Time season 2 features a top cast of British women stars including Bella Ramsey, Siobhan Finneran, Jodie Whittaker and Tamara Lawrence.
The first series of Jimmy McGovern’s gripping BAFTA award-winning series Time was a huge success, with Sean Bean playing prisoner Mark Cobden and Stephen Graham as conflicted prison officer Eric McNally. This new series sees the action shift to a women’s jail, with Happy Valley actress Siobhan Finneran reprising her role as prison chaplain Marie-Louise.
“I am delighted to be returning for Time two. It was a privilege to be involved in the first series and to be asked back is an honour, the scripts are again heartbreakingly brilliant,” says Siobhan.
Time series 2 promises a moving and high-stakes portrayal of life inside a women’s prison and this time we join inmates Kelsey (Bella Ramsey), Orla (Jodie Whittaker) and Abi (Tamara Lawrance) who arrive at Carlingford Prison on the same day and are immediately plunged into an unfamiliar world, fraught with danger, violence and threat. But they also discover that, despite their stark differences, an unexpected sense of community and a shared understanding might be possible.
“I’m very happy to be a part of this project, working with an incredible team and following on from a stellar first season. And it’s such an honour to be Kelsey, I’m really excited to experience the world through her for a few months,” says The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey.
So here’s everything we know about series two of Time so far….
Time season 2 release date
Time is a three-part series and will be shown on BBC One and BBCiPlayer. There’s no release date yet but we're expecting it to arrive at the end of 2023. Keep checking this page and we’ll update you as soon as we hear anything. We don't know yet when it will be shown in the US.
Time season 2 plot
This time the action moves to Carlingford Prison, where new inmates Kelsey, Orla and Abi arrive on the same day. The trio must all learn to navigate this unfamiliar world, with the ever-present threat of violence within its walls. However, they all discover a surprising shared bond.
Bella Ramsey as Kelsey
Bella plays young inmate Kesley. The British actress has recently been the lead star of in the smash hit sci-fi drama The Last of Us, playing Ellie Williams. She also played Lyanna in Game of Thrones and Birdy in Catherine Called Birdy. Bella has also starred in His Dark Materials, The Worst Witch (where she played the lead role of witch Mildred Hubble), Becoming Elizabeth, Requiem and was Judy Garland's daughter Lorna Luft in Judy.
Jodie Whittaker as Orla
Jodie Whittaker is playing inmate Orla. “Time was such an incredible and powerful show created by an extraordinary team, and being a part of this project in its second iteration is an absolute dream,” she says.
Jodie is best known for playing The Doctor in Doctor Who and grieving mum Beth Latimer in Broadchurch. She’s also been in Trust Me, Journeyman, Get Santa, Hello Carter and Marchlands, and will soon be seen in the Paramount Plus drama One Night.
Tamara Lawrence as Abi
Playing Abi in Time season 2 is Tamara Lawrence who has previously starred in Kindred, The Silent Twins, Invasion and Get Millie Black. She’s also appeared in The Split, No Offence and Undercover.
“Being a part of women-centred stories and productions is very important to me, as well as projects that challenge a prejudice,” Tamara says. “Time series two humanises 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.”
Siobhan Finneran as Marie-Louise
Siobhan Fineran is reprising her role from series one of TIme when she played prison chaplain Marie-Louise. She made her debut in the 1987 film Rita, Sue and Bob Too and has since starred in Happy Valley, Benidorm, Downton Abbey, Boy A, The Other One and The Stranger. She’s also appeared in Cold Feet, Clocking Off, The Syndicate, Doctor Who, Emmerdale and Coronation Street, where she played Josie Phillips.
Who else is starring in Time season 2?
The remaining cast are announced for Time season 2 includes Sophie Willan (Alma’s Not Normal, Still Open All Hours) Julie Graham (Benidorm, Shetland, Being Eileen), Alicia Forde (Waterloo Road, Ryan Can’t Read), Lisa Millett (The A Word, Robin Hood), Faye McKeever (The Responder, Des), Kayla Meikle (The Capture, The Girl Before), James Corrigan (This Is Going to Hurt, This England), Nicholas Nunn (Clique, SAS Rogue Heroes) and Maimuna Memon (Sherwood, Unforgotten).
Is there a trailer for Time series 2?
No, not yet, but as soon as the BBC release one, we’ll post it on this page.
Time writer and creator Jimmy McGovern on series 2
Writer Jimmy McGovern say of Time series 2: “This is the best cast I have ever seen assembled for any drama of mine. The best crew too. I am so, so looking forward to it.”
When season one of Time was released in 2021 Jimmy said: “I think I've been working on Time since the 1980s because from about 1982 onwards, I did a fair bit of work in prisons. I was always popping in doing a writer’s workshop and popping out again, and I was always fascinated by prison life for all kinds of reasons but I think the main one is I always had the feeling of, There but for the grace of God go I'. You know, because I was young and skint once as well, and I did a few naughty things. I was extremely lucky. So, it I think the seeds of writing Time goes back to the 1980s really. I'm always looking for stories, and the thing about the thing about a British prison is it's so full of stories.”
Jimmy McGovern has won four BAFTAs and is the man behind hard-hitting dramas such as The Street, Cracker and Moving On. He started as a writer on the soap Brookside and has also created Accused, Care, Reg, Hillsborough, Banished and The Lakes.
Behind the scenes, locations and more on Time season 2
This second season of Time will be filmed in Liverpool in the first half of 2023. The series has secured funding and support through the Liverpool Film Office. Global distribution will be handled by BBC Studios.
Co-writer Helen Black says: “To be asked to write the second season of Time with the incomparable Jimmy McGovern has been a joy and an honour.”
Andrew Morrissey, Executive Producer for BBC Studios says: “It’s always a privilege to be working with Jimmy. He writes stories and characters with such emotional complexity. Working in collaboration with Helen Black and directed by Andrea Harkin, we’re incredibly excited to introduce an audience to a new world and new stories.”
Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, says: “Jimmy McGovern and Helen Black’s scripts are nothing short of extraordinary, and in Bella, Jodie and Tamara we’ve found the perfect acting talents to bring these utterly compelling central characters to life. With Siobhan Finneran reprising her role from series one and Andrea Harkin in the director’s chair, BBC viewers are in for a remarkable three hours of television.”
