Suranne Jones wouldn't say no to a role in Line of Duty, as she revealed that she and her husband are huge fans of the show and called its creator Jed Mercurio a "brilliant writer".
The Doctor Foster star was discussing her upcoming BBC One series written by Sally Wainwright. Gentleman Jack stars as Suranne as diarist and entrepreneur Anne Lister.
A formidable and charismatic trailblazer, Anne challenged the men of that time with her intellect and cunning, and flipped 19th century society's limited expectations of women, gender norms and sexual identity.
"As you're playing her, you're aware that everybody has a right to be who they are, regardless of sexuality," Jones told Digital Spy and others at a panel with award-winning Happy Valley writer Sally.
"And it's so uplifting – I've done a lot of shows that are quite dark... Doctor Foster was about betrayal and that sticky stuff within a marriage. Save Me and Frozen were about paedophilia and losing a child, which are very dark subjects that we're drawn to.
"Me and my husband have just started Line of Duty... and we're addicted. I understand why that's so popular but with this, you go along with a person and as you're watching you go, 'I want to be more like this person', and she's teaching you how to be."
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When asked whether she'd want to join the cast of Line of Duty – series 5 is airing on BBC One now – Jones continued: "Well, so we're on series 3, because everyone said how brilliant it was.
"And also Lennie [James] was in series 1 and Save Me is up for a BAFTA so before I see him again, I had to watch it because I can't bear to say to him I haven't watched it!
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Gentleman Jack: The Real Anne Lister The Official Companion to the BBC Series
"It's brilliant. My hubby says, 'Shut up', because it's a cop show that affects you and you just want to be part of it. I think Jed's a brilliant writer... Yes.
"Cop shows are great. People just love them."
Gentleman Jack has been adapted by the BBC and HBO from Lister's original journals, which were written initially in code and first deciphered in the 1930s.
"We talk about her love affairs and it's a great celebration of a lesbian woman, but what she was doing at that time, it's a lesson in courage, being authentic, having a voice and using it," Suranne said.
"Standing up for yourself, there's a message in class in there too on how everyone has a right to be educated. She knew what she wanted."
Gentleman Jack airs on BBC One next month.
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Naomi Gordon is news writer mainly covering entertainment news with a focus on celebrity interviews and television.
