David Tennant and Siobhan Finneran lead the cast of Time season 3, the BBC prison drama created by Jimmy McGovern.
The three-part anthology moves into a young offender institution and follows a prison chaplain, an experienced officer and two teenage inmates.
According to Radio Times, the new season was written by McGovern and Samuel Bailey and directed by Paul Whittington.
Its central conflict intensifies after a tragedy leaves veteran officer Bobby Bailey with knowledge of the incident that the authorities do not have.
The ensemble combines established British television performers with younger actors playing incarcerated teenagers.
Finneran is the only performer to have appeared in all three seasons, while Tennant takes the lead in the latest installment.
David Tennant as Bobby Bailey
Tennant plays a long-serving officer whose professional responsibilities and home life pull him in different directions.
After an incident near the end of the opening episode, Bailey must decide how to handle what he knows while weighing honesty against loyalty to a colleague.
Radio Times describes the character as morally complex and caught in a crisis he did not seek.
Tennant is widely recognized for playing the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who, including the show's 60th-anniversary specials in 2023.
His other television credits include Broadchurch, Good Omens, Jessica Jones and Rivals.
He also appeared in ITV's The Hack and The Thursday Murder Club in 2025.
Siobhan Finneran as Marie-Louise O'Dell
Finneran returns as prison chaplain Marie-Louise O'Dell, whose work in a young offender institution brings her into immediate conflict with Bailey.
The character arrives carrying personal heartbreak but remains committed to helping both prisoners and staff.
According to Radio Times, Marie-Louise compares Bailey to Darth Vader as she attempts to reach someone reluctant to connect with others.
Finneran previously played Sarah O'Brien in Downton Abbey and Clare Cartwright in Happy Valley, earning a BAFTA supporting-actress nomination in 2017.
Her other credits include The Moorside, The Stranger and the 2025 crime drama Protection.
Chukwubuikem Molokwu plays Christopher, also known as Ushindi, a vulnerable teenager who was abandoned by his mother at around age four.
Living with a stammer, he attempts to establish a relationship with his birth mother.
Radio Times describes the character's storyline as a particularly personal and heartbreaking element of the drama.
The role marks a breakthrough for Molokwu.
Louis McCartney plays James Hennessey, a teenager who has committed a serious act of violence and conceals his guilt behind jokes and bravado.
His friendship with fellow inmate Peter becomes increasingly important as he confronts the consequences of his actions and the pressure of facing his family.
McCartney previously gained recognition for playing young Henry Creel in the stage production Stranger Things: The First Shadow.
The performance earned him a 2024 Stage Debut Award and a 2025 Tony nomination for his Broadway run.
His screen credits include the BBC Northern Ireland crime drama Hope Street and the film Silent Roar.
Ollie McNulty plays Peter Palmerston, whose difficult childhood involved poverty and neglect before his aunt took him in and raised him alongside his cousin Toby.
Peter's loyalty to his family and friends drives his struggle over whether to reveal the truth about an innocent man's death or protect his gang.
McNulty is among the younger newcomers joining the series.
Daniel Ryan plays Freddie Jennings, an experienced officer who has become accustomed to institutional life and is approaching the end of his career.
Despite earning some respect from inmates, his actions include a mistake that sets the main events in motion.
Ryan's previous credits include Mount Pleasant, Home Fires, The Bay, Tin Star, Litvinenko and the 2024 drama Passenger.
The wider cast includes Ethaniel Davy as Jayden, Victor Zhao as Jietang, Paul Smith Junior as Toby, Jack Barnes as Chaz, Finn Kearns as Mark and Louis Shelton as Patsy Flynn.
Vinette Robinson plays Erica, Jo Joyner plays Nicola and Gavin Spokes appears as Governor Rice.
Other cast members include Nyokabi Gethaiga as Amara Madubuko, Eliane Umuhire as Bahati, Ash Tandon as Chaplain Adnan, Jodie Price as Izzy, Anthony Quinlan as Steve and Warren Brown as Albie.
Rachel Morris plays Senior Officer Carmel Sinclair, Debbie Brannan appears as Aunty Shee and Amelia Poggenpoel plays Jietang's girlfriend.
