The BBC has released the first images from ‘Time’ Series 3, featuring David Tennant (Doctor Who, Rivals) and returning star Siobhan Finneran (Happy Valley, Alma’s Not Normal) in the latest instalment of Jimmy McGovern’s award-winning prison drama.
Coming to BBC One and BBC iPlayer later this year, the three-part series moves the action inside a Young Offenders Institution, exploring the impact of locking up teenagers and the pressures placed on the people responsible for looking after them.
David Tennant stars as Bobby Bailey, a veteran Custodial Manager working at the institution, while Siobhan Finneran reprises her role as prison chaplain Marie-Louise O’Dell, having previously appeared in the first series of ‘Time’.
The newly released images show Bobby and Marie-Louise inside the institution, alongside Daniel Ryan (The Bay, Home Fires) as fellow Custodial Manager Freddie Jennings.
They also offer a first look at the young offenders at the centre of the story, including Louis McCartney (Hope Street, Silent Roar) as James, Ollie McNulty (Passenger) as Peter and Chukwubuikem Molokwu (The Responder, Screw) as Christopher.
Marie-Louise arrives at the YOI having lost her faith. When tragedy strikes inside the prison, she clashes with Bailey, who is dealing with a crisis of his own.
Bailey knows more about the circumstances surrounding the major incident than he has revealed, but will he come clean before the guilt becomes too much to bear?
Meanwhile, teenage offenders Peter and James struggle through the terrifying opening weeks and months of their incarceration.
James must face the prospect of seeing his devastated parents following an unforgivable act of violence, while Peter has to decide whether to reveal the truth about the death of an innocent man or remain silent out of loyalty to his family.
An unexpected friendship begins to form between the pair, potentially changing the direction of both their lives. However, with the institution becoming increasingly unstable, meaningful change may prove difficult.
The cast also includes Jo Joyner (Shakespeare & Hathaway, EastEnders) as Nicola and Vinette Robinson (Boiling Point, The A Word) as Erica.
The BAFTA-winning anthology was created by Jimmy McGovern (Cracker, The Street), who has written the third series alongside Samuel Bailey (Shook).
The first series of ‘Time’ starred Sean Bean (Game of Thrones, Marriage) as a teacher experiencing prison for the first time and Stephen Graham (Adolescence, Boiling Point) as an officer placed under intense pressure.
Series 2 moved the drama into a women’s prison, led by Jodie Whittaker (Doctor Who, One Night), Tamara Lawrance (The Long Song, The Silent Twins) and Bella Ramsey (The Last of Us, Game of Thrones).
The new series is directed by Paul Whittington (Dear England, This Town) and produced by Amanda Black (Blue Lights, World on Fire). It was filmed in Belfast and is produced by BBC Studios Fiction for BBC iPlayer and BBC One, in co-production with BritBox for North America and with support from Northern Ireland Screen.
‘Time’ Series 3 premieres later in 2026 on BBC iPlayer and BBC One. If I want to keep track of this or any other shows, I can add them via our Never Miss system, and I’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date. Visit Never Miss.
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