BBC One has announced new drama Time with Sean Bean and Stephen Graham.
The pair will reunite to lead the gripping new prison drama from Jimmy McGovern which will air across three episodes.
Time is described as a “visceral and high-stakes portrayal of life in the modern British penal system, a story of guilt and forgiveness, punishment and penitence and the impact that prison has on all those who pass through it.”
A synopsis from the BBC shares: “Sean Bean takes on the role of Mark Hebden, a teacher, husband and father, who killed an innocent man in an accident. Consumed by guilt, he accepts and even welcomes his four-year sentence. Separated from his family, he has no idea what to expect in this unforgiving new environment and needs to learn quickly how to survive.
“Stephen Graham is Eric Reid, a prison officer. Caring and honest, Eric tries his very best to protect those in his charge, something which is a daily challenge in this understaffed and high-tension world. When one of the most dangerous inmates identifies his weakness, Eric faces an impossible choice between his principles and his love for his family.
“Both Eric and Mark, officer and inmate, are seemingly trapped by their pasts and unsure of their futures. Each has to not only survive, but to find the strength and the way to move forward.”
Further casting includes Siobhan Finneran (Happy Valley, The Other One), Sue Johnston (The Royle Family, Downton Abbey), Hannah Walters (This is England, Pirates of the Caribbean), David Calder (The World Is Not Enough, The Hatton Garden Job) Nadine Marshall (Small Axe, Sitting in Limbo), Michael Socha (This is England, Being Human) and Aneurin Barnard (Dunkirk, Thirteen).
Writer Jimmy McGovern said: “The BBC have given me a brilliant young director and two of the greatest actors on the planet. I am overjoyed.”
Sean 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.”
Stephen Graham commented: “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.”
Piers Wenger, Controller of BBC Drama, said: “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.”
Filming is taking part in Liverpool in 2020.
An air date will be announced in due course.
