David Tennant will lead the third series of BAFTA-winning prison drama Time, moving the anthology to a youth offenders’ institution. He will play custodial manager Bobby Bailey alongside returning chaplain Mary-Louise O’Dell, played by Siobhan Finneran, in a story centred on institutional failure, moral compromise and resilience.

The new series follows two teenagers dealing with serious crimes, while staff face personal crises before a tragedy triggers conflict inside the prison. Created by Jimmy McGovern, Time previously examined men’s and women’s prisons through separate casts and storylines; the article argues that Tennant’s ability to combine charm with darker emotional complexity makes him well suited to its restrained, morally difficult world.