| Jessica Gunning | |
| Birth Name: | Jessica Faye Gunning |
| Birth Date: | 21 May 1986 |
| Birth Place: | Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England |
| Occupation: | Actress |
Jessica Faye Gunning (born 21 May 1986) is an English actress. She has appeared in the TV series White Heat (2012), What Remains (2013), Back (2017–2021), and The Outlaws (2021–2024). For her breakout role in the miniseries Baby Reindeer (2024), she won a Primetime Emmy Award.
Gunning was born on 21 May 1986 in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire.[1] Her parents are Paul and Val Gunning. Her father works for Kirklees council while her mother was a drama teacher at the school Gunning attended Holmfirth High School. She has two siblings Harriet and Josh.[2]
She was educated at Holmfirth High School near Huddersfield before attending Rose Bruford College, graduating in 2007.[3] [4]
Gunning began her stage career at the National Theatre in productions including Much Ado About Nothing and Major Barbara in 2007/2008.[5]
On television, she guest-starred in the 2008 Doctor Who episode "Partners in Crime".[6] She also appeared in Mutual Friends before taking a recurring role as Angela in in 2009.[7]
In 2012, she played the character of Orla in the BBC television series White Heat.[8] This was followed by a lead role as Melissa Young in BBC drama What Remains.[9] In 2013, Gunning also played the part of Summer in an episode of Great Night Out for ITV and the following year starred as Siân James in the Golden Globe- and BAFTA-nominated film Pride.[10]
In other television work, Gunning was also seen in The Scandalous Lady W on BBC Two and played Shirley Allerdyce in Sky Atlantic's series Fortitude. She played the character of WPC Kath Morgan in Prime Suspect 1973, DC Sophie Carson in In the Dark and Umm Walid in the Channel 4 drama The State (2017).[7]
In 2019, Gunning performed on stage alongside Cate Blanchett at the National Theatre in When We Have Sufficiently Tortured Each Other, written by Martin Crimp and directed by Katie Mitchell.[11]
Gunning played Jan in the Channel 4 comedy Back,[7] and in 2021 starred as Diane Pemberley in BBC One's The Outlaws, created by Stephen Merchant.[7] Gunning reprised her Outlaws role for series 2 and 3 in 2022 and 2024 respectively, joining the writing team of the show for one episode of the third series.[12]
In 2024, Gunning played Martha Scott in the Netflix drama-thriller Baby Reindeer,[7] which earned her the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.[13] [14]
Gunning is a lesbian, having come out to her family and friends in November 2022.[15] She confirmed her sexuality in a June 2024 interview, describing herself as a "big old gay".[16] Discussing her coming out experience, Gunning said that it was a "mega, mega thing for [her] [...] adding that although she was "surrounded by gays" and that "all [her] friends are gay" so she "wasn't repressing anything", it was just that she didn’t think that she could be gay.[17]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | It's Adam and Shelley | Scarlet | 1 episode | |
| 2008 | Doctor Who | Stacy Campbell | Episode: "Partners in Crime" | |
| Mutual Friends | Maryka | 1 episode | ||
| 2009–2010 | Life of Riley | Annie the babysitter | 3 episodes | |
| 2009–2014 | Angela | 29 episodes | ||
| 2010 | Lizzie and Sarah | Branita | TV film | |
| Doctors | Ann Turnbull | Episode: "Daddy's Home" | ||
| 2011 | Holby City | Gwen Bishop | Episode: "Blue Valentine" | |
| 2012 | White Heat | Orla | 6 episodes | |
| Little Crackers | Matron | Episode: "Caroline Quentin's Little Cracker: Nutcracker" | ||
| 2013 | Great Night Out | Summer | 1 episode | |
| Common Ground: Adventure Venture | Emma | Episode: "Fergus & Crispin" | ||
| Quick Cuts | Annie | 3 episodes | ||
| What Remains | Melissa Young | 4 episodes | ||
| 2014 | That Day We Sang | Pauline | TV film | |
| 2015 | The Scandalous Lady W | Mary Sotheby | TV film | |
| Top Coppers | Romero | Episode: "The Twist of the French Nicker" | ||
| 2015, 2018 | Fortitude | Shirley Allerdyce | 10 episodes | |
| 2015, 2024 | Inside No. 9 | Shona / Party Guest | 2 episodes | |
| 2016 | Jericho | Mabel | 5 episodes | |
| 2017 | Urban Myths | Border Officer | Episode: "Bob Dylan: Knocking on Dave's Door" | |
| Prime Suspect 1973 | WPC Kath Morgan | 6 episodes | ||
| In the Dark | DC Sophia Carson | 4 episodes | ||
| The State | Umm Walid | 4 episodes | ||
| What About Barb? | Barb | TV film | ||
| 2017–2021 | Back | Jan | 12 episodes | |
| 2018 | Trollied | Donna Calabrese | 7 episodes | |
| Strike: Career of Evil | Holly Brockbank | 2 episodes | ||
| Tourist Trap | Maxine | 1 episode | ||
| 2019 | MotherFatherSon | Pam | 3 episodes | |
| 2020 | Isolation Stories | Stranger | Episode: "Mel" | |
| 2021–present | The Outlaws | Diane Pemberley | 17 episodes; also writer of 1 episode | |
| 2024 | Baby Reindeer | Martha Scott | 7 episodes |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Ghost in the Machine | Noreen | Short | |
| 2014 | Pride | |||
| 2016 | Love is Thicker than Water | Emily | ||
| 2019 | The Mermaid of Mevagissey | Nessa | Short | |
| 2020 | Summerland | Mrs Bassett | ||
| The Magic Faraway Tree | Dame Washalot | Filming |