Siobhan Finneran returns for Time series two alongside newcomers Jodie Whittaker and Bella Ramsey
Entertainment

Siobhan Finneran returns for Time series two alongside newcomers Jodie Whittaker and Bella Ramsey

SIOBHAN FINNERAN returns for the second series of BBC drama Time which sees the action unfold in a women’s prison, the broadcaster has confirmed.

Born in Oldham in Greater Manchester to Irish parents, the actor has strong links to her father’s hometown of Glenfarne in Co. Leitrim.

Finneran landed her debut role aged 20 in the film Rita, Sue and Bob Too and has rarely been off our screens since.

Over the years the popular actor has starred in a range of hit television series, including Clocking Off, Alma’s Not Normal, Downton Abbey and Happy Valley.

Siobhan Finneran reprises her role as prison chaplain Marie-Louise O'Dell in the second series of Time

In 2021 she starred in the first instalment of Jimmy McGovern’s Time alongside Sean Bean and Stephen Graham.

The show was a huge hit for the BBC, averaging 11.6 million viewers across its three-part run.

It went on to win the 2022 BAFTA Television Award for best mini-series.

Next month it returns to our screens for a second series, which is set in a women’s prison and boasts a host of new faces.

Tamara Lawrance as Abi Cochrane, Bella Ramsey as Kelsey Morgan, and Jodie Whittaker as Orla O'Riordan in Time series two

The new three-part series is once again written by multi-award winning Jimmy McGovern, co-written by Helen Black, directed by Andrea Harkin, and produced by the BBC Studios’ Drama Unit.

And it features a stellar cast, including Finneran, who reprises her role as prison chaplain Marie-Louise, alongside newcomers Jodie Whittaker as Orla, Tamara Lawrance as Abi, Bella Ramsey as Kelsey and Sophie Willan as inmate Maeve Riley.

Jodie Whittaker as Orla in the second series of Time

“Told through the lens of three very different inmates, Time is a moving and high-stakes portrayal of life inside a women’s prison,” the BBC explains.

“Arriving at Carlingford Prison on the same day, Kelsey, Orla and Abi are thrown together to face an unfamiliar world,” they add.

“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.”

Bella Ramsey stars as Kelsey Morgan in the BBC production

To celebrate the series’ return, the BBC are offering fans a chance to attend the premiere, which takes place in Liverpool, where the show is set and made, on October 17.

The red carpet event will feature a special screening of the first episode of the show, which will be attended by key cast members and creatives behind the series, and will be followed by a Q&A session.

Writer Jimmy McGovern, a Liverpudlian himself, who is among those expected to attend the premiere, said: “Absolutely delighted to be holding this event in my home town.

“Please come. It really is worth watching.”

Sophie Willan as Maeve Riley in Time series two

Co-writer Helen Black added: “It is exciting and truly fitting that the first screening of this season of Time will be held in Jimmy’s home city of Liverpool.”

To apply for tickets to attend the free event at St George’s Hall in Liverpool, go to the BBC Shows and Tours website here.