It’s official: the BBC’s hard-hitting prison drama Time is returning to our screens for a second season.
Sean Bean (Game of Thrones) starred in the cast of Time alongside Stephen Graham (Line of Duty), with the “difficult to watch” series focusing on the prison system in the UK through the eyes of two very different men in strikingly different situations – teacher Mark Cobden (Bean) and dodgy prison officer Eric McNally (Graham).
The three-part miniseries was written with Sean Bean and Stephen Graham in mind, and ended with the pair’s roles reversing, as McNally faced time in prison for smuggling drugs, while Cobden was released.
But will Bean and Graham be returning for season 2 and when is it likely to land on our screens?
Read on for everything you need to know about Time season 2.
Will Time be back for a second season?
Yes, the BBC has announced that prison drama Time will return to our screens for a second season!
The exciting news was confirmed by the BBC today (22nd March).
In an interview with Radio Times magazine, the BBC’s Chief Content Office Charlotte Moore also confirmed BBC dramas The Tourist, The Responder and Vigil would be returning for second instalments.
“In its first 30 days, 12 million people watched The Tourist – that’s twice as big as the largest show, Stay Close, on Netflix. The power that the BBC has to reach millions of people is far greater than we perhaps realise,” she claimed.
Time season 2 release date speculation
![""]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/12/time-sean-bean-bbc-442744a.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413" "\"\"")
It’s far too early for a release date for Time season 2 yet, given that production is yet to kick off on the project.
However, it seems unlikely that the new season would land before 2023, given that the scripts need to be penned and the episodes filmed and edited.
What could happen in Time season 2?
RadioTimes.com understands Sean Bean and Stephen Graham won’t be returning and that season 2 will feature a brand new story set in an all-female prison.
That’s all we know at this stage, folks, but more plot details are bound to be announced soon.
Which of the Time cast could return for season 2?
![""]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/06/Screenshot-2021-06-08-at-15.46.00-40e0ec8.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"\"")
As detailed above, RadioTimes.com understands that original cast members Bean and Graham won’t be reappearing, and that the upcoming instalment will be set in an all-female prison.
None of the cast members have been announced as yet, but watch this space!
Bean and Graham starred together in another of Jimmy McGovern’s dramas, Accused, in 2012.
On working with Graham and McGovern again, Bean said ahead of Time season 1’s air date: “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 Cobden is another of Jimmy’s complex and superbly written characters and I am looking forward to bringing him to life on screen.”
Others in the cast of Time season 1 included Siobhan Finneran (Happy Valley), Sue Johnston (The Royle Family), Hannah Walters (This Is England), David Calder (The World Is Not Enough), Nadine Marshall (Small Axe), Michael Socha (This Is England) and Aneurin Barnard (Dunkirk).
Time season 1 is available to watch now on the BBC iPlayer. Visit our Drama hub for more news, interviews and features, or find something to watch now with our TV Guide.
The latest issue of Radio Times is on sale now – subscribe now to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.