Suranne Jones awarded honorary degree in York

An award-winning actor has been awarded an honorary degree from the University of York.

Suranne Jones won a Bafta for best leading actress in Doctor Foster, and has starred in dramas like Hostage and Vigil, as well as the BBC comedy Film Club.

She starred in Gentleman Jack as Anne Lister, a 19th Century diarist dubbed the "first modern lesbian", filming at Lister's actual former home of Shibden Hall in Halifax.

Before her speech at the university's Central Hall, Jones noted the support students had given each other throughout the ceremony, saying: "It's just unbridled joy. It's infectious...it's beautiful."

Jones did not go to university as a young woman and said she had a chip on her shoulder about her education and "felt a little lesser for a while".

"What I didn't realise...was that I was already working really hard," she said.

"I was sharing stories, meeting and working with different communities, working to build relationships and conversations within society, breaking barriers, representing those who needed their voices amplified, sharing experiences and ideas, showing courage, vulnerability, and above all, truth seeking."

She said the "most wonderful" aspect of having had a career in the arts spanning more than three decades was the opportunities for "human connection and the sharing of knowledge".

She told the audience: "Stay curious, stay connected, and be confident that the little things will matter.

"The daily wins will build and strengthen community. Remember your local charities and offer expertise where you can because we need you to do that more than ever. And I promise to do that, too."

The university said her work aligned closely with its core values of courage, honesty, bravery and commitment to social purpose.

Billionaire founder of Infosys, N.R. Narayana Murthy, Cobra beer founder Lord Karan Bilimoria and sustainability scientist Dr Nancy R Irwin were also among the eight people due to receive honorary degrees this year.

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