What To Expect From Suranne Jones’ Very First Netflix Series

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The Hostage will launch in August

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One of the British television’s most familiar faces is swapping the BBC for streaming giant Netflix – and she’s ‘thrilled’. Working on a Netflix original series has ‘been something I’ve wanted to do for a long time,’ Suranne Jones says, having starred in Scott & Bailey, Doctor Foster and Gentlemen Jack, though she is perhaps best known for Vigil opposite Rose Leslie. And now Hostage, a new five-part political thriller written by Matt Charman who wrote Bridge of Spies (2015).

‘We’d talked about projects previously, but for me it was about finding the right thing,’ Suranne says. ‘Hostage was perfect – me and Matt together backed up by this brilliant, supportive team. I loved it.’ Here’s what to expect.

Netflix’s Hostage: Plot, Cast, Release Date & More

Suranne Jones as Abigail & Julie Delpy as Vivienne in Hostage

What’s The Plot?

Previously titled The Choice, Hostage centres on two world leaders at an international summit: French president Vivienne Toussaint (Julie Delpy), who is the nation’s first female president and is campaigning for re-election, though her policy decisions regarding border control have proved controversial; and recently elected British prime minister Abigail Dalton (Jones) whose popularity is being threatened by a healthcare crisis.

The stakes are already high – but that ‘choice’ comes in when Abigail’s husband is kidnapped, and Vivienne is blackmailed. Both face an unimaginable dilemma and are forced into a fierce rivalry, with not just their careers hanging in the balance, but their lives, too. Can they work together to uncover the plot threatening them both?

Suranne Jones, Isobel Akuwudike and Ashley Thomas in Hostage. (Netflix)

Spanning the UK and La Palma in the Canary Islands, Hostage was filmed in March 2024, so it’s been a long journey bringing it to audiences. For series creator and writer Charman, however, finding the right role for Jones has been an even longer journey. He says he has ‘been dying to find the right story to tell with Suranne’.

But: ‘I honestly believe what she’s done with this character is going to blow the Netflix audience away,’ Charman adds. ‘An embattled British PM in the middle of a fight for her country and her family – she’s fierce, ruthless and you can’t take your eyes off of her.’

While Jones and Delpy lead the series, they’re backed up by an all-star cast spanning Queen Charlotte to Game of Thrones.

Sophie Robertson as Saskia & Corey Mylchreest as Matheo in Hostage

The Cast

Jones and Delpy will be joined by Corey Mylchreest, best known for his performance as George III in Netflix’s Bridgerton spin off Queen Charlotte, and Lucian Msamati who rose to fame on Game of Thrones but has most recently been seen in Gangs of London and Conclave – and plenty more.