Sarah Ann Akers, known professionally as Suranne Jones, is an English actress and producer. Known for her numerous collaborations with screenwriter Sally Wainwright, she rose to prominence playing Karen McDonald on ITV's Coronation Street between 2000 and 2004. Upon leaving, she furthered her television career in drama series such as Vincent (2005–2006), Strictly Confidential (2006), Harley Street (2008), and Unforgiven (2009). Jones starred as Detective Rachel Bailey in the police procedural Scott & Bailey (2011–2016), and garnered further attention with headline roles in Single Father, Five Days (both 2010), A Touch of Cloth (2012–2014), and The Crimson Field (2014). For her portrayal of Gemma Foster—a GP who suffers personal betrayal—in Doctor Foster (2015–2017), Jones received several awards, including the 2016 British Academy Television Award for Best Actress. Subsequent credits include Save Me (2018), Vigil (2021–present), and Gentleman Jack (2019–2022). For the latter, on which she served as executive producer, Jones was again nominated for the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress. On stage, Jones has appeared in productions of A Few Good Men (2005), Blithe Spirit (2009), Top Girls (2011), Beautiful Thing (2013), Orlando (2014), and Frozen (2018). Jones was born Sarah Ann Jones in Chadderton, Greater Manchester, on 27 August 1978. She has an older brother named Gary. Jones was raised Catholic; her priest suggested to her father she be christened Sarah Ann(e) instead of Suranne, her great-grandmother's name, as Suranne was not "a proper name". She grew up in a house on Foxdenton Lane, surrounded by two farms and their fields and commented that one of her earliest memories is of "cows looking in the window as we ate our tea". As a child she was talkative, and later recounted that her priest would tell her, "I'm praying you can concentrate just a bit more". Jones was educated at Cardinal Langley Roman Catholic High School in Middleton. Talking of her childhood, she commented, "I think I always wanted to be different and felt very stifled at school". She also said, "I was bullied at school and I let that get hold of me and withdrew into myself — I regret letting that happen." She became a member of the Oldham Theatre Workshop and completed a BTEC National Diploma in Performing Arts, which she felt "[wasn't] quite the same as drama school"
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Biography from TMDB.
- August 27, 1978 (48)
- Chadderton, Greater Manchester, England, UK
- Actor and producer, also writer
- 22 on MovieCove · 40 credits in all
What are Suranne Jones' films like?
Across their 19 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 0 · Earnest 4
Light 5 · Serious 0 · Dark 0
Grounded 4 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0
Gentle 4 · Charged 1 · Intense 0
Steady 4 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 1
Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0
Casual 4 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 3 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 0
Resolved 4 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0
Roles they play
Usually the Hero: 9 of 18 analyzed roles.
Show the 18 rolesHide the roles
- Allyas Beth in Vincent (2005)
- Heroas PC Laurie Franklin in Five Days (2007)
- Heroas Julie Bottomley in Dead Clever: The Life and Crimes of Julie Bottomley (2007)
- Tricksteras Julie Bottomley in Dead Clever: The Life and Crimes of Julie Bottomley (2007)
- Heroas Ruth Slater in Unforgiven (2009)
- Shapeshifteras Sarah in Single Father (2010)
- Allyas Sarah in Single Father (2010)
- Heroas DC Rachel Bailey in Scott & Bailey (2011)
- Heroas Eve Caleigh in The Secret of Crickley Hall (2012)
- Heraldas Sister Joan Livesey in The Crimson Field (2014)
- Threshold guardianas Idris in The Ultimate Time Lord (2014)
- Heroas Gemma Foster in Doctor Foster: A Woman Scorned (2015)
- Mentoras Claire McGory in Save Me (2018)
- Heroas Anne Lister in Gentleman Jack (2019)
- Heroas Amy Silva in Vigil (2021)
- Mentoras French President (unnamed) in Hostage (2025)
- Shadowas the kidnappers/conspirators in Hostage (2025)
- Heroas PM (played by Suranne Jones) in Hostage (2025)
Moods and endings
- Happy4
- Bittersweet8
- Ambiguous7
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Suranne Jones' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 19 of their 22 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Prime Video (9).
- Scott & Bailey (2011) · actor
- The Crimson Field (2014) · actor
- Single Father (2010) · actor
- Grace and Goliath (2018) · actor
- Vincent (2005) · actor
- The Secret of Crickley Hall (2012) · actor
- A Christmas Star (2017) · actor
- Dead Clever: The Life and Crimes of Julie Bottomley (2007) · actor
- Coronation Street (1960) · actor
- BritBox
Subscription and free streaming for Suranne Jones' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
40 credits, 22 with a MovieCove page; 15 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Film Club (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)
Frauds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)
Hostage(2025)
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all shows
Bluey Book Reads (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Maryland(2023)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all shows
Christmas Carole (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
Vigil(2021)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows
I Am...(2019)
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all shows
Gentleman Jack(2019)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows
Grace and Goliath(2018)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
Gone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)
Save Me(2018)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all shows
A Christmas Star(2017)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows
The Crimson Field(2014)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all shows
The Ultimate Time Lord(2014)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
Lawless (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
Beautiful Thing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all shows
A Touch of Cloth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Playhouse Presents (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Scott & Bailey(2011)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows
Single Father(2010)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all showsDrama Trails (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Unforgiven(2009)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows
Love and a Long Shot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
Harley Street (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all shows
Five Days(2007)
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
Strictly Confidential (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
Vincent(2005)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all shows
Doctor Who(2005)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows
The Paul O'Grady Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Punch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Bo' Selecta! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
City Central (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
My Wonderful Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Coronation Street(1960)
Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all shows
Career shape
Star power in the 96th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 38 titles from 1960 to 2025.
Biggest box office
Grace and Goliath (2018)
Highest rated
Gentleman Jack (2019)
Most popular right now
Vigil (2021)
Film career
Top draw in 4 MovieCove titles.
- 1960Screen debut· Coronation Street
- 2015First film· A Christmas Star
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Suranne Jones' films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 44th percentile, the median of all 5; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 67th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up8
- 50th to 74th5
- 25th to 49th5
- Below 25th4
Shape of the crowd
9 of their 22 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved2
- Divisive1
- Cult Classic2
- Crowd Pleaser9
- Broadly Agreed3
- Mixed5
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Suranne Jones' work okay for kids?
Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Suranne Jones work with?
People who share at least 2 of Suranne Jones' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Jeremy Lovering shares the most, 2.
Directors
- Jeremy LoveringShared titles: Doctor Foster: A Woman Scorned (2015), Vincent (2005)See all 2 shared titles with Jeremy Lovering
- David EvansShared titles: The Crimson Field (2014), Unforgiven (2009)See all 2 shared titles with David Evans
Writers
- Sally WainwrightShared titles: Unforgiven (2009), Dead Clever: The Life and Crimes of Julie Bottomley (2007)See all 2 shared titles with Sally Wainwright
Actors
- Dean Lennox KellyShared titles: Maryland (2023), Dead Clever: The Life and Crimes of Julie Bottomley (2007)See all 2 shared titles with Dean Lennox Kelly
- Adam JamesShared titles: Vigil (2021), Doctor Foster: A Woman Scorned (2015)See all 2 shared titles with Adam James
- David TennantShared titles: Got It Covered (2019), Single Father (2010)See all 2 shared titles with David Tennant
- Sarah SmartShared titles: The Secret of Crickley Hall (2012), Five Days (2007)See all 2 shared titles with Sarah Smart
Cinematographers
- Matt GrayShared titles: Hostage (2025), The Crimson Field (2014)See all 2 shared titles with Matt Gray
Producers
- Anne MensahShared titles: Save Me (2018), Single Father (2010)See all 2 shared titles with Anne Mensah
- Josh DynevorShared titles: The Secret of Crickley Hall (2012), Dead Clever: The Life and Crimes of Julie Bottomley (2007)See all 2 shared titles with Josh Dynevor
- Nicola ShindlerShared titles: Single Father (2010), Unforgiven (2009)See all 2 shared titles with Nicola Shindler
