Suranne Jones hired a sex guru to teach her how to do lesbian love scenes.
Suranne Jones
The 40-year-old actress - who plays land owner Anne Lister in BBC One's 'Gentleman Jack' - says show creator Sally Wainwright got intimacy co-ordinator Ita O'Brien on board to help them with saucy scenes.
Suranne told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "I was quite nervous about the sex scenes we had to do, because I thought they should be approached as sensitively as they could be.
"One of the great things she brought was an articulacy - we could talk about the scenes.
"She just started talking about body parts and positions in a matter of fact way, which just liberated us all.
"As well as helping us sculpt the sex scenes, the positions, she's also there to provide support to the artists."
'Gentleman Jack' tells the story of Anne, who returns to Shibden Hall in West Yorkshire after a period of travel, study and social climbing.
Once back home, she engages in a quest to transform her house and business interests, as well as to find herself a wife.
Suranne stars in the upcoming BBC One show alongside Joe Armstrong, Jessica Baglow, Amelia Bullmore and Rosie Cavaliero.
And the former 'Coronation Street' actress said her and Ita explored the "different relationships" of womaniser Anne and wanted to tell her love stories poignantly.
She said: "We all discussed the different kind of relationships she had. It's about a loving relationship that develops between the two of them. That's how to tell a story rather than titillation."
The movement director - who works for film, television and theatre and also teaches at acting schools - thinks sex scenes should be as "carefully" choreographed as fight segments.
Ita said: "Fight scenes in films are carefully choreographed and rehearsed. Sex scenes should be the same."
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