BRITBOX ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL CASTING, START OF PRODUCTION FOR SEASON THREE OF JIMMY MCGOVERN'S AWARD-WINNING DRAMA SERIES "TIME"

· Today, BritBox announced additional cast joining David Tennant and Siobhan Finneran in the third season of Jimmy McGovern's BAFTA-winning hit drama, Time, as production begins in Belfast. The three-part drama will be led by Tennant as Prison Officer Bailey (Rivals, Thursday Murder Club) with Finneran (Happy Valley, Downton Abbey) reprising her role as Marie-Louise, a prison chaplain.

· Joining the cast are Vinette Robinson (Boiling Point, The Lazarus Project) as Erica, Jo Joyner (Little Disasters, Stay Close) as Nicola, Daniel Ryan (Such Brave Girls, The Bay) as Custodial Manager Jennings, Warren Brown (Ten Pound Poms, The Responder) as Albie, Louis McCartney (Stranger Things: The First Shadow, Hope Street) as James, Ollie McNulty and Chukwubuikem Molokwu making their screen debuts as Peter and Christopher, and Ethaniel Davy (Chicken Town, Hollyoaks) as Jayden.

· Further cast members include Victor Zhao, Paul Smith Junior, Finn Kearns and Jack Barnes, who also make their screen debuts as Jietang, Toby, Mark and Chaz respectively.

· Time season three is written by multi-award-winning screenwriter Jimmy McGovern (Unforgivable, Cracker, The Street) and Samuel Bailey (Shook). It is made by BBC Studios Fiction for BBC iPlayer and BBC One, a co-production with BritBox.

· Set within a Young Offenders Institution, season three will explore the impact of locking up teenagers and the effects on those who look after them.

· 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?

Series creator and writer Jimmy McGovern says: "What a wonderful cast . I am utterly delighted!"

Co-writer Samuel Bailey says: "It's been an absolute honour to work with Jimmy on Time series 3, and with the brilliant cast put together by the team, I think this series will be just as impactful and devastating as Time 1 & 2. I'm particularly excited for audiences to meet the lads playing our young offenders, who are all remarkable actors that I know we're going to be seeing a lot more of in the future."

Time season three (3x60') is a BBC Studios Fiction production for BBC One and BBC iPlayer, co-produced by BritBox for North America with support from Northern Ireland Screen. The series is written by Jimmy McGovern and Samuel Bailey, directed by Paul Whittington (This Town, The Crown) and produced by Amanda Black (Blue Lights, World on Fire). The executive producers are Josh Cole, Andrew Morrissey and Michael Parke for BBC Studios Fiction, Lucy Richer for the BBC, Jon Farrar and Jess O'Riordan for BritBox, and Jimmy McGovern. BBC Studios is handling global sales.

The first two seasons of Time are available to stream on BritBox.

# # #

About BritBox

BritBox is the leading streaming destination for the best of British television, offering an unmatched collection of expertly curated entertainment. From critically acclaimed dramas and mysteries to comedies, documentaries, and lifestyle programming, BritBox invites audiences to step out of their everyday and into a world of exceptional British storytelling. Launched in 2017 and now owned by BBC Studios, BritBox is available in the US, Canada, Australia, and the Nordics. For more, visit britbox.com, or find the BritBox app on most mobile and connected TV devices.

About BBC Studios

BBC Studios is the main commercial arm of BBC Commercial Ltd and generated revenues of £1.8 billion in the last year and profits of over £200 million for a third consecutive year. Able to take an idea seamlessly from thought to screen and beyond, the business is built on two operating areas: the Content Studio, which produces, invests and distributes TV and audio globally and Media & Streaming, with BBC branded channels, services including UKTV, bbc.com and BritBox International and joint ventures in the UK and internationally. The business made more than 2,800 hours of award-winning British programmes last year for a wide range of UK and global broadcasters and platforms. Its content is internationally recognised across a broad range of genres and specialisms, and includes world-famous brands like Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing with the Stars, the Planet series, Bluey and Doctor Who. BBC Studios | Website | Press Office | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram |