The BBC has found the leads for its upcoming adaptation of The Ministry of Time, with Aoife Hinds and Billy Howle set to star in the six-part series from A24. Filming is now underway in and around London, with the drama coming to BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Hinds, known for Normal People and Dune: Prophecy, will play Sophy, with The Perfect Couple and Under the Banner of Heaven star Howle taking on the role of Victorian polar explorer Commander Graham Gore.
What Is The Ministry of Time About?
The Ministry of Time is based on Kaliane Bradley’s bestselling debut novel and centres on a newly established government department experimenting with time travel. Sophy earns a long-awaited promotion in the civil service, only to discover that her new job involves helping an individual brought forward from history adjust to life in the modern world. That individual is Commander Graham Gore, a Victorian polar explorer and one of several historical “expats” brought into the present as part of the Ministry’s secret experiment.
Sophy and Graham initially develop a professional friendship, but their relationship gradually becomes a forbidden romance spanning centuries. At the same time, Sophy begins to uncover the darker intentions behind the Ministry and the experiment they have both become part of.
Who Is in The Ministry of Time Cast?
Aoife Hinds leads the series as Sophy, with Billy Howle starring opposite her as Commander Graham Gore. Further casting has not yet been announced, with the BBC confirming that more names will be revealed soon.
Bradley reacted to the casting and production beginning by joking that if she could travel back six years and tell herself what would eventually happen with the polar explorer she had just started writing about, there would have been some “very Victorian swooning”.
Who Is Making The Ministry of Time?
Alice Birch has adapted Bradley’s novel for television. Birch previously worked on Normal People, Dead Ringers and The End We Start From. Aneil Karia serves as lead director, with Frances du Pille producing. A24 is producing the six-part drama for the BBC, with the episodes running for approximately 60 minutes each. Amediateka, Crave, Binge Australia and ZDF are also co-producing.
When Is The Ministry of Time on BBC?
The BBC has not yet announced a release date for The Ministry of Time. Filming is now underway in and around London, with the series set to air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. We will likely have to wait a little longer for a transmission date and first-look images.
For CultureCues, this already sounds like a very good combination of romance, mystery and time travel. Aoife Hinds and Billy Howle are strong choices for Sophy and Graham, and the idea of a Victorian explorer suddenly having to navigate modern life gives the series plenty of potential. Add Alice Birch adapting the novel and A24 behind the production, and this is definitely one we will be keeping an eye on as filming continues.
The Ministry of Time will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. A release date has not yet been announced.
Nikki Murray is a UK-based writer, screenwriter and founder & editor of CultureCues, covering film, television, music and pop culture. Her work focuses on storytelling and the moments shaping modern entertainment.