Political unrest

Suranne Jones and Julie Delpy star as two very different leaders in a tense thriller

- 

From the cobbles of Coronation Street to Doctor Foster, Vigil and Gentleman Jack - winning a TV Bafta on the way - Suranne Jones has cemented herself as one of Britain's best-loved acting talents.

Now, the versatile star is taking on her most powerful role yet - quite literally as the British Prime Minister in Hostage, Netflix's explosive new political thriller from Oscar-nominated Matt Charman (Bridge Of Spies).

In Hostage, Suranne plays Abigail Dalton, a politician plunged into chaos when her husband, Dr Alex Anderson, is kidnapped. And she made sure she was thoroughly prepared and did her homework. “I don’t think I'm allowed to say [who], but I did speak to three really high-up women from different parties,” Suranne, 46, says. “I read their books and I interviewed them, and that was very exciting.”

That attention to detail paid off. Abigail isn’t just a PM fighting for her family — she’s a woman balancing power and vulnerability. Portraying the latter involved getting close to her costar and onscreen husband, Ashley Thomas, aka grime star Bashy. “We did chemistry tests, and when he came in, it was just like, ‘Oh, you're intriguing, handsome, lovely, smart, intelligent,’” Suranne remembers. “And then we met our daughter (Isobel Akuwudike), who is also brilliant. It was her first job.”

Ashley also prepared thoroughly to portray medic Alex. He consulted real-life doctors, but it was the emotional weight of Alex's kidnapping that hit the hardest.