The BBC has unveiled a first look at the highly anticipated third season of its BAFTA-winning drama, Time.
The upcoming series, penned by multi-award-winning screenwriter Jimmy McGovern (known for Unforgivable), is set inside a Young Offenders Institution and explores the "impact of locking up teenagers and the effects on those who look after them".
© BBC/BBC Studios/Peter MarleyFor the third chapter, David Tennant has joined the cast as Custodial Manager Bobby Bailey. He stars alongside Happy Valley actress Siobhan Finneran, who is reprising her role as Prison Chaplain, Marie-Louise O'Dell.
The show's previous seasons were met with critical acclaim and praised for their powerful cast performances and unflinching portrayal of prison life.
The first instalment starred Stephen Graham as an overworked prison guard and Sean Bean as a newly incarcerated prisoner consumed by guilt. The second season shifted focus to a women's prison, starring Bella Ramsey, Tamara Lawrance and Jodie Whittaker as three very different inmates whose lives intertwine.
If the third season proves to be even half as gritty and gripping as the first two, audiences are undoubtedly in for a treat. Keep reading to find out all we know.
© BBC/BBC Studios/Peter MarleyWhat to expect from Time season 3?
Season three sees Prison Chaplain Marie-Louise arrive at the YOI having lost her faith. But when tragedy strikes in the prison, Marie-Louise clashes with veteran officer Bailey, a man in the midst of his own crisis.
The synopsis continues: "Bailey knows more about the circumstances that led to this major incident – but will he come clean before the guilt gets too much?
© BBC/BBC Studios/Peter Marley"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?"
Who else stars in Time season 3?
Starring alongside David and Siobhan are Daniel Ryan (The Bay) as Freddie Jennings, a Custodial Manager at the YOI, Jo Joyner (Little Disasters) as Nicola, Vinette Robinson (Boiling Point) as Erica, Louis McCartney (Hope Street) as James, Ollie McNulty as Peter and Chukwubuikem Molokwu as Christopher.
© BBC/BBC Studios/Peter MarleyMeanwhile, Warren Brown (Ten Pound Poms, The Responder) plays Albie and Ethaniel Davy (Chicken Town, Hollyoaks) portrays Jayden.
Other cast members include Victor Zhao, Paul Smith Junior, Finn Kearns and Jack Barnes, who also make their screen debuts as Jietang, Toby, Mark and Chaz respectively.
© BBC/BBC Studios/Peter MarleyWhen will Time season 3 be released?
Season three arrives on BBC iPlayer and BBC One later this year, with a release date yet to be announced.
Time series one and two are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
