# Time (2021)

> A BBC One prison drama in which inmates and staff face guilt, violence and impossible choices in pursuit of survival.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/104550

## Facts

- Seasons: 3
- Episodes: 9
- Episode runtime: 45 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, crime
- Created by: Jimmy McGovern
- Network: BBC One
- Cast: Siobhan Finneran, Sean Bean, Stephen Graham, Bella Ramsey, Jodie Whittaker, Tamara Lawrance, James Nelson-Joyce, David Tennant
- TMDB rating: 8.1/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13138834/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: harrowing, intimate, bleak, tense, melancholic

## What critics say

Audiences rate the series positively overall, with its first season most admired and later seasons drawing weaker reactions.

## Synopsis

Time (2021-2026) is a British prison drama created by Jimmy McGovern for BBC One. Siobhan Finneran plays Marie-Louise O'Dell at the centre of a story where guilt, violence and impossible choices shape every episode. Sean Bean as Mark Cobden, Stephen Graham as Eric McNally, Bella Ramsey as Kelsey Morgan and Jodie Whittaker as Orla O'Riordan form the wider circle of prisoners, staff and outsiders whose lives are tangled by blackmail, addiction and mental illness. The engine of the series is the struggle to get through each day inside a harsh institution, where a single phone call or a single fight can shift the balance of power. Each season moves through a small cluster of three-episode stories rather than one long chase, giving the drama a tight, character-led shape across three seasons and nine episodes. Its tone is harrowing and intimate, with moments of grim tenderness and a quiet dread that never fully lifts. Fans of Oz, Happy Valley and Line of Duty will find resonance in its unflinching look at institutional failure and the small compromises people make to endure.

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