David Tennant and Siobhan Finneran lead gripping youth prison drama
Jimmy McGovern’s third series of *Time* moves from adult prisons to a boys’ youth offending institution, using the setting to examine the treatment of young people in custody. The review calls the BBC drama urgent and gripping, linking its focus on prison life to overcrowding and wider problems facing young men.
David Tennant plays prison officer Bobby Bailey, while Siobhan Finneran returns as chaplain Marie-Louise. The story follows three young offenders, played by Ollie McNulty, Louis McCartney and Chukwubuikem Molokwu; the review praises their performances and the show’s tense, atmospheric writing, while warning that it is difficult viewing.
- *Time* returns with a story set in a boys’ youth offending institution.
- David Tennant and Siobhan Finneran lead the cast.
- The review praises its urgency and performances, but calls it harrowing.
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"Time" is a BBC drama series created by Jimmy McGovern, a writer whose work has often examined institutional settings and social issues. The first two series focused on adult prisons, but this third series moves to a boys' youth offending institution to examine the treatment of young people in state custody.
The drama comes at a time when youth custody faces significant challenges, including overcrowding, and broader societal difficulties facing young men. By setting the story within a youth institution, it examines these systemic issues through its narrative. This reflects broader public and policy discussions about how the criminal justice system handles young offenders.
David Tennant plays prison officer Bobby Bailey and Siobhan Finneran returns as chaplain Marie-Louise, with three young offenders at the centre of the story. The series explores the daily experiences of those in the institution. The narrative examines the complex realities of youth custody from multiple perspectives.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “Time: David Tennant and Siobhan Finneran are stellar in this horrifying and exceptional TV drama”.