Jimmy McGovern has said this new, third season of his prison anthology drama Time will be its last. For the sake of viewers’ emotional well-being, you have to hope so. For the sake of scripted drama, for the sake of art that might stir the conscience of authorities and bring about change, you have to hope not. This time, Time is set inside a young offender institution. It is packed with under-18-year-old males, often locked up for 23 hours a day, all subject to the relatively new “keep apart” system, where prisoners considered likely to be violent toward each other are not allowed out of their cells at the same time. Naturally, this means more boys are locked up for more of the day, which suits the officers much better. This is one aspect of modern YOIs that McGovern and his co-writer Sam Bailey, a man clearly cut from the same socially conscious cloth, are determined to bring to wider attention. Their script, and Paul Whittington’s direction, do a wonderful, terrifying job of capturing the restless energy pent up and desperate for release, and the seething fury always threatening to erupt, in every scene. And what scenes. This is McGovern (and Bailey) at their finest – stripped of sentimentality, always furious and driven by a purpose but never descending into propaganda, giving us stories of suffering, of moral struggle, of the damage and the glory people are capable of, the burdens they bear and the gifts they can give. View image in fullscreen Hope of redemption … Siobhan Finneran with Tennant. Photograph: BBC/BBC Studios/Peter Marley A restrained David Tennant, in one of his best ever performances, plays corrections officer Bobby Bailey, worn down by the job but not entirely lacking compassion for the boys in his care. Alongside him is his colleague Freddie Jennings (Daniel Ryan), of whom much the same can be said. At least until we see him punch James (Louis McCartney) in the gut, a mouthy smart alec suddenly gasping for breath on the floor after one wisecrack too many. ‘Me and the lads would not survive a day in here’: inside TV’s utterly stunning, Bafta-winning prison drama Read more Into the prison comes chaplain Marie-Louise (the inimitable Siobhan Finneran), who has appeared in all three parts of the trilogy and is – blissfully – given more to do here. She has lost her faith, after a relationship ended and a marked lack of Christian charity from expected sources followed. She expects to be fired from the new post when she confesses this, but the elder chaplain tells her they need her now more than ever. And so they do, but she is a straw in the howling wind of need within the system. And she knows it. But she keeps going and keeps going, and this, in McGovern’s theology, is where all hope of redemption resides. We get to know the boys – or young men, but the drama portrays them so clearly as boys within, inarticulate, insecure, capable of sweetness and softness but hardening by the minute – gradually. McGovern and Bailey don’t shy away from the fact that the offenders are (unlike the women in the second season, say, whose petty crimes were part of the point) incarcerated for “proper” reasons. James has killed his brother, a group of Liverpudlian boys murdered a man in the street, and the sense is that the rest of them have all committed, or been involved with, similar levels of violence. Most of the actors – including Ollie McNulty as Peter, the conscience-stricken member of the murderous gang, and Chukwubuikem Molokwu as Christopher/Ushindi, whose avoidable tragedy drives much of the narrative – are making their debuts, and the quality of their performances (and Molokwu must also navigate his character’s painful stammer, which he does without losing focus for a moment) is simply astonishing. Kudos to them all and to the woman who found them, casting director Amy Hubbard. All of McGovern’s usual concerns are on display as Bobby’s sins, major and minor, pile up, temptations encourage strayStraying from the path of righteousness turns guilt into a prison of its own. The boys show us how grief, abuse, and a lack of language to express any of it come out as simple violence, and how little a gut punch—whether real, from a person, or metaphorical, from the state—does to stop it, let alone solve it. Love is offered, a bit more openly than elsewhere in the series, as an answer. Not a cure-all, just… a chance. To be better, feel better, live better. Eventually, after three of the most harrowing and deeply moving hours, we are allowed some hope. For many reasons, including its sheer complexity and the awfulness of the truths it holds, this portrait of masculinity and the misery it brings probably won’t get the attention and momentum that Jack Thorne’s Adolescence did. But it should. Our boys need it. Time aired on BBC One and is on iPlayer now in the UK. An Australian broadcast has yet to be confirmed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs based on the review and themes of the drama Time
What is the show Time about
It is a British drama series about life inside a prison It focuses on the harsh realities of the justice system and the people within it
Who does David Tennant play in Time
He plays a character named Tony Tony is a man who is struggling to survive in prison while trying to protect his son
Why is David Tennants performance described as furious
His performance is called furious because it is full of intense emotion anger and desperation He shows the raw panic of a man in a terrible situation
Why is this show compared to Adolescence
It is compared to Adolescence because both shows look deeply at serious social problems They both show how young people and families can be failed by society and the system
Is Time based on a true story
No it is not a true story However it is heavily researched and shows a very realistic view of what prison life is actually like
What is the main message of Time
The main message is that the prison system is broken It shows that prison often punishes people without helping them get better or addressing the root causes of crime
Do I need to watch Season 1 to understand Season 2
No Time is an anthology series Each season tells a different story with different characters You can watch them in any order
Why is this show considered important
It is important because it makes people talk about difficult topics like prison reform and mental health It puts a human face on people we often ignore
What are the benefits of watching a show like Time
Watching it helps you understand the realworld consequences of the justice system It builds empathy for people in difficult situations
Is Time hard to watch
Yes it can be very intense and emotional It deals with themes of violence despair and mental health struggles
What is the biggest problem shown in the prison system on the show
The biggest problem shown is a lack of safety and support Inmates are often scared for their lives and there are not enough resources to help them
How does the show portray the guards and prison staff
It shows them as overworked and
