Season two of Gentleman Jack, a week into production in Yorkshire, welcomes The Thick of It’s Joanna Scanlan (The Thick of It, No Offence) to the cast as Isabella ‘Tib’ Norcliffe. The team behind Gentleman Jack announced the casting on their official Instagram page, one that was newly created to keep fans in-the-loop on the second season’s production.
Showrunner and recent Order of the British Empire honoree, Sally Wainwright (Happy Valley, Last Tango In Halifax), told Digital Spy that season two of the biographical period drama will focus on the nineteenth century marriage of Anne Lister and Ann Walker. “[Ann and Anne] move into Shibden together in series two and it’s about how they negotiate their married life, conspicuously in public, and how they deal with their detractors and the effect that has on their relationship as well” Wainwright told Digital Spy.
Isabella ‘Tib’ Norcliffe is likely to serve as one of the detractors to Anne Lister’s new union, as she is one of the trailblazing landowner’s former lovers. Norcliffe is described as “Anne Lister’s hard-drinking, snuff-taking friend” in Gentleman’s Jack casting announcement on Instagram, however there’s a little more to Scanlan’s character than that.
According to the UK biographical website for Anne Lister, “Anne’s rejection of [Isabell] as life-partner was a bitter blow to Isabella, who remained single all her life.” Isabell’s drinking habits were a particular sore spot between the pair, according to her biography on Anne Lister’s site. Scanlan’s visit to Shibden is likely to be met with tension from both Anne Lister and her new wife, Ann Walker.
Gentleman Jack is entering it’s second week of production and there’s yet to be an announcement from BBC or HBO as to when the show’s second season will air. However, What’s On TV speculates, that if production continues without a hitch, the show will likely see a 2021 release.