Time returns for season 3 with a new story set inside a young offender institution, bringing together David Tennant and Siobhan Finneran at the heart of writer Jimmy McGovern's acclaimed anthology of prison dramas.
Written by McGovern and co-writer Samuel Bailey and directed by Paul Whittington, the three-part series follows prison chaplain Marie-Louise O'Dell, who arrives at the institution having lost her faith, and veteran officer Bobby Bailey, a man in the midst of his own crisis.
When tragedy strikes, the pair clash, and Bailey is left knowing more about the incident than the authorities do. Alongside them, teenage inmates Peter and James struggle through the terrifying first weeks of their incarceration, their unlikely friendship threatening to shift the course of both their lives.
Finneran is the only actor to have appeared in all three series, with Tennant leading an ensemble that mixes seasoned performers with a large group of young newcomers.
Below is a full guide to the actors and characters appearing in the latest season.
Time season 3 cast list
- David Tennant as Bobby Bailey
- Siobhan Finneran as Marie-Louise O'Dell
- Chukwubuikem Molokwu as Christopher / Ushindi
- Louis McCartney as James Hennessey
- Ollie McNulty as Peter Palmerston
- Daniel Ryan as Freddie Jennings
- Ethaniel Davy as Jayden
- Victor Zhao as Jietang
- Paul Smith Junior as Toby
- Jack Barnes as Chaz
- Finn Kearns as Mark
- Louis Shelton as Patsy Flynn
- Vinette Robinson as Erica
- Jo Joyner as Nicola
- Gavin Spokes as Governor Rice
- Nyokabi Gethaiga as Amara Madubuko
- Eliane Umuhire as Bahati
- Ash Tandon as Chaplain Adnan
- Jodie Price as Izzy
- Anthony Quinlan as Steve
- Warren Brown as Albie
- Rachel Morris as Senior Officer Carmel Sinclair
- Debbie Brannan as Aunty Shee
- Amelia Poggenpoel as Jietang's girlfriend
For more information about the characters and where you've seen the actors who play them before, read on.
David Tennant as Bobby Bailey
About the character: Bobby Bailey is a long-serving officer at the young offender institution whose work life and home life pull him in different directions. An incident towards the end of the first episode leaves him knowing more than the authorities do, forcing him to weigh honesty against loyalty to a colleague. Tennant has described him as a very human figure, neither wholly good nor bad, pushed into a crisis he did not go looking for.
Where you've seen David Tennant before: Tennant is one of Britain's most recognisable actors, best known as the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who, a role he returned to for the show's 60th-anniversary specials in 2023. He has anchored dramas including Broadchurch, Good Omens, Jessica Jones and Rivals, and more recently appeared in ITV's The Hack and The Thursday Murder Club in 2025.
Siobhan Finneran as Marie-Louise O'Dell
About the character: Marie-Louise is the prison chaplain, returning for a third series but now working in a young offender institution and carrying personal heartbreak with her. Kind, non-judgemental and determined to help both inmates and staff, she clashes immediately with Bailey, whom she likens to Darth Vader, as she tries to reach a man who refuses to connect. She is the only character to span all three series.
Where you've seen Siobhan Finneran before: Finneran is known for playing scheming lady's maid Sarah O'Brien in Downton Abbey and Clare Cartwright in Happy Valley, the latter earning her a BAFTA supporting-actress nomination in 2017. Her other credits include The Moorside, The Stranger and the 2025 crime drama Protection.
Chukwubuikem Molokwu as Christopher / Ushindi
About the character: Christopher is a teenager abandoned by his mother at around the age of four, left without a father figure, siblings or close friends. Good-hearted but vulnerable, he was drawn into trouble by others. He lives with a stammer and tries to build a relationship with his birth mother, a storyline the writers have described as especially personal and heartbreaking.
Where you've seen Chukwubuikem Molokwu before: Time marks a breakthrough role for Molokwu.
Louis McCartney as James Hennessey
About the character: James has committed a terrible act of violence and masks his guilt with jokes and bravado. Across the series the cracks in his indifference widen as he confronts the consequences of his actions and the strain of facing his family. His blossoming friendship with Peter becomes central to the story.
Where you've seen Louis McCartney before: From Helen's Bay in County Down, McCartney broke through as young Henry Creel in the stage prequel Stranger Things: The First Shadow, a performance that brought a 2024 Stage Debut Award and a 2025 Tony nomination for his Broadway run. His earlier screen work includes BBC Northern Ireland crime drama Hope Street and the film Silent Roar.
Ollie McNulty as Peter Palmerston
About the character: Peter had a difficult upbringing marked by poverty and neglect before his aunt took him in, raising him alongside his cousin Toby. His fierce loyalty to Toby and his friends is central to the drama, as he wrestles with whether to tell the truth about the death of an innocent man or protect his gang.
Where you've seen Ollie McNulty before: McNulty is among the young newcomers cast for the series.
Daniel Ryan as Freddie Jennings
About the character: Freddie Jennings is a hard-working but institutionalised officer who, by his own admission, is coasting towards the end of his career. He has earned a degree of respect from the inmates, though not always by the right means, and makes an error that becomes the catalyst for the whole series.
Where you've seen Daniel Ryan before: Ryan is a familiar face in British drama, having played Dan Johnson in Mount Pleasant and Bryn Brindsley in Home Fires. He also appears as DI Tony Manning in The Bay and featured in Tin Star, Litvinenko and the 2024 drama Passenger.
Ethaniel Davy as Jayden
About the character: Jayden is close with Christopher and Jietang, who form his comfort zone inside the institution, and is caught in a painful period after losing someone close to him. His storyline leans heavily into mental health, something Davy has said he hopes audiences take away from the series.
Where you've seen Ethaniel Davy before: Davy is one of the young actors making an early-career appearance in Time.
Victor Zhao as Jietang
About the character: He's close with Ushundi and Jayden. "I’d describe them as teens who are in prison not because they’re bad hearted, but because they just got involved in the wrong stuff. So that’s kind of the dynamic in the prison," said Molokwu.
Where you've seen Victor Zhao before: This is his first major role.
Paul Smith Junior as Toby
About the character: Peter's cousin. "One of the things that interested me the most about Peter’s character is this loyalty he has – he has this undying loyalty for Toby, for his boys, even when they’ve dragged him into a horrible situation," said McNulty.
"He does what Toby says most of the time, it’s been like that their whole childhood. That’s why it’s such a big deal when it comes to whether he tells the truth or not. Loyalty is survival. If he’s not got loyalty, if he’s not got his gang, he’ll get crushed in there."
Where you've seen Paul Smith Junior before: He appeared in Little Boy Blue, but is otherwise a relative newcomer.
Jack Barnes as Chaz
About the character: He arrives at the YOI with Toby and Peter after a violent attack on a stranger.
Where you've seen Jack Barnes before: This is his first major role.
Finn Kearns as Mark
About the character: He's also part of Toby's crew. Like the others, he always follows Toby's lead.
Where you've seen Finn Kearns before: This is his first major role.
Louis Shelton as Patsy Flynn
About the character: One of the most violent offenders in the YOI.
Where you've seen Louis Shelton before: He's set to appear in the upcoming Harry Potter TV series.
Vinette Robinson as Erica Bailey
About the character: Bobby's wife, who also works in the prison service. His job has placed signifiant pressure on their marriage.
Where you've seen Vinette Robinson before: You might recognise her from Boiling Point and its TV follow-up. She's also appeared in Doctor Who and Sherlock.
Jo Joyner as Nicola
About the character: Jayden is her nephew.
Where you've seen Jo Joyner before: EastEnders, Ackley Bridge and Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators are just some of the titles she's appeared in.
Gavin Spokes as Governor Rice
About the character: The risk-averse governor of the prison.
Where have you see Gavin Spokes before: He's featured in The Blame, House of the Dragon, Gone and Better.
Nyokabi Gethaiga as Amara Madubuko and Eliane Umuhire as Bahati
About the characters: Amara, who is Kenyan, is Ushundi's biological mother. Bahati translates for her.
"In the course of talking to people, somebody told a story about a young prisoner whose mother comes to visit him," said McGovern. "The backstory was that it was the first time he'd ever had a visit from his mother, he wasn't born in this country. She comes and she cannot speak English and he cannot speak her language. That story was just told to us in passing, and from that story, everything developed. That story established every other story, it was such a wonderful moment to find that."
Where you've seen Nyokabi Gethaiga and Eliane Umuhire before: You might know Gethaiga from The Wheel of Time and Nairobi Half Life, while Umuhire's credits include Birds Are Singing in Kigali and A Quiet Place: Day One.
Ash Tandon as Chaplain Adnan
About the character: He works in the prison alongside Marie-Louise and is sympathetic to her predicament.
Where you've seen Ash Tandon before: His credits include Coronation Street, The Bay and Bodyguard.
Jodie Price as Izzy and Anthony Quinlan as Steve
About the characters: Izzy is Peter's girlfriend. They recently became parents to a baby boy. Steve is Izzy's father. He wants Peter to end his relationship so his daughter can move on with her life.
Where you've seen Jodie Price and Anthony Quinlan before: You might recognise Price from Protection, while Quinlan is best known for Emmerdale and Hollyoaks.
Additional Time season 3 cast:
- Warren Brown (Luther, The Responder) as Albie.
- Rachel Morris as Senior Officer Carmel Sinclair.
- Debbie Brannan (The Responder, Until I Kill You) as Aunty Shee.
- Amelia Poggenpoel as Jietang's girlfriend.
Time airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 11 October.
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