Bella Ramsey & Jodie Whittaker to Play Inmates in Prison Series ‘Time’

The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey and Doctor Who alum Jodie Whittaker are set to lead the second season of the BBC’s award-winning prison drama Time, which is scheduled to begin filming in Liverpool soon.

Created by Jimmy McGovern (Broken), Time explores life behind bars, with the first season following the story of inmate Mark Cobden (Sean Bean) and prison guard Eric McNally (Stephen Graham). The three-part second season will change things up with a moving and high-stakes portrayal of life inside a women’s prison.

Starring alongside Ramsey and Whittaker are Tamara Lawrance (The Silent Twins) and Siobhan Finneran (Happy Valley), who is reprising her role from Season 1 as Marie-Louise, a prison chaplain.

The series follows Kelsey (Ramsey), Orla (Whittaker), and Abi (Lawrance) as they arrive at Carlingford Prison on the same day and are thrown together to face an unfamiliar world. Yet, 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.

“I’m very happy to be a part of this project, working with an incredible team and following on from a stellar first season,” said Ramsey, who recently received praise for her portrayal of Ellie in HBO’s The Last of Us. “And it’s such an honour to be Kelsey, I’m really excited to experience the world through her for a few months.”

Whittaker, who played the Thirteenth Doctor in the hit sci-fi series Doctor Who, stated, “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.”

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“Being a part of women-centred stories and productions is very important to me, as well as projects that challenge a prejudice,” Lawrance added. “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.”

McGovern, who is known for creating hit dramas such as The Lakes, The Street, and Accused, said, “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.”

The series is co-written by McGovern and Helen Black, the writer of the BAFTA-nominated Life and Death in the Warehouse, and is made by BBC Studios for BBC One and iPlayer.

Viewers in the U.S. can watch Season 1 on the streamer BritBox.

Time, Season 2, TBA, BritBox via Prime Video