The third series of the BAFTA-winning drama Time begins tonight on BBC One at 9pm, filling the gap left by the conclusion of The Split Up.
The spin-off from The Split ended on Monday, and the new season of Time boasts a star-studded cast, including Happy Valley star Siobhan Finneran as prison Chaplain Marie-Louise and Doctor Who icon David Tennant as prison officer Bobby Bailey.
Episode Schedule and Premise
Episode one launches tonight, with episode two following on Monday, October 12. The BBC teased the new season: "When tragedy strikes in 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?"
Elsewhere, two young offenders struggle through the terrifying first weeks of their incarceration.
Cast Insights on the New Season
Actress Finneran teased about the new season: "All of the series are heartbreaking, but I think this one feels harder because it involves young people. That’s not to take away from any of the devastating stories we’ve seen in series one and two, but these are young men who are only really starting out in life and they’re already in trouble."
She added: "That’s what I’m finding upsetting about this one. What we cover in this series is the fact that these young boys are locked up for so many hours of the day. They haven’t got here because they’ve been behaving themselves, obviously, but it does feel like a very cruel way to treat somebody. I think, as human beings, we’re all very quick to judge somebody who is in prison."
The series also welcomes Daniel Ryan, Louis McCartney, Chukwubuikem Molokwu, Ollie McNulty and Ethaniel Davy. Actor Tennant said setting the new season in a young offenders institute was particularly compelling, adding: "There’s something about it being boys who are not yet men, who are all potential, and that potential being incarcerated."
He continued: "There’s something very galling about that. It’s quite scary because there’s a lot of energy in that moment in a young man’s life, in a boy’s life. It’s all that potential and it’s bottled and contained, which doesn’t feel right somehow. There’s a real sense of danger in that."
Fan Reactions to the Series
Fans have taken to IMDb reviews to share their thoughts on the series and its previous seasons so far, with one saying: "Masterpiece. Acting is so good I felt I was watching a documentary. Every single member of the cast was convincing."
Another called it "possibly the best show I've ever seen", adding: "Finally a top-quality British drama for grownups! Gutwrenching, deeply moving, ultimately uplifting examination of the personal struggles of a first-time inmate (Sean Bean) and his prison officer (Stephen Graham). Bean & Graham have always been remarkable in everything they do, and to see them together on screen is a rare treat!"
A final fan concluded: "Serious, realistic and brutal. If you want to see something serious and realistic, this is for you. It's about people's choices, playing the hand they are dealt."
Time season 3 starts on BBC One tonight, October 11, at 9pm.
