---
name: "Jessica Gunning"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/jessica-gunning"
fi1m_id: "jessica-gunning"
imdb_id: "nm2934977"
tmdb_id: 1196101
wikidata_id: "Q6187234"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "1 January 1986"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 7
average_fi1m_score: 67
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 7
updated: "2026-10-07T18:07:54.948113+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Jessica Gunning

## Identity

Jessica Gunning

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/jessica-gunning
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** jessica-gunning
- **IMDb ID:** nm2934977
- **TMDB ID:** 1196101
- **Wikidata ID:** Q6187234
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Gunning, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6187234, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2934977/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1196101

Actor. Born 1 January 1986 in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England, UK.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 1 January 1986, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England, UK
- **Active:** 2014–present
- **Also known as:** Jess Gunning, 潔西卡・甘尼
- **BAFTA Television Awards:** 1 BAFTA (1 won)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 67, as actor, over 7 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 2010s 62 (3), 2020s 71 (4)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 75 to 73 across 4 titles
- **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 3 at 60–79, 2 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 1 of 5 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 5, Comedy 3, Crime 2, Adventure 1, Family 1, Fantasy 1
- **Screen time:** 6 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $49m across 2 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Gunning, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6187234, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2934977/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1196101

## Coming up

- *Anxious People* (2026-11-26)

## Streaming the US now

- **Netflix:** [*Baby Reindeer*](https://film.one/tv/baby-reindeer.md) (80)
- **Disney+:** [*The Christophers*](https://film.one/film/the-christophers.md) (74)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*The Outlaws*](https://film.one/tv/the-outlaws.md) (67)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Jessica Gunning

> Jessica Gunning can make an unreasonable person seem entirely settled in their habits. We value her calm comic timing and her willingness to find vulnerability, though she cannot make a character complicated when the script gives her only one thing to play.

Jessica Gunning’s Dame Washalot empties her tub down the trunk in *The Magic Faraway Tree* (2026) as though any objection would waste everybody’s time. We laughed at the calm of it: Gunning makes this unreasonable habit seem too well established to discuss. There is no need to signal the joke when the character sees nothing odd about what she is doing. It is the kind of small comic part she makes worth waiting for.

In *Pride* (2014), she plays Siân James for Matthew Warchus. The cast earn most of the uplift, even when the story tidies away the difficulties. Television work in *Back* (2017–2021) and Stephen Merchant’s *The Outlaws* (2021–2024) continued her place in comedy ensembles. Her Welsh accent in *Pride* and Bristolian in *The Outlaws* are useful reminders that the apparent ease involves quite precise work.

The turn came with *Baby Reindeer* (2024), written by and co-starring Richard Gadd. Gunning’s Scottish-accented Martha Scott has vulnerability as well as obsessive behaviour, which keeps her from becoming a straightforward villain. That breakthrough is a reason to seek out the earlier comedy, rather than assume it was all preparation for one dramatic part.

The limits are clearer in *The Christophers* (2026), where she plays Sally Sklar opposite James Corden as her brother, Barnaby. Steven Soderbergh, directing, shooting and editing, gets more from the conversations between Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel. Ed Solomon gives the children greed and little else, and Gunning plays the part as written. We wanted their scenes over, because neither actor is given much beyond the wish to make money.

*The Magic Faraway Tree* is the more useful reminder of what she can do with a comic routine. Its insistence that nothing should worry anyone leaves too little at stake, but Gunning knows how to make a routine amusing without fussing over it. We would happily watch her in another family comedy, preferably one prepared to let the children be frightened.

## Biography

Jessica Gunning is an English actress. She was born on 1 January 1986 in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, and was educated at Holmfirth High School and Rose Bruford College, from which she graduated in 2007.

She began her career in theatre at the National Theatre and has appeared in television series including *White Heat* (2012), *What Remains* (2013), *Back* (2017–2021) and *The Outlaws* (2021–2024), which she also wrote for. Her film roles include *Pride* (2014) and *Summerland* (2020). Gunning is known for her performance as Martha Scott in the miniseries *Baby Reindeer* (2024), for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award and a British Academy Television Award.

Her recent credits include the role of Sally Sklar in *The Christophers* (2025) and Dame Washalot in *The Magic Faraway Tree* (2026).

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, womensweekly.com.au.*

## On Fi1m (7)

- *The Christophers* (2026), Fi1m 74, as Sally Sklar — [page](https://film.one/film/the-christophers.md)
- *The Magic Faraway Tree* (2026), Fi1m 64, as Dame Washalot — [page](https://film.one/film/the-magic-faraway-tree.md)
- *Baby Reindeer* (2024), Fi1m 80, as Martha Scott — [page](https://film.one/tv/baby-reindeer.md)
- *The Outlaws* (2021), Fi1m 67, as Diane — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-outlaws.md)
- *The State* (2017), Fi1m 49, as Umm Walid — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-state.md)
- *Jericho* (2016), Fi1m 56, as Mabel — [page](https://film.one/tv/jericho.md)
- *Pride* (2014), Fi1m 82, as Siân James — [page](https://film.one/film/pride.md)

## Complete filmography (45)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Anxious People* (2026), Actor
- *Frank and Percy* (2026), Actor
- *Sunny Dancer* (2026), as Karen
- *The Christophers* (2026), as Sally Sklar — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/the-christophers.md)
- *The Magic Faraway Tree* (2026), as Dame Washalot — Fi1m 64, [page](https://film.one/film/the-magic-faraway-tree.md)
- *Baby Reindeer* (2024), series, as Martha Scott — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/tv/baby-reindeer.md)
- *The Mysterious Affair at Styles* (2022), as Evie Howard (voice)
- *The Outlaws* (2021), series, as Diane · Writer — Fi1m 67, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-outlaws.md)
- *Summerland* (2020), as Mrs. Bassett
- *Isolation Stories* (2020), series, as Stranger (voice)
- *The Mermaid of Mevagissey* (2019), as Nessa
- *MotherFatherSon* (2019), series, as Pam
- *Tourist Trap* (2018), series, as Maxine
- *Back* (2017), series, as Jan
- *Love Is Thicker Than Water* (2017), as Emily
- *Strike* (2017), series, as Holly Brockbank
- *The State* (2017), series, as Umm Walid — Fi1m 49, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-state.md)
- *In the Dark* (2017), series, as DC Sophie Carson
- *Prime Suspect 1973* (2017), series, as WPC Kath Morgan
- *Urban Myths* (2017), series, as Border Officer
- *Jericho* (2016), series, as Mabel — Fi1m 56, [page](https://film.one/tv/jericho.md)
- *Sometimes Chinese* (2016), as Barbara
- *Top Coppers* (2015), series, as Agent Romero
- *The Scandalous Lady W* (2015), as Mary Sotheby
- *La Couchette* (2015), as Shona
- *Fortitude* (2015), series, as Shirley Allerdyce
- *That Day We Sang* (2014), as Pauline
- *Pride* (2014), as Siân James — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/pride.md)
- *Inside No. 9* (2014), series, as Shona, Party Guest — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/inside-no-9.md)
- *What Remains* (2013), series, as Melissa Young
- *Quick Cuts* (2013), series, as Annie
- *Common Ground* (2013), series, as Emma
- *Great Night Out* (2013), series, as Summer
- *Ghost in the Machine* (2012), as Noreen
- *White Heat* (2012), series, as Orla
- *Comedy Blaps* (2011), series, as Steph
- *Trollied* (2011), series, as Donna
- *Little Crackers* (2010), series, as Matron
- *Lizzie and Sarah* (2010), as Branita
- *Law & Order: UK* (2009), series, as Angela
- *Life of Riley* (2009), series, as Annie
- *Mutual Friends* (2008), series, as Maryka
- *Doctor Who* (2005), series, as Stacey Harris — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/tv/doctor-who-2005.md)
- *Doctors* (2000), series, as Ann Turnbull
- *My Mama Cass*, as Cass Elliot

## Gallery

- ![Jessica Gunning who presented a BAFTA TV Award, May 26 (2026)](https://film.one/media/person/6772/gallery-1388139c626c.jpg) Jessica Gunning who presented a BAFTA TV Award, May 26 (2026) — JaceMerlyn, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/96/Jessica_Gunning_at_BAFTA_2026.jpg/1280px-Jessica_Gunning_at_BAFTA_2026.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Jessica Gunning who presented a BAFTA TV Award, May 26 (2026)](https://film.one/media/person/6772/gallery-ea874a9c48d8.jpg) Jessica Gunning who presented a BAFTA TV Award, May 26 (2026) — JaceMerlyn, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Jessica_Gunning_at_BAFTA_2026_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Jessica Gunning at the TV BAFTA red carpet, May 26 (2026)](https://film.one/media/person/6772/gallery-32b78f2962ad.jpg) Jessica Gunning at the TV BAFTA red carpet, May 26 (2026) — JaceMerlyn, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Jessica_Gunning_at_BAFTAs_2026_01.jpg/1280px-Jessica_Gunning_at_BAFTAs_2026_01.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Jessica Gunning at the TV BAFTA red carpet, May 26 (2026)](https://film.one/media/person/6772/gallery-0611110b09dc.jpg) Jessica Gunning at the TV BAFTA red carpet, May 26 (2026) — JaceMerlyn, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/Jessica_Gunning_at_BAFTAs_2026_02.jpg/1280px-Jessica_Gunning_at_BAFTAs_2026_02.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Jessica Gunning](https://film.one/media/person/6772/gallery-b1d60f6b43d6.jpg) Jessica Gunning — Image via TMDB
- ![Jessica Gunning](https://film.one/media/person/6772/gallery-4e8030eb009a.jpg) Jessica Gunning — JaceMerlyn, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/Jessica_Gunning_at_BAFTAs_2026_02_%28cropped%29.jpg/1280px-Jessica_Gunning_at_BAFTAs_2026_02_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

## Awards

### BAFTA Television Awards — 1 won

- 2025: Best Supporting Actress (won), for *Baby Reindeer*

### Golden Globes — 1 won

- 2025: Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film (won), for *Baby Reindeer*

### Primetime Emmy Awards — 1 won

- 2024: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie (won), for *Baby Reindeer*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/jessica-gunning