Time season 2: cast of BBC prison drama with Jodie Whittaker and Bella Ramsey

BBC prison drama Time will be returning to our screens this weekend for its second season, following on from its successful first series that starred Stephen Graham (Bodies) and Sean Bean (Game Of Thrones).

Created by Jimmy McGovern, the second season of the BAFTA award-winning show will instead be set inside a women's prison, giving fans a new set of characters to explore.

Time season 2 features a stand-out cast, with Bella Ramsey (The Last of Us) starring alongside Doctor Who's Jodie Whittaker and The Long Song's Tamara Lawrence. Siobhan Finneran (Happy Valley) will be the only familiar face returning to the series, reprising her role as prison chaplain Marie-Louise O'Dell. Here's everything you need to know about who stars in Time season 2.

What is Time season 2 about?

Time season 2 will be very different to season 1. The second series takes places inside women's prison with a new cast of characters.

The official synopsis reads: "Told through the lens of three very different inmates, Time is a moving and high-stakes portrayal of life inside a women’s prison. Arriving at Carlingford Prison on the same day, Kelsey, Orla, and Abi are thrown together to face an unfamiliar world. But even with the ever-present threat of violence within its walls, they discover that an unexpected sense of community, and a shared understanding, still might be possible."

Time season 2: meet the cast

Jodie Whittaker as Orla

Jodie Whittaker stars in Time season 2 as Orla, a single mother of three who finds herself in prison and just wants to get back to her children. Whittaker is best known for portraying the Doctor in Doctor Who, as well as having a central role in Broadchurch.

Speaking to the BBC about whether Time season 2 could change opinions on women's prisons, Whittaker said: "I think what Time series one did, and hopefully what this series is doing, is giving a face to the statistics or the problems. You can say there's a there's a wrong or a right, there's a baddie and a goodie, or there's a situation where there's a bad decision and a good decision, but we all live in a grey area."

Bella Ramsey as Kelsey

Bella Ramsey plays Kelsey, a 19-year-old heroin addict who finds out she is pregnant. Ramsey is best known for their role as Ellie in The Last of Us alongside Pedro Pascal and as Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones.

Speaking to the BBC about their role, Ramsey explained at times they said they were "afraid" they "wouldn't be able to do it". Ramsey said: "In lots of ways, Kelsey is very far removed from me, but as we've been filming and going through this I've found a lot of similarities and it was so natural for me to play her. But initially, when I read the script, I was genuinely afraid I wouldn't be able to do it. I'd get on set and then it just wouldn't work. But thankfully it did, I think.

Tamara Lawrance as Abi

Joining the cast as Abi is Tamara Lawrance. Her character Abi is serving life in prison for a crime and lives with the fear that what she did will be revealed to her fellow inmates. Lawrance is best known for her roles on The Long Song (2018) and The Silent Twins (2022).

Speaking to the BBC about what Time would incorporate from season 1 Lawrance said: "Similarly from the last season to this season, what I loved about it was the subversion of stereotype and recognising how sometimes people do things that people might see as reprehensible not because of who they are, but because of the circumstances they've been put in. I think there's an amazing arc from the first to the second season, even though it's entirely different people and stories."

Siobhan Finneran as Marie-Louise O'Dell

Siobhan Finneran is the only familiar face in Time season 2, having reprised her role as prison chaplain Marie-Louise. As well as starring in Time, the actress is best known for her role as Claire in Happy Valley.

Speaking to the BBC about why she decided to reprise her role, Finneran said: "I love the script. That's why I do any job, if the script's good, I just felt very honoured and flattered to be asked back to do this again."

When can you watch Time season 2?

Time season 2 will be available to watch on BBC One from Sunday October 29 at 9pm and on BBC iPlayer. The three-part second series is a follow-up to Time season 1 which starred Stephen Graham and Sean Bean. Time season 2 will pick up this time set in a women's prison with a new cast of inmates.