Cliff Notes – TV fans convinced heart-racing Netflix thriller shows ‘Suranne Jones at her best’

Premise and Release: “Hostage,” a political thriller starring Suranne Jones, will premiere on Netflix on August 21, featuring a gripping storyline involving the kidnapping of a Prime Minister’s husband amid an international summit.
Character Dynamics: The series explores the tension between personal and national responsibilities, with Jones portraying UK Prime Minister Abigail Denton, who faces a harrowing choice between her family and her duty to the country.
Critical Anticipation: Early reactions from fans highlight excitement for Jones’s performance, with many expressing eagerness to see the series, which also stars Julie Delpy as French President Vivienne Toussaint.

Suranne Jones is back in a political thriller on Netflix (Picture: Des Willie/Netflix)

TV viewers have nothing but praise for Suranne Jones ahead of the release of the brand new drama series Hostage on Netflix.

All five episodes of the political thriller, which comes from Academy Award nominee Matt Charman, will drop on the streaming platform on August 21.

The series follows French President Vivienne Toussant, played by Julie Delpy, and UK Prime Minister Abigail Denton, played by Jones, as they’re caught in the middle of an international incident.

France and England’s political leaders are set to meet at an international summit when Abigail’s husband, Alex, is kidnapped by vigilantes, causing chaos.

Her husband’s abductors announce that PM Dalton must step down from her position if she ever wants to see her husband alive again.

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Amid the uproar, President Toussaint also begins receiving dangerous threats, leaving the leaders of both countries in a race against time to find a resolution.

Charman told Netflix: ‘I have always wanted to tell the story of the reality of living where you work as a prime minister and being torn between your family and your country.’

Also speaking to the streamer, Jones revealed the true nature of her character: ‘She is put in such extreme circumstances, and we see that when push comes to shove, she puts her country over her family.’

She then revealed that the original working title for Hostage was The Choice, emphasising the importance of Dalton’s tough decision to the overall plot.

France and the UK have to work together (Picture: Kevin Baker/Netflix)

The Prime Minister’s husband is kidnapped by vigilantes (Picture: Ollie Upton/Netflix)

Jones added: ‘I’m thrilled to be on Netflix in something I’m really proud of. It’s been something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. We’d talked about projects previously, but for me, it was about finding the right thing.

‘Hostage was perfect — me and Matt together, backed up by this brilliant, supportive team. I loved it.’

Delpy said of her President Toussaint: ‘She’s good at handling situations and power, but her weakness is her hidden side. She puts herself and her entire career in danger for something that could have been avoided.’

Sofian Francis, who stars in three episodes of the miniseries as Burke, called the series ‘one of my favourite filming experiences ever’ and said that he can’t wait to see the full hostage series in action.

It’s a race against time to save Dr. Alex’s life (Picture: Ollie Upton/Netflix)

The thriller series drops on August 21 (Picture: Des Willie/Netflix)

Actor Dominic Lawrence commented on Instagram: ‘I am so so so excited for this,’ while US-based fans of Jones wondered if the show was getting a worldwide release.

NikkiLuman asked: ‘Will it come to US Netflix at the same time?’, before fans informed her that Hostage would get releases in the US and Canada, among other territories.

CallieWalsh33 said: ‘Can’t wait – love Suranne in everything she’s in,’ while AnnWoodbutters5 remarked: ‘Wow – can’t wait, Suranne at her best.’

As well as starring Jones and Delpy, Hostage also features Corey Mylchreest as Matheo Lewis, Lucian Msamati as Kofi Adomako, and Ashley Thomas as Dr Alex Anderson.

Further down the cast list are Game of Thrones and Trainspotting actor James Cosmo and French former Savages singer Jehnny Beth.

Hostage will be available to stream on Netflix on August 21.

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