Time Series 3: Everything We Know So Far

Jimmy McGovern’s crime drama Time is deeply emotional. With each series following a new set of inmates and staff in His Majesty’s Prison Service, themes span guilt, masculinity, motherhood, addiction and more, all backdropped by the claustrophobic captivity of a prison.

Airing in 2021, series 1 starred Siobhan Finneran, Sean Bean and Stephen Graham, while 2023’s second series was led by an all-female ensemble: Jodie Whittaker, Tamara Lawrence and Bella Ramsey, again joined by Finneran reprising her role as prison chaplain Marie-Louise O’Dell.

And now Finneran is set to return to this prison backdrop for Time series 3 – joined by beloved British star David Tennant at the fore – which the BBC teases will delve into the world of Young Offenders Institutions. Perhaps taking its lead from Netflix’s uber-successful and agenda-setting one-shot drama Adolescence, the series will take us into the heart of a YOI full of teenage boys grappling with myriad issues – not least the reverberating impacts of their crimes.

Three years after series 2 aired in 2023, filming is officially underway on the drama’s hotly anticipated return. Here’s everything we know so far about Time series 3.

Kelsey (BELLA RAMSEY), Abi (TAMARA LAWRANCE) & Orla (JODIE WHITTAKER) in Time series 2. (BBC/Sally Mais)

The Plot

Delving into the world of Young Offenders Institutions, Time series 3 will have parallel dramas: between the adults, and between the teenage boys. Grappling with her faith, Prison Chaplain Marie-Louise O’Dell (Finneran) starts a new position at this YOI, where she meets veteran officer Bailey (Tennant).

And then tragedy strikes inside the YOI and the two clash, with Marie-Louise discovering Bailey is going through a crisis of his own. Bailey knows more about how this major incident came to fruition, but will he come clean before the guilt overwhelms him?

Meanwhile Peter (Ollie McNulty) and James (Louis McCartney) are two teenage newbies in the YOI, struggling through their terrifying first weeks in incarceration. Plagued by the events leading up to their incarceration – Peter is concealing the truth about the death of an innocent man, while James has committed an unforgivable act of violence – the two form an unlikely friendship. But can their characters be redeemed in the ever unstable environment of a YOI?

As always, Time series 3 has been penned by veteran screenwriter Jimmy McGovern, who cut his teeth writing on Channel 4’s Brookside. More recently, he has penned BBC Two film Unforgivable (2025) starring Bobby Schofield and Anna Friel, and BBC One film Care (2018) starring Sheridan Smith.

The Cast

Time has a legacy of big-name stars, and series 3 will be no different. David Tennant and Siobhan Finneran lead the cast, joined by Vinette Robinson, Jo Joyner, Daniel Ryan and Warren Brown – plus lots of younger stars playing our young offenders, many in their screen debuts.

The full cast we know so far is as follows:

• David Tennant as Officer Bailey
• Siobhan Finneran as Prison Chaplain Marie-Louise O’Dell
• Vinette Robinson as Erica
• Jo Joyner as Nicola
• Daniel Ryan as Custodial Manager Jennings
• Warren Brown as Albie
• Louis McCartney as James
• Ollie McNulty as Peter
• Chukwubuikem Molokwu as Christopher
• Ethaniel Davy as Jayden
• Victor Zhao as Jietang
• Paul Smith Junior as Toby
• Finn Kearns as Mark
• Jack Barnes as Chaz

Episodes

Like series 1 and 2 before it, we’re told Time series 3 will be made up of three one hour-long episodes.

Release Date

Filming is underway in Belfast, but no official news on release just yet from the BBC on when we will get to see Time series 3. We anticipate a 2027 premiere.

The first two series of Time are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

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