If you’re missing your fix of gritty Sunday night drama since Line Of Duty wrapped up its sixth series last month, then you’re in luck.
This weekend sees the arrival of Jimmy McGovern’s latest series, Time.
Set in a prison, it is a visceral and high-stakes story about the impact that the modern British penal system has on all those who pass through it, which is told through the eyes of two very different men.
After teacher Mark Hebden (Sean Bean) kills an innocent man in an accident, he is consumed by guilt and welcomes his four-year sentence – but he has to learn quickly how to survive in his unforgiving new environment.
Eric Reid (Stephen Graham) is a caring and honest prison officer who tries his very best to protect those in his charge, but when one of the most dangerous inmates identifies his weakness, Eric faces an impossible choice between his principles and his love for his family.
Sean and Graham lead an accomplished cast full of acting talent, many of whom you will recognise from elsewhere (not least a certain Line Of Duty OCG member).
Here’s your guide as to where you’ve seen them before…
Stephen Graham as Eric Reid
As one of the UK’s most acclaimed actors, Stephen Graham likely needs no introduction.
He’s probably best known for playing Combo in the This Is England series, as well as undercover officer John Corbett in series five of Line Of Duty.
Stephen has played police officers in true crime dramas Whitehouse Farm and Little Boy Blue, Jacob Marley in the 2019 adaptation of A Christmas Carol and Joseph in the Channel 4 mini series The Virtues.
He also appeared in the Elton John biopic Rocketman as Dick James, while his other big screen roles include Scrum in Pirates Of The Caribbean, Tommy in Snatch and Shang in Gangs Of New York.
Sean Bean as Mark Hebden
Game Of Thrones fans will know Sean best as Ned Stark from the first series of the fantasy drama series.
He was no stranger to the genre, having appeared in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy as Boromir.
Sean made his name playing the titular British soldier in the Napoleonic Wars drama Sharpe during the 90s, and appeared in previous Jimmy McGovern dramas Broken and Accused, in which he starred alongside Stephen Graham.
Most recently, Sean appeared in Netflix drama series Snowpiecer as Joseph Wilford.
Siobhan Finneran as Mary Louise
Siobhan has starred in a host of British TV dramas, and is perhaps best known for playing Sarah O’Brien in the first three series of Downton Abbey and appearing as Clare Cartwright in Happy Valley, as well as her role as Janice Garvey in series 1-7 of sitcom Benidorm.
Her other credits include Clocking Off, Cold Feet, The Syndicate, The Moorside and A Confession.
Most recently, she appeared in the Netflix 2020 series The Stranger as DS Johanna Griffin.
Sue Johnston as June Cobden
Sue Johnston’s portrayal of Barbara Royle in BBC sitcom The Royle Family is still much loved to this day.
Sue is also famous for playing Shelia Grant in Brookside and Gloria Price in Coronation Street, as well as for her role as Grace Foley in hit BBC crime series Waking The Dead.
She appeared as Miss Denker in Downton Abbey from 2014 to 2015 and Sal Vine in Jennifer Saunders’ Jam And Jerusalem.
Other credits include The Good Karma Hospital, Little Dorrit and Medics.
Hannah Walters as Sonia McNally
Hannah is best known for sharing the screen alongside her now-husband in the This Is England series, where she played Trudy.
She starred in the third and fourth series of ITV crime drama Whitechapel as DC Megan Riley and appeared in the first series of Channel 4’s No Offence.
Hannah also played Beatrice in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.
David Calder as John Cobden
David has appeared in films including The Lady In The Van, The Hatton Garden Job and James Bond movie The World Is Not Enough.
He has made a number of guest appearances in dramas including Spooks, Lewis, Mr Selfridge, Father Brown, Call The Midwife and Vera.
David also plays Julia’s father-in-law Geoff in BBC sitcom Motherland.
Nadine Marshall as Alicia Cobden
Nadine is best known for her performance as Sally in the Bafta-winning BBC Three Sitcom The Smoking Room.
More recently, she played DS O’Halloran in Sky’s Save Me, Janet in the BBC’s one-off 2020 drama Sitting In Limbo and Jessie in the Red, White And Blue film of Steve McQueen’s Small Axe.
Her other credits include Waterlood Road, Netflix’s The Innocents, The End Of The F***ing World and ITV2′s Plebs.
Michael Socha as Kenny Meadows
Michael is another alumni of the This Is England series appearing in Time, having played Harvey.
He is also known for playing young werewolf Tom McNair in Being Human between 2011 and 2013.
Michael has also appeared in US dramas including the Once Upon A Time series as Will Scarlett/The Knave of Hearts and as Mikhail in Chernobyl.
Aneurin Barnard as Bernard
Aneurin starred opposite Sheridan Smith in ITV’s Cilla Black biopic in 2014, playing the late Blind Date host’s husband and manager Bobby Willis.
He appeared in Christopher Nolan film Dunkirk as Gibson in 2017, while his other credits include the BBC’s Thirteen, The White Queen and War & Peace.
He has also just been seen in other BBC drama The Pact, which finished earlier this month.
Kadiff Kirwan as Pete
Kadiff is best known for his roles as Aaron and Jason in the sitcoms Chewing Gum and Timewasters.
He also popped up as Claire’s hairdresser in Fleabag and as a police officer in I May Destroy You.
Kadiff starred alongside Time co-star Siobhan Finneran in The Stranger, where he played DC Wesley Ross.
His other credits include Death In Paradise, Black Mirror’s Nosedive and Drifters.
Jack McMullen as Daniel
Jack is best known for playing Finn Sharkey in Waterloo Road between 2010 and 2012, having previously appeared in Grange Hill and Brookside.
His other credits include Maigret Sets a Trap and BBC Two sitcom The First Team, where he plays Jack Turner.
James Nelson-Joyce as Johnno
James has appeared alongside a number of his Time co-stars previously, including Stephen Graham in both The Virtues – where he played Ryan – and Little Boy Blue, where he played James Yates.
He starred with Aneurin Barnard in Cilla, where he played Degsy and appeared in an episode of No Offence alongside Hannah Walter.
His other credits include Mount Pleasant, Shameless and Casualty.
Brian McCardie as Jackson Jones
Line Of Duty fans will recognise Brian as the original OCG boss Tommy Hunter, who appeared in the first first series and was still being referenced in the most recent series.
His other credits include Murphy’s Law, Rebellion, Lilies and children’s series M.I. High.
Time begins on Sunday at 9pm on BBC One, with all episodes also streaming on iPlayer from the same time.
