‘Me and the lads would not survive a day in here’: inside TV’s utterly stunning, Bafta-winning prison drama
The third series of Jimmy McGovern’s breathtaking series Time stars David Tennant – and might just be its best ever. We go behind the scenes “I don’t think you would find a young offender institution (YOI) in which stories like these haven’t happened. Seventeen years of age, loads of energy, hormones, bravado – you know they’ll kick off. It must be an absolute nightmare.” Yes, Jimmy McGovern has gone back to prison…
Key points
- The third series of Jimmy McGovern's Bafta-winning prison drama Time is set in a young offender institution and stars David Tennant.
- McGovern says 23-hour bang-ups and keep-aparts have been used more often since Covid, which he calls 'no way to bring up kids'.
- Young cast members said filming in a real prison made them realize they would not survive a day in such a facility.
The third and possibly final series of Jimmy McGovern's Bafta-winning prison drama Time is set in a young offender institution (YOI) and stars David Tennant as veteran prison officer Bailey. The series was filmed at a former school near Belfast that doubled as the fictional HMP Alderwick, as well as at the former HMP Belfast (now Crumlin Road Gaol) and the active HMP Hydebank Wood young offender centre.
The new series focuses on teenage prisoners including James (Louis McCartney), Peter (Ollie McNulty) and Christopher (Chukwubuikem Molokwu), whose stories involve bad decisions, rage and lost potential. Siobhan Finneran returns as chaplain Marie-Louise, who is experiencing a crisis of faith after her affair with a Catholic priest ended.
What McGovern and Tennant said
McGovern said that in a YOI, stories like those in the series have happened, and that 17-year-olds with energy, hormones and bravado will kick off. He added that 23-hour bang-ups and keep-aparts have been deployed with increasing frequency since Covid, which he said offered 'the perfect excuse to keep these kids cooped up longer', and that 'It's no way to bring up kids, is it?'
Tennant said McGovern writes 'very human, inconsistent, believable people', and that Bailey is disillusioned after 35 years in the service. He said Bailey feels prisons now just hold boys in place rather than rehabilitate them, and that there used to be education, a library and training but now there is not enough staff or opportunity.
It's no way to bring up kids, is it?
— Jimmy McGovern
Impact on the young cast
Molokwu, for whom this is a first acting job, said he realized he and his character Christopher have something in common, coming from countries with less opportunities and moving to one with more. He said Christopher is a good-hearted kid who is vulnerable because of growing up in care with a stammer and has not had the opportunity to learn how to make the best decision in a bad situation.
McCartney, a Tony nominee, said that sitting in a freezing cell with the door locked and seeing pictures of his character's family made the experience feel real. He said he and the other young actors felt they would not survive a day in such a facility.
