David Tennant Says Time Series 3 Will Confront How Young Prisoners Are Treated

David Tennant says the Time series 3 is intended to provoke discussion about what happens when teenagers are locked inside the prison system.

The acclaimed BBC drama returns on Sunday 11 October, with its third story moving into a Young Offenders Institution and Tennant joining the cast as experienced custodial manager Bobby Bailey.

Speaking ahead of the premiere, Tennant said the drama raises questions about the way young prisoners are treated and what incarceration can do to teenagers and their families.

In a new Radio Times interview with David Tennant, Siobhan Finneran and creator Jimmy McGovern, McGovern explains that the idea for the third series developed after the first two stories had examined adult male and female prisons.

Time moves inside a young offenders institution

Each series of Time tells a largely self-contained story within the British prison system.

The first starred Sean Bean and Stephen Graham and was set inside a men’s prison.

Series two moved to a women’s prison with Jodie Whittaker, Tamara Lawrance and Bella Ramsey.

Time series 3 now turns its attention to younger prisoners.

The story follows two teenagers, Peter and James, struggling through the first weeks and months of incarceration while the adults responsible for them deal with pressures of their own.

A serious incident inside the institution becomes the central mystery.

Tennant’s Bobby Bailey knows more about what happened than he initially reveals, leaving him caught between his professional responsibilities, guilt and the consequences of telling the truth.

Siobhan Finneran returns as Marie-Louise

One familiar character connects all three series.

Siobhan Finneran returns as prison chaplain Marie-Louise O’Dell, making her the only character to appear throughout Time.

This time, Marie-Louise arrives at the young offenders institution while dealing with a crisis of faith.

When tragedy strikes, she clashes with Bailey over what happened and what should happen next.

The first trailer for Time series 3 reveals Bailey asking Marie-Louise what he should do, while she gives him a very simple answer: tell the truth.

That moral conflict sits alongside the experiences of the young prisoners themselves.

A new generation of actors joins the series

Several young performers make their screen debuts in the new series.

Louis McCartney plays James, while Ollie McNulty appears as Peter and Chukwubuikem Molokwu plays Christopher.

Ethaniel Davy, Victor Zhao, Paul Smith Junior, Finn Kearns and Jack Barnes are also among the younger cast.

The adult ensemble includes Daniel Ryan as custodial manager Freddie Jennings, Jo Joyner as Nicola, Vinette Robinson as Erica and Warren Brown as Albie.

The confirmed release information for Time series 3 lists three hour-long episodes, continuing the compact format used for the previous stories.

Jimmy McGovern turns to youth incarceration

Jimmy McGovern co-wrote the new series with Samuel Bailey.

McGovern’s television work has frequently examined crime, punishment and the way institutions affect ordinary lives, from Cracker and The Street to the previous two series of Time.

The new story does not appear interested in presenting the young offenders simply as victims or villains.

Instead, the drama looks at what brought them into custody, the consequences of their offences and whether an unstable prison environment gives them any realistic opportunity to change.

That extends to the people working inside the institution.

Tennant’s Bailey is not presented simply as either a good or bad prison officer. His own decisions and mistakes become part of the machinery the series is examining.

David Tennant takes a very different role

For Tennant, Bobby Bailey is another departure from the high-profile roles audiences may associate with him.

His recent television work has ranged from Doctor Who and Good Omens to Rivals, Des and Litvinenko.

Here, the character operates inside a rigid institution where even apparently small decisions can have serious consequences.

Tennant has said he hopes the series encourages viewers to think about the purpose of imprisoning young people and what society expects to happen to them afterwards.

That discussion arrives at the same time as the drama’s central characters are forced to ask similar questions.

When is Time series 3 on BBC One?

Time series 3 begins at 9pm on Sunday 11 October on BBC One.

The second episode follows at 9pm on Monday 12 October, with the concluding episode airing on Sunday 18 October.

Viewers who prefer to watch the entire story immediately will not have to wait.

All three episodes will become available on BBC iPlayer on 11 October, meaning the complete series can be watched from launch day.

For Time series 3 and David Tennant, the prison itself is only part of the story.

The harder question is what happens to teenagers while they are inside it, and what kind of people they are expected to become when they eventually leave.