Scripted series · BBC One
Time
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
Sean Bean
Mark Cobden
3 eps
Stephen Graham
Eric McNally
3 eps
Bella Ramsey
Kelsey Morgan
3 eps
Siobhan Finneran
Marie-Louise O'Dell
6 eps
Jodie Whittaker
Orla O'Riordan
3 eps
Tamara Lawrance
Abi Cochrane
3 eps
Michelle Butterly
Nurse Garvey
1 eps
Alicia Forde
Sarah Duddy
3 eps
Karen Henthorn
Elizabeth O'Riordan
2 eps
Gemma Lawman
Sian Evans
1 eps
Faye McKeever
Tanya
3 eps
Nicholas Nunn
Adam
3 eps
Stephen Whitfield
Chairperson
1 eps
Kadiff Kirwan
Pete
1 eps
James Nelson-Joyce
Johnno
6 eps
Bobby Schofield
Baz
2 eps
Dean Fagan
Stevie
3 eps
Shahid Ahmed
Sarfraz Jawad
2 eps
Nabil Elouahabi
Patterson
2 eps
Jason Done
P.O. Banks
2 eps
Natalie Gavin
Officer Jardine
2 eps
Cal MacAninch
P.O. Galbraith
3 eps
Nadine Marshall
Alicia Cobden
3 eps
Hannah Walters
Sonia McNally
3 eps
Aneurin Barnard
Bernard
1 eps
Jonathan Harden
Brendan Murphy
2 eps
Jumayn Hunter
Stanley Timmins
1 eps
Philip Barantini
Floyd Walker
2 eps
Anna Madeley
Anne Warren
2 eps
Michael Hawkins
Lowood Prison Officer
1 eps
Paddy Rowan
David McNally
3 eps
Sue Johnston
June Cobden
3 eps
David Calder
John Cobden
3 eps
Hopi Grace
Emma McAdams
1 eps
Kevin Harvey
Paul McAdams
3 eps
Jack McMullen
Daniel
3 eps
Theo Nate
Friend of Stevie
1 eps
Franc Ashman
Governor Cameron
3 eps
Brian McCardie
Jackson Jones
3 eps
Lee Morris
Tom Cobden
2 eps
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How Time actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
Time reads strongest on Character Depth, Emotional Weight and Bingeability.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.
The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.
How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.
The story
What it's about
Guilt, violence and impossible choices – what does it take to survive? Tense, gritty and heartbreaking – Jimmy McGovern's award-winning prison drama, with an all-star cast.
The run
Seasons
2 seasons · 6 episodes.
- Poster unavailableSpecials
Season 0 · Unannounced
Specials
0 episodes
Season 1 · Complete
Series 1
20213 episodes
7.9IMDbA prisoner consumed by guilt, an officer with an impossible choice. What does it take to survive?
Best episode · S01E03 Episode 3
Season 2 · Complete
Series 2
20233 episodes
7.6IMDbArriving at Carlingford Prison on the same day, Kelsey, Orla and Abi are thrown together to face an unfamiliar world. But even with the ever-present threat of violence within its walls, they discover that an unexpected sense of community, and a shared understanding, still might be possible.
Best episode · S02E02 Episode 2
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.
S01E03
Episode 3
Mark suffers a tragic personal loss and is given the chance to leave prison for a day. Eric is forced to take greater risks to protect his family. But where will he draw the line?
- Directed by Lewis Arnold
- Written by Jimmy McGovern
S01E02
Episode 2
Mark is being bullied by fellow inmate Johnno. Does he tell the prison officers and be labelled a grass or risk the attacks becoming more and more violent? Eric’s son is attacked.
- Directed by Lewis Arnold
- Written by Jimmy McGovern
S02E02
Episode 2
Six months on, Orla finds herself back in prison. Desperate for her kids, how far will she go to take action? Meanwhile, Abi considers revenge, and Kelsey plans for her future.
- Directed by Andrea Harkin
- Written by Helen Black
S01E01
Episode 1
Mark Cobden is sent to prison and has to learn quickly how to survive. When an inmate identifies prison officer Eric McNally’s weakness, he faces an impossible choice.
- Directed by Lewis Arnold
- Written by Jimmy McGovern
S02E03
Episode 3
Abi and Kelsey bond after the birth of Kelsey’s baby, Orla faces the consequences of her actions, and intense pressure builds in the prison.
- Directed by Andrea Harkin
- Written by Helen Black
S02E01
Episode 1
Struggling single mother Orla finds herself in a desperate situation after being sent to Carlingford prison. There, she meets Kelsey, a young heroin addict, and Abi, a tough lifer.
- Directed by Andrea Harkin
- Written by Helen Black
Behind the series
Created by
Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.
Jimmy McGovern
Showrunner
- Photo unavailable
Tom Sherry
Executive producer
Lucy Richer
Executive producer
Sean Bean
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Michael Parke
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Priscilla Parish
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Andrea Harkin
Executive producer
Stephen Graham
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Diederick Santer
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Lewis Arnold
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Helen Black
Writer
The craft
Key Crew
Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.
Executive production
- Mark HedgesProducer
- Jimmy McGovernExecutive Producer
- Tom SherryExecutive Producer
- Lucy RicherExecutive Producer
- Sean BeanExecutive Producer
- Michael ParkeExecutive Producer
Writing
- Jimmy McGovernWriter
- Helen BlackWriter
Direction
- Andrea HarkinDirector
- Lewis ArnoldDirector
Cinematography
- Owen McPolinDirector of Photography
- Paul MorrisDirector of Photography
- Mark WolfDirector of Photography
Music
- Sarah WarneOriginal Music Composer
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
- Amazon VideoBuy
- Apple TV StoreBuy
- Google Play MoviesBuy
- Britbox Apple TV Channel Streaming
- Fandango At HomeBuy
- BritBoxStreaming
- BritBox Amazon ChannelStreaming
- Netflix Standard with AdsStreaming
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Where to go from here
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Watch this next if you like protagonists you can't quite defend.
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Where our editors would send you after the credits roll.
Never stop watching
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