{"id":53787,"date":"2024-06-25T10:00:54","date_gmt":"2024-06-25T08:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=2061361"},"modified":"2024-06-25T12:32:24","modified_gmt":"2024-06-25T10:32:24","slug":"suranne-jones-on-coronation-street-comfort-tv-and-taking-control-of-her-career","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/suranne-jones-on-coronation-street-comfort-tv-and-taking-control-of-her-career\/","title":{"rendered":"Suranne Jones on Coronation Street, comfort TV and taking control of her career"},"content":{"rendered":"

“The characters I chose to do after Corrie didn’t have to be beautiful.” <\/p>

By Kelly-Anne Taylor\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 25 June 2024 at 08:00 AM<\/p>

\n\n

In the latest View From My Sofa, Suranne Jones opens up to Radio Times<\/strong> about her years on Coronation Street<\/a>, moving into producing and why she\u2019s now investigating witch trials in a new documentary.<\/p>\n

You can hear more from Suranne in the Radio Times Podcast<\/strong>, available now from your regular podcast provider.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the view from your sofa?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve got a big, green velvet sofa. We\u2019re going to change it because it\u2019s too low. We bought it so we could slump but we actually can\u2019t get up. My view is of my legs, my little boy\u2019s legs, my husband\u2019s legs covered in a blanket \u2013 and two dogs\u2019 heads. We\u2019ve got bookshelves, wedding pictures and a couple of awards!<\/p>\n

What do you enjoy watching on TV?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I watch stuff in the bath separately to the boys. At the moment, it\u2019s a lot of shows about housewives, The Valley and Bake Off. I\u2019ve been filming a big Netflix show and I\u2019ve done a lot of research and reading, so when I\u2019m relaxing, I want something mind-numbing.<\/p>\n

Who controls the remote when you do watch together?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We both have to be invested in it! On Saturday nights, we watch shows with my little boy \u2013 Gladiators<\/a>, Britain\u2019s Got Talent. It\u2019s only since he\u2019s turned eight that he wants to watch TV with us, have a curry and eat snacks!<\/p>\n

\"Suranne\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Suranne Jones.<\/span><\/figcaption> Dave J Hogan\/Getty Images<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

You started out in Coronation Street as Karen McDonald. As a girl who\u2019d grown up in Greater Manchester, that must have been a brilliant role to land?<\/strong><\/p>\n

All the northerners were punching the air when I signed the contract! It was really exciting. I won awards for being mouthy and, wrongly or rightly, sexy.<\/p>\n

That was the era of the lad mags\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was really hard. I was at Corrie for a few months, and I was doing bikini shoots. I hadn\u2019t even thought about my body in that way. I was going to all these awards and parties. It was full on. I was in the papers at the weekends. I was being chased by motorbikes. I had paps outside my house. It was big! But, at the same time I was enjoying myself. I was young \u2013 it was my university. That was a time where women were told they should look [a certain way] \u2013 there was no body positivity. The damage has been done for women of 40 and above. I don\u2019t know what it\u2019s like for younger people now, but hopefully it\u2019s better.<\/p>\n

Have those pressures eased over time?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The characters I chose to do after Corrie didn\u2019t have to be beautiful. I decided what they looked like, how they moved. The pressure now is \u2013 am I strong enough? Will I get through the long shooting days? It\u2019s about being healthy for my son. I don\u2019t have any kind of Botox, but I do look after my skin. I try to eat well but I also shove cake in my gob. It\u2019s about balance, isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

\"Suranne\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Suranne Jones in Vigil.<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

In 2018, you had a mental health breakdown following the loss of your mother and triggered by working exhausting hours. What have you learnt from that experience?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve learnt not to work over the summer. My son has six weeks of holiday \u2013 and\nI thought, what\u2019s the reason for that? It\u2019s so you can experience life. Surely that\u2019s good for adults as well? Not everyone can do that. I work intense hours for periods of time and then I take time off \u2013 which maybe I didn\u2019t do before.<\/p>\n

Your latest project is a documentary, Suranne Jones: Investigating Witch Trials<\/a>, made with your husband Laurence Akers by your production company, TeamAkers. Why witches?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always been intrigued by witchcraft, witch trials, wild women, feminine power and the political nature of the word \u201cwitch\u201d. I was brought up Catholic and lost my way with that. Over the years spirituality has become a big thing for me.<\/p>\n

Why did you want to produce?<\/strong><\/p>\n

When we started making this, I was also making I Am Victoria<\/a>, which was about mental health. Then I said, \u201cLet\u2019s do a thriller\u201d \u2013 which I\u2019ve just finished filming for Netflix \u2013 in which I play the prime minister. We\u2019ve just had another commission for a show about two female fraudsters. They\u2019re all really strong and really different. I feel like I\u2019m in control of my slate, what I spend my time doing, I can work around my family \u2013 and I can make sure that I\u2019m not pigeonholed.<\/p>\n

The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is out now \u2013\u00a0subscribe here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Radio\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>\n

Suranne Jones: Investigating Witch Trials continues at 9pm on Sunday 30th June on Channel 4.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Check out more of our\u00a0Documentaries<\/a>\u00a0coverage or visit our\u00a0TV Guide<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Streaming Guide<\/a>\u00a0to find out what\u2019s on.\u00a0<\/strong>For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to\u00a0The Radio Times Podcast<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n

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