Sean Bean and Stephen Graham to lead new BBC prison drama Time
Jimmy McGovern's three-part drama Time is described as a "story of guilt and forgiveness, punishment and penitence and the impact that prison has on all those who pass through it."
A new BBC One prison drama from acclaimed writer Jimmy McGovern will see Game of Thrones star Sean Bean reunite with Line of Duty's Stephen Graham.
The pair previously appeared alongside each other in an episode of McGovern's anthology series The Accused back in 2012 and will share the spotlight once again in three-part series Time.
The drama will follow life in the modern British penal system as seen from the perspective of two very different men - a teacher who killed an innocent man in an accident (Bean) and a caring and honest prison officer (Graham).
It is described as "visceral", "emotional", and "thrilling" by the BBC, which further calls it a "story of guilt and forgiveness, punishment and penitence and the impact that prison has on all those who pass through it".
McGovern said of the project, “The BBC have given me a brilliant young director and two of the greatest actors on the planet. I am overjoyed.”
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Bean added, “Getting to be involved in a Jimmy McGovern drama again is a real privilege and it will be great to be reunited with Stephen. Mark Hebden is another of Jimmy’s complex and superbly-written characters and I am looking forward to bringing him to life on screen.”
Meanwhile, Graham said, “It is an absolute honour to be working with Jimmy again, I’m feeling blessed. I’m excited to be working with Lewis as I have heard so many incredible things about him as a director, I can’t wait to get stuck in. Of course, I am made up to be back on set with Sean.”
The BBC's Controller of Drama, Piers Wenger said that,“Jimmy has a unique style of creating thought-provoking dramas which tell raw and emotional stories, and Time is exactly that.
"With Sean and Stephen in lead roles, Jimmy and Lewis behind the camera, Time is a shining example of British drama talent at its best.”
The series will be directed by Lewis Arnold, whose previous credits include episodes of Humans and Broadchurch, and filming is expected to begin in Liverpool this Autumn.
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