+ Q&A with writers Jimmy McGovern and Helen Black, actors Jodie Whittaker, Bella Ramsey and director Andrea Harkin
Told through the lens of three very different inmates, Time is a moving and high-stakes portrayal of life inside a women’s prison. Arriving at Carlingford Prison on the same day, Orla (Jodie Whittaker), Abi (Tamara Lawrance) and Kelsey (Bella Ramsey) are thrown together to face an unfamiliar world. But even with the ever-present threat of violence within its walls, they discover that an unexpected sense of community, and a shared understanding, still might be possible.
In 1982, screenwriter and producer Jimmy McGovern started his TV career working on Channel 4’s soap opera Brookside. He tackled many social issues in the course of the series, especially unemployment – which was at a post-war high at the time. In 1993, he created the drama serial Cracker, about the work of a fictional criminal psychologist played by Robbie Coltrane. Made by Granada Television and screened on ITV, the series was a critical and popular success, lasting until 1995. McGovern’s writing earned him two Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America. In 1997 he created The Lakes, a drama that shared Brookside’s realist setting and reused themes from Cracker, such as gambling addiction. In 2006, he created the BBC One drama The Street; its third and final series aired in 2009.
McGovern also wrote the script for the television docudrama Hillsborough (1996), based on the events of the stadium disaster in 1989. Among the cast of this drama was Christopher Eccleston along with former Brookside actor Ricky Tomlinson. Eccleston later said it was the most important work he’d ever done.
In 2009, McGovern was the executive producer on the BBC One miniseries Moving On. His series Accused aired from 2010 to 2012 on BBC One. It followed a similar format to The Street but with a crime component.
In 2012, McGovern and local Indigenous Australian writers from Sydney developed the Australian television drama series Redfern Now, set among the Indigenous Australians of the Sydney suburb of Redfern. In June 2021, McGovern’s series Time, starring Sean Bean and Stephen Graham, aired on BBC One. The series was directed by Lewis Arnold. It won the BAFTA for best miniseries in 2022.
Jimmy was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Royal Television Society in March 2018
Helen Black is the daughter of a miner and supermarket cashier, who grew up in Pontefract West Yorkshire and went on to study law at university.
A career as a lawyer saw her working in the criminal justice and care systems.
She wrote her first novel a legal thriller, Damaged Goods in 2005 and a further ten novels followed.
In 2018 she decided to give telly a try, wrote a script for a bit of fun and it won the Kudos North Award. From there she has written episodes on shows such as Grantchester and the upcoming Sophie Turner series Joan.
Her BBC film Life and Death in the Warehouse won numerous awards including two for the RTS, it was also nominated for a BAFTA and an international Emmy.
Jodie Whittaker is an award-winning British actress, known for her extensive work across TV, film and stage. She is best known for starring as the first female and thirteenth Doctor in the BBC’s iconic series Doctor Who and for her pivotal role of grieving mother Beth Latimer in the critically acclaimed ITV drama Broadchurch, opposite Olivia Coleman. Her other notable TV credits include The Smoke (Sky One) opposite Taron Egerton; Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror: The Night Watch; Cranford (BBC Two) alongside Judi Dench and Imelda Staunton; Jimmy McGovern’s Accused opposite Andy Serkis; and BBC’s acclaimed adaptation of Tess of the d’Ubervilles, with Gemma Arterton, Ruth Jones and Eddie Redmayne.
Jodie’s film credits include Roger Mitchell’s Oscar-Nominated Venus, alongside Peter O’Toole (a role which earnt her numerous nominations for Best Newcomer) Adult Life Skills, in which she starred and executive produced (this went on to win the Nora Ephron Prize at the Tribeca Film Festival 2016); Journeyman, alongside Paddy Considine; BAFTA-nominated Sci-Fi comedy Attack the Block, opposite John Boyega and Nick Frost; Black Sea, with Jude Law; One Day, alongside Jim Sturgess and Anne Hathaway; Good, opposite Jason Isaacs and Viggo Mortensen; Nick Moran’s The Kid; and Irish crime thriller comedy Perrier’s Bounty, leading alongside Jim Broadbent, Brendan Gleeson and Cillian Murphy.
Jodie appeared on stage in numerous acclaimed productions including Polly Findley’s Antigone, in the title role (Royal National Theatre) alongside Christopher Eccleston; Tim Carroll’s The Storm (The Globe); Michael Attenborough’s Awake and Sing and Enemies (both at The Almeida).
Jodie’s upcoming projects include starring alongside Tamara Lawrance and Bella Ramsey in the second season of Time (BBC) and One Night (Paramount+). She will also be narrating the Tabby Mctat book BBC adaptation from Julia Donaldson and is currently filming for Netflix’s Toxic Town.
Bella Ramsey’s professional acting debut was as fierce young noblewoman Lyanna Mormont in Season 6 of HBO’s Game of Thrones, a role that quickly became a fan favourite and saw Bella return for the next 2 seasons. Bella has just wrapped on the second series of critically acclaimed BBC drama Time.
Bella plays the leading role of Ellie in HBO’s flagship show The Last of Us opposite Pedro Pascal, for which they were Emmy nominated. Filming for Season 2 will start in early 2024. Bella is also known for playing the titular character Mildred Hubble in the adaptation of The Worst Witch for which Bella won the Young Performer BAFTA in 2019. Bella voices the titular role in Hilda, an award winning animation series for Netflix and will next be heard voicing a leading role in the new Chicken Run film.
On the big screen, Bella can be seen on Amazon Prime playing the titular role in Lena Dunham’s feature film Catherine, Called Birdy, for which Bella received a Best Breakthrough Actor nomination from Screen Daily and a Critics Choice Award nomination. In 2020, Bella had a leading role alongside Jesse Eisenberg in the Marcel Marceau biopic Resistance. In 2019, Bella starred opposite Renée Zellweger, playing her daughter Lorna Luft, in the biopic film Judy. Other film work includes Two for Joy opposite Samantha Morton and Billie Piper, and Holmes and Watson with Will Ferrell. Bella’s short films include Zero, on the Beaches, Three Minutes of Silence and Requiem.
Bella is a 2021 Screen International Star of Tomorrow.
Bella is an ambassador for Greenpeace.
Andrea Harkin is a BAFTA-nominated filmmaker from Northern Ireland. Her most recent work, Jimmy McGovern’s Time for BBC Studios / BBC One stars Jodie Whittaker, Bella Ramsay and Tamara Lawrance and will air this autumn.
The Confessions of Frannie Langton is a 4-part drama for ITV adapted from the award winning novel by Sara Collins. Before that, she worked on AMC’s original anthology series Soulmates, which aired on Amazon Prime in 2021. Andrea was the lead director on the acclaimed series The Trial of Christine Keeler (BBC One/ Ecosse Films) winning the RTS South West awards for Best Drama. Prior to this, she directed Come Home (2018), a 3-part drama for BBC One and RED Productions, which won the RTS NI Award for Best Drama and an International Emmy nomination for Christopher Eccleston. Previously, she directed the second block of BBC3’s hit drama-thriller Clique (series 1).
Her short film The Party was nominated for a BAFTA for Best British Short, and was also a nominee at the European Film Awards in 2017. It picked up several prizes at film festivals internationally. Andrea is a graduate of the National Film & Television School, Channel 4’s Coming Up scheme, and the EIFF Talent Lab. She is currently working between directing television drama and developing feature projects, including the iFeatures and BFI-supported film, Across the Water.
TIME (series 2)
Created by: Jimmy McGovern
©: BBC
Directed by: Andrea Harkin
Produced by: Mark Hedges
A BBC Studios Drama Productions for BBC
Executive Producers: Michael Parke, Andrew Morrissey, Priscilla Parish, Jimmy McGovern, Mark Hedges, Andrea Harkin
Executive Producers for BBC: Lucy Richer, Lindsay Salt
Produced by: Mark Hedges
Line Producer: Maria Pavlou
Production Manager: Ben Szoradi
Financial Controller: Denis Wray
Location Manager: Mark Valentine
Casting Director: Amy Hubbard
1st Assistant Director: Davy Hughes
Script Supervisor: Rhiannon Preece-Towey
Written by: Jimmy McGovern, Helen Black
Director of Photography: Paul Morris
Editor: Alex Mackie Ace
Post Supervisor & Online Editor: Alex Beards
Visual Effects Supervisor: Michael Illingworth
Production Designer: Jacqueline Smith
Art Director: Dean McLeod
Costume Designer: Jan Simpson
Hair & Make-up Designer: Lesley Brennan
Composer: Sarah Warne
Sound Recordist: Gary Desmond
Re-recording Mixer: Adam Powell-Evans
Sound Effects Editor: Jay Whittaker
Stunt Co-ordinators: Gordon Seed, Stephanie Carey, Gary Hoptrough
Cast
Jodie Whittaker (Orla O’Riordan)
Tamara Lawrance (Abi Cochrane)
Bella Ramsey (Kelsey Morgan)
Siobhan Finneran (Marie-Louise O’Dell)
Matilda Firth (Nancy O’Riordan)
Brody Griffiths (Callum O’Riordan)
Isaac Lancel-Watkinson (Kyle O’Riordan)
Lisa Millett (PO Martin)
Michelle Butterly (nurse Garvey)
Louise Lee (PO Carter)
Karen Henthorn (Elizabeth O’Riordan)
Faye McKeever (Tanya Helsby)
Alicia Forde (Sarah Duddy)
Kayla Meikle (Donna Mills)
Nicholas Nunn (Adam Muller)
James Corrigan (Rob Cochrane)
Alicia Brockenbrow (Sarah’s visitor)
Terri Reddin (sonographer)
Dana Haqjoo (deputy governor)
Julie Graham (Lou Harkness)
Sophie Willan (Maeve Riley)
UK 2023©
Episode 1 60 mins
Total running time 110 mins
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