Jimmy McGovern's BAFTA-winning prison drama Time returns for a third series on Sunday October 11, this time focusing on young offenders. The latest instalment of the Liverpool-set series stars Siobhan Finneran as prison chaplain Marie-Louise and David Tennant as veteran officer Bailey, a man facing his own crisis.
New series explores young offender institutions
McGovern co-wrote the series with playwright Samuel Bailey, known for Shook, which is also set in a young offender institution. The writer conducted extensive research in such institutions to develop the characters.
McGovern told the ECHO: "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. 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."
The third season follows two teenage offenders, Peter (Ollie McNulty) and James (Louis McCartney), as they navigate their first weeks and months of incarceration. Viewers later learn James has committed an unforgivable act of violence.
Personal encounters and childhood memories
During his research, McGovern met a teenager imprisoned for killing someone, an experience he described as deeply moving. He recounted: "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."
McGovern also drew on his own childhood, describing a poor schooling experience and growing up "skint". He said: "Priests at that school... they did not understand poverty and what it does to kids. It puts back their maturity, it ruins their self-esteem, it shatters their confidence, it drains their talent."
Critical portrayal of the prison system
The series offers a critical view of the prison system's daily operations, particularly the "keep apart" system used to separate inmates likely to commit violence against each other. McGovern said: "The stuff that shocked me is the stuff we tackle in the program, especially the keep apart system, which is actually designed so that prison officers can sit on their arses, you know? It's designed to keep prison officers away from all the boys."
He added: "It's actually shocking. It's mainly because of the keep apart system, there's no education, there's no training going on in these places. So it's just time wasted. Young boys, 16, 17, 18 years of age, cooped up in a tiny cell doing their brains in. It's a disgrace, it really is."
The script also explores the inner lives of prison staff, including Bailey's home story, which McGovern said "would have an impact on how he conducts himself within the prison. It certainly makes him richer as a character."
Championing young talent
McGovern praised Finneran's portrayal of Marie-Louise, saying: "Siobhan has created that character." He also expressed a commitment to mentoring young writers, recalling advice from Alan Bleasdale: "Keep your mouth shut and your ears open... stuff like that. Very blunt, but worth a fortune."
Episode one of Time series three launches on BBC iPlayer at 6am on Sunday October 11 and on BBC One at 9pm. Episode two follows on Monday October 12, with episode three airing on Sunday October 18. The first two series are available now on BBC iPlayer.
