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Stephen Graham's wife Hannah stars alongside him in BBC's Time - did you spot her?

Hannah Walters appears in the brilliant new drama

time bbc stephen graham
Francesca Shillcock
Senior Features Writer
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BBC's latest offering, Time, is proving to be both a gritty and emotional watch thanks to its harrowing plot and seriously impressive cast.

Acting heavyweights Sean Bean and Stephen Graham lead the way in the show – but did you know that Stephen's on-screen wife is actually played by his real wife, actor Hannah Walters?

MORE: Viewers stunned after spotting Line of Duty star in new BBC drama Time

Hannah, who has appeared in plenty of great TV dramas throughout her career, plays Sonia McNally, the wife of prison officer Eric (Stephen Graham) who faces a tumultuous time when her son, Daniel, is sent to prison.

WATCH: Official trailer for BBC's new drama, Time, starring Sean Bean and Stephen Graham

Soon, the couple find themselves confronting more difficulties when Eric begins to commit crimes in order to protect their son from prison violence.

The couple are no strangers to acting together; they both appeared in Shane Meadows' hugely successful creation, This Is England. Hannah played the part of Trudy in the TV series, while Stephen played Andrew "Combo" Gascoigne in the 2006 original movie and in the TV spin-offs.

Hannah has landed many other great parts in recent years, including in ITV's Broadchurch and Whitechapel as DC Megan Riley. She's also known for her parts in No Offence and Boiling Point.

MORE: The creators of Line of Duty are working on a new legal drama - and it sounds brilliant

MORE: Time: meet the cast of new BBC drama

hannah walters bbc© Photo: BBC

Hannah plays Sonia McNally in Time

Stephen and Hannah met at Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama in London and formed a close friendship before becoming an item. Eventually, the couple tied the knot in 2008 and have since welcomed two children.

Stephen, known for his work in Boardwalk Empire, Line of Duty and The Irishman, opened up about his early relationship with Hannah during his episode of Desert Island Discs in 2019. He told BBC Radio DJ Lauren Laverne: "That saying you don't know what you've got until it's gone is so true for me, personally, because [Hannah] went to Spain for a little bit and I couldn't see her.

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"She then came back and we hadn't been on a date in these like five or six years, we'd just been talking. So I said, 'Can I take you on a date?' and we went to watch Saving Private Ryan and had a little bite to eat in Greenwich.

"I said to her 'Please don't go [back] to Spain', and she went 'Why?' and I said, 'I love you'. Then she said 'I've been waiting five years for you to say that.' And we've been together ever since."

Time continues on Sunday on BBC One at 9pm. All three episodes are available on the iPlayer. 

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