BritBox Sets March Premiere for Season 2 of Prison Drama 'Time'

BritBox has announced that the second season of Jimmy McGovern's (Broken) award-winning prison drama Time will arrive on the streaming service in March, though its cast and story will look decidedly different than its first.

The first season of Time starred Sean Bean (Marriage) and Stephen Graham (Bodies) and followed the story of a man imprisoned for killing a pedestrian while driving drunk. A grim exploration of the reality of life in prison, the season had a definitive endpoint, which saw Bean's Mark Cobden character released and Graham's Officer McNally imprisoned for his part in a smuggling ring. So, it shouldn't come as a surprise to most viewers that Season 2 sees the series officially morph into an anthology as it shifts its focus to a new setting and group of characters. 

Described as a moving and high-stakes portrayal of life inside a women's prison, Season 2 is told through the lens of three very different inmates. Season 2 stars Jodie Whittaker (Doctor Who), Bella Ramsey (The Last of Us), and Tamara Lawrance (The Long Song) as Orla O’Riordan, Kelsey Moran, and Abi Cochrane, three women who arrive at Carlingford Prison on the same day. Thrown together in an unfamiliar world notable only for its ever-present threat of violence, the three discover an unexpected sense of community together. 

 “Being a part of women-centered stories and productions is very important to me, as well as projects that challenge a prejudice," Lawrance said when the series was announced. "Time humanizes a sector of society that is too often and easily vilified by elucidating the layered reasons why people end up in the criminal (in)justice system. I’m excited for us to platform the complexity of these characters and their experiences.”

Here's the series synopsis.

 Arriving at Carlingford Prison on the same day, Orla (Jodie Whittaker), Abi (Tamara Lawrance) and Kelsey (Bella Ramsey) are thrown together to face an unfamiliar world. But even with the ever-present threat of violence within its walls, they discover that an unexpected sense of community and a shared understanding still might be possible.

Alongside Whittaker, Ramsey, and Lawrence, Siobhan Finneran (Happy Valley) will reprise her role as prison chaplain Marie-Louise. Additional cast members include Sophie Willan (Still Open All Hours), Julie Graham (Shetland), Alicia  Forde (Waterloo Road), Lisa Millett (The Paradise), Fay McKeever (The Responder), Kayla Meikle (The Capture), James Corrigan (This Is Going to Hurt), Nicholas Nunn (Rogue Heroes), and Maimuna Memon (Unforgotten).

“This is the best cast I have ever seen assembled for any drama of mine," McGovern said. "The best crew too."

Time Season 2 is co-written by Jimmy McGovern (Broken) and Helen Black, the writer of the now BAFTA-nominated Life and Death in the Warehouse. Andrea Harkin (The Confessions of Frannie Langton) directs all three episodes. McGovern executive produces, along with Priscilla Parish, Michael Parke, and Andrew Morrissey, for BBC Studios and Lucy Richer for the BBC. Mark Hedges (Hanna) is series producer.

Time Season 2 will premiere on Wednesday, March 27, with new episodes dropping weekly through April 10.