David Tennant confirmed to join Downton Abbey favourite for third season of hit BBC anthology drama

Jimmy McGovern’s acclaimed series Time is to return for a third chapter – with David Tennant set as the new lead.

The first season of the prison drama aired in 2021 and starred Sean Bean as mild-mannered prisoner Mark Cobden, with Stephen Graham as his conflicted prison officer Eric McNally, while a 2023 follow-up set in a women's facility was fronted by Jodie Whittaker, Tamara Lawrance, and Bella Ramsey.

The latest entry will be set in a young offenders' institution and will "explore the impact of locking up teenagers and the effects on those who look after them".

Tennant will play Prison Officer Bailey, while Siobhan Finneran of Downton Abbey and Happy Valley fame will reprise her role of prison chaplain Marie-Louise, a constant across the previous two seasons.

The official synopsis reads: "Prison Chaplain Marie-Louise comes to the YOI having lost her faith. When tragedy strikes within the prison, Marie-Louise clashes with veteran officer Bailey, a man in the midst of his own crisis. Bailey knows more about the circumstances that led to this major incident – but will he come clean before the guilt gets too much

"Meanwhile, two teenage young offenders, Peter and James, struggle through the terrifying first weeks and months of their incarceration. Can James ever face his broken parents after an unforgivable act of violence and will Peter tell the truth about the death of an innocent man, or does family loyalty mean more? An unlikely friendship between them looks to shift the trajectory of their futures, but in an increasingly unstable environment, is change ever possible?"

McGovern said: "Siobhan Finneran is back! And we've got a wonderful leading man in David Tennant. And a brilliant director in Paul Whittington. I think it's going to be wonderful."

The new season of Time has been written by McGovern (Unforgivable, Cracker, The Street) and Samuel Bailey, a playwright best known for his work Shook, also set in a young offenders institution.

Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, added: "Jimmy McGovern is a master at creating brave, thought-provoking dramas that deeply resonate with BBC viewers, so we are thrilled to be back for a third run of Time. With David Tennant and Siobhan Finneran leading the cast, Samuel Bailey co-writing, Paul Whittington directing and the team at BBC Studios Fiction producing, we are all set for another powerful and memorable piece of work from Jimmy."

Read more:

• BBC One’s Time was written with Sean Bean and Stephen Graham in mind
• Jodie Whittaker almost missed out on Time role: ‘It was very upsetting’

Spanning three hour-long episodes, the third season of Time will be available on BBC One and BBC iPlayer and is co-produced by BritBox for North America.

Time seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on BBC iPlayer, with both having earned strong reviews from critics and the debut season winning two BAFTAs: Best Mini-Series and Best Actor for Sean Bean.

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