sinuous coastal hills provide a tremendous sense of place.”
Jack Taylor, The Telegraph

“Imported from South Africa, a nation where life and politics is perhaps more charged, it has aspects to its story that are almost too disturbing. Beautifully filmed in stunning verdant landscapes and endless skies, The Cane Field Killings is a drama that sears itself into your consciousness.”
Sean O’Grady, The Independent