Episode 1: "I was just passing"

Debut date: MONDAY, APRIL 22 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)

Halifax, 1832. Anne Lister (Suranne Jones) returns to Shibden Hall, having discovered that her would-be companion, the aristocratic Vere Hobart (Jodhi May), has accepted a marriage proposal from a man. Despite her affection for her elderly aunt (Gemma Jones), Lister is frustrated by the shabbiness of her ancestral home and finds her father (Timothy West) and long-suffering sister (Gemma Whelan) difficult to live with. When Lister discovers that her land is rich in coal, her plans to transform the estate soon provide a welcome distraction. On the neighboring estate, shy heiress Ann Walker (Sophie Rundle) is quietly delighted to hear that the charismatic Anne Lister is back. Meanwhile, a hit-and-run accident on Shibden land puts a child's life at risk, and Lister's new French maid, Eugénie (Albane Courtois), finds herself in trouble.

Written by Sally Wainwright; directed by Sally Wainwright.