The BBC has released the first-look images for Time Series 3, revealing David Tennant and Siobhan Finneran in the latest chapter of Jimmy McGovern’s BAFTA-winning prison drama. Set inside a Young Offenders Institution, the new three-part series will explore the impact of locking up teenagers and the effect it has on the people responsible for looking after them.
Tennant joins the cast as Bobby Bailey, a veteran Custodial Manager working at the institution, while Finneran returns as prison chaplain Marie-Louise O’Dell. The new images show the pair inside the YOI, with Marie-Louise arriving after losing her faith and Bailey facing a crisis of his own.
When tragedy strikes inside the prison, the two clash over what happened and how the situation should be handled. Bailey knows more about the circumstances surrounding the incident, but his decision over whether to reveal the truth could have serious consequences as the guilt begins to weigh on him.
The series will also follow teenage offenders Peter (Ollie McNulty) and James (Louis McCartney) through the frightening first weeks of their incarceration. James is struggling to face his parents after an act of violence, while Peter must decide whether to tell the truth about the death of an innocent man or protect his family.
As the two form an unexpected friendship, their connection begins to shift the direction of their futures. However, with tensions rising inside the institution, the series will question whether real change is possible in an environment that can become increasingly unstable.
Daniel Ryan also stars as fellow Custodial Manager Freddie Jennings, with Chukwubuikem Molokwu playing Christopher. Jo Joyner and Vinette Robinson join the cast as Nicola and Erica, although further details about their roles are being kept under wraps for now.
Created by Jimmy McGovern, Time began in 2021 with Sean Bean and Stephen Graham leading its first series. The second moved into a women’s prison with Jodie Whittaker, Bella Ramsey and Tamara Lawrance, while Finneran’s Marie-Louise has remained the connection between each story.
McGovern co-wrote the series with Samuel Bailey (Shook). Paul Whittington, known for Dear England and This Town, directs all three episodes, with Amanda Black producing.
The series was filmed in Belfast and is produced by BBC Studios Fiction for BBC One and BBC iPlayer, in co-production with BritBox for North America and with support from Northern Ireland Screen.
For CultureCues, Time has always been one of the BBC’s most powerful dramas, and this new setting gives the series another difficult subject to confront. The casting is brilliant too. Anything with David Tennant immediately has our attention, and pairing him with Siobhan Finneran makes this even more compelling. The focus on young offenders should bring a different perspective to the questions of guilt and punishment the drama has explored from the beginning. This already looks set to be another hard-hitting chapter.
Time Series 3 will arrive on BBC One and BBC iPlayer later this year.
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.