The BBC's BAFTA-winning drama, Time, which comes from award-winning screenwriter Jimmy McGovern is returning with a third season – and Downton Abbey star Siobhan Finneran is set to lead the cast with Doctor Who's David Tennant.
The hard-hitting drama, which boasts an impressive Rotten Tomatoes score of 96 per cent, first premiered in 2021 and starred Stephen Graham as an overworked prison guard while Sean Bean played a newly incarcerated prisoner consumed by guilt. Meanwhile, season two was set in a women's prison and starred Bella Ramsey, Tamara Lawrance, Jodie Whittaker as three very different inmates. Siobhan Finneran starred in both seasons as prison chaplain Marie-Louise.
Both series were met with critical acclaim, with the first instalment winning two BAFTAs: one for Best Mini-Series and another for Best Actor, which went to Bean for his portrayal of prisoner Mark Cobden. Meanwhile, viewers hailed the series as "harrowing" and a "masterpiece".
I'm definitely keeping my eye out for this one. Siobhan Finneran is brilliant as Marie-Louise, and I have no doubt her and David Tennant will make a great team. If the third season is half as gritty and gripping as the first two, then viewers are in for a treat. Keep reading to find out more.
Siobhan Finneran will reprise her role as Marie-Louise
Who stars in season 3?
The three-part drama will be led by David Tennant, known for his roles in Rivals and Doctor Who, as Prison Officer Bailey, while Siobhan Finneran will reprise her role as Marie-Louise.
This time, the series is set in a Young Offenders Institution and explores "the impact of locking up teenagers and the effects on those who look after them".
The synopsis reads: "Prison Chaplain Marie-Louise comes to the YOI having lost her faith. When tragedy strikes within the prison, Marie-Louise clashes with veteran officer Bailey, a man in the midst of his own crisis. Bailey knows more about the circumstances that led to this major incident – but will he come clean before the guilt gets too much?
"Meanwhile, two teenage young offenders, Peter and James, struggle through the terrifying first weeks and months of their incarceration. Can James ever face his broken parents after an unforgivable act of violence and will Peter tell the truth about the death of an innocent man, or does family loyalty mean more? An unlikely friendship between them looks to shift the trajectory of their futures, but in an increasingly unstable environment, is change ever possible?"
Bella Ramsey, Tamara Lawrance and Jodie Whittaker starred in season two
When will Time be released?
While we know that filming will take place in Belfast, the BBC has yet to reveal when production begins and so it's hard to speculate about a release date at this moment. However, we do know that the show will air on BBC iPlayer and BBC One and is co-produced with BritBox for North America.
It's safe to say that viewers are in good hands with the creative team. Not only is the show penned by Jimmy McGovern (Unforgivable, The Street) and Samuel Bailey, the award-winning writer of the 2019 play Shook, but director Paul Whittington, who has credits on This Town and The Crown, is on board, alongside producer Amanda Black, known for her work on the gripping dramas Blue Lights and World on Fire.
Meanwhile, Josh Cole, Andrew Morrissey and Michael Parke are executive producing for BBC Studios Fiction, alongside Lucy Richer for the BBC, Jon Farrar and Jess O'Riordan for BritBox, and Jimmy McGovern.
Sign up to HELLO TV & Film for the week's top talking points and the lowdown on the latest releases
By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please click here.
Christopher was married to Home and Away actress Beatrice Norbury in 1971, before divorcing and later entering a civil partnership with Neil Sinclair in 2006
EastEnders actress Balvinder Sopal and Julian Caillon were in the dance-off for a sixth time opposite West End star Amber Davies and her partner Nikita Kuzmin
