BBC's returning prison drama will 'bring something very different' for season 3 – out this weekend
After a wait of three years, Jimmy McGovern's Time is back on the small screen with its eagerly awaited third season on Sunday (11 October). Siobhan Finneran is also returning, with the actor being joined in the cast by David Tennant.
The latest saga in the BBC crime drama sees Finneran reprise her role as prison chaplain Marie-Louise Odell, with the figure clashing with custodial manager Bobby Bailey (Tennant) following a tragedy at a Young Offenders Institution.
The pair are part of an ensemble which also includes the likes of Louis McCartney and Daniel Ryan, and the latter has teased that the newest season will be markedly different to its predecessors.
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"Having under 18s here will bring something very different to Time," said the actor, who plays prison officer Freddie Jennings. "We'd all run a million miles to do a Jimmy McGovern script. He doesn't mess about, he doesn't run away from the harsh realities.
"He's always got something to say and something for us to re-examine as an audience. I think that's ultimately what Jimmy has shown through all three [seasons] - he's a master of writing about human nature, forgiveness and hope."
"You're not going to be disappointed watching this one," he teased. "What you are going to get from it is a feeling that you've learnt something and been moved as only Jimmy McGovern seems to be able to do."
With the setting changing to a Young Offenders Institution from a prison, the cast for the third season is predominantly much younger than before, and Ryan has expressed admiration for his co-stars.
"The energy, enthusiasm and desire they have to tell the stories honourably has been brilliant to watch with these lads," he shared. "There's an energy you get – they don't hold back. Take after take they are full throttle, they keep us on our toes as old lags!"
"I'm feeding off their energy all the time. It's a lovely reminder of the start of my career. I hope I haven't done anything that's going to make them take any bad habits into the rest of their careers, because they're all going to have big careers," he added.
Time season 3 premieres on Sunday 11 October at 9pm on BBC One, and will stream on BBC iPlayer.
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