The final episode of Time's third series aired last night, and creator Jimmy McGovern has indicated it may be the last ever instalment of the prison drama. The show, starring David Tennant as prison officer Bobby Bailey, has been praised for raising questions about the British justice system.
A Possible End for Time
Speaking to the Radio Times ahead of the season, McGovern said: "I think this will be the last Time. I have said that many a time before, though, because these are also stories I feel bound to tell."
After focusing on male and female prisons in the first two series, the latest three episodes turned the spotlight on a young offenders institute. Siobhan Finneran has appeared in all three series as prison chaplain Marie-Louise O'Dell, and Sunday's episode appeared to give her character some resolution.
Inspiration Behind the Series
In an exclusive interview with the ECHO, McGovern explained why he chose to explore youth custody. He said: "It seemed wrong to just stop and not tackle the situation inside a young offenders institution. But it was an eye-opener, it really was."
The 77-year-old also discussed working with Samuel Bailey, saying: "I was just worried about writing something crass. And so we had to bring on a writer who was confident and could actually write with that young voice."
A Moving Encounter
During his research, McGovern met a teenager in prison for killing someone, an experience he described as deeply moving. He said: "We were just allowed straight into a cell, because there's no privacy in a prison, you know? Your cell is not your home. A prison officer can just walk in. And he was sitting on the edge of his bed, and I wanted to talk to him, and so instinctively, as a human being, I got down to his eye level. And it took him by surprise, because he'd gotten used to prison officers just standing up straight and talking down to him. He was shocked."
He added: "He must have been about 17 years of age facing a sentence of well over 20-odd years for doing something - for doing something atrocious of course. I don't know why it moved me so much, but it did move me. I think it's because he was so young."
Scouse Talent in the Show
Although filmed in Northern Ireland, Time season three featured young Scouse talent. Paul Smith Jr received his first acting role in the show and said: "The response to Time season three has been phenomenal and my Instagram and TikTok messages have blew up off it, so I'm kind of overwhelmed."
All three episodes of Time series three are available to watch on iPlayer.
