Wednesday 18th October was an exciting day for me as I was able to attend an exclusive screening at the BFI Southbank. The screening was for the first episode of the next series of BBC’s Time. A prison drama following three protagonists, Orla, Kelsey, and Abi. Played by Jodie Whittaker, Bella Ramsay, and Tamara Lawrence.
Firstly, the choice of venue was excellent, as it was my first visit to the BFI Southbank. I hadn't any idea what to expect and I was very impressed. It was late evening in the pouring rain which added to the moody neon red lighting… It felt just right for a suitably gritty drama screening.
Very soon after some time in the foyer, we were escorted to the screen, a grand affair with red velvet seats and a large screen that gave everyone an equal view of the episode and the subsequent Q&A. After introductions from prominent members of the BFI and the BBC the episode was played…
Episode One Review
Time Series Two immediately thrusts the audience into a world not too dissimilar to our own as its opening moments follow Orla (Whittaker) preparing breakfast for her three children before the school run. I was immediately drawn in with the authentic dialogue between Orla and her children. Then just as quickly as the audience is introduced to Orla, a quick cut rips us away from the everyday into a prison escort. Orla is confined and sees the world only through a square of Perspex glass. Her sense of control was gone in an instant…
Time is a series dedicated to authenticity and grounding its characters. As events play out in the episode you forget you’re watching a fiction and feel as though you are witnessing events in real-time. The writing duo of Jimmy McGovern and Helen Black have crafted hard hitting and ‘real’ characters. From the core trio of Orla, Abi, and Kelsey to characters on the fringe of the story. This was crucial to execute properly and was very satisfying to see.
Adding to this, the episode kept a consistent sense of realism with the expert directing from Andrea Harkin. Shots are left to run with subtle shaking an allusion to ‘breathing’… The audience is a part of the series, the cinematography is our eyes, each shaky breath as we see the protagonist's spiral and struggle is our own… The tight spaces of the cells, each compressed moment with the characters feels ever tighter with our ‘presence’. Time’s first episode made for a very immersive experience despite first seeing it in a cinema setting!
As the story progresses, we are introduced to Kelsey (Ramsay), a young offender facing drug charges and quickly discovers they’re pregnant. And Abi (Lawrence) a woman serving a life sentence for murdering her infant child. The writing deftly examines these two polar opposites and keeps them compelling in the ensemble. From Kelsey’s sarcastic wit providing much needed levity in the tense hour of the episode. To Abi’s hard exterior provides a compelling enigma for audiences to uncover as the series progresses…
The actors work from each other brilliantly, it never felt like one actor outshined the other. In scenes together, the audience is swept along with the tension. I call to mind a scene in which Abi rallies the others to Keep the cell door locked, “This is a prison, they won’t just smack my bum… They will cut my throat…”
A further ensemble scene demonstrates this as Orla struggles to keep her life in check behind bars. Seething on the phone to her boss as he fires her, Abi and Kelsey surround her, with Kelsey begging for the phone while Abi tries to diffuse the situation…
As conventional with McGovern scripts and series, societal structures and themes are shown under a scrupulous light, dissected for an audience. The United Kingdom’s ‘Cost of Living’ crisis is explored in harrowing detail through Orla. Who was established earlier as a struggling mother. Audiences learn that she has been sentenced for six months in prison for in her words ‘Fiddling the leccy’ (Tampering with the electricity meter). Throughout the story the audience feels the injustice of this punishment. Characters comment on Orla’s situation saying, “you were just trying to keep your kids warm.”
It’s fascinating yet harrowing to witness Orla lose so much in such a short amount of time. Within three months of her incarceration she loses her children to foster care, her job, and home. It may be cliche’d but the word that comes to mind is Kafka-esque when describing the tragedy of Orla…
“When I came in here… I had an house, a job and a family… Now I’ve got nothing.”
Episode One of this new series drops audiences into the deep end with a harsh but authentic watch. The episode as a whole balances a sense of despair but also glimmers of hope and community. The three main leads work brilliantly together to ensure you’ll want to continue their stories. With excellent writing and craftwork from Helen Black and Jimmy McGovern, this drama feels as close to life as possible topped off with masterful directing and cinematography. I anxiously wait for the rest of the series to see the pieces fall together…
BFI Q&A Highlights
The audience from the BFI screening were treated to a 40+ minute Question & Answer with Jimmy McGovern, Helen Black, Jodie Whittaker, Bella Ramsey, and Andrea Harkin. The session was chaired by Brenda Emmanus.
Topics ranged from how the second series had originated with McGovern explaining that he was reluctant to write a second series of Time but when presented the opportunity to write about a women’s prison he took the job. It was also refreshing to hear from Black that McGovern insisted on a female co-writer for the project. To ensure authentic representation.
Questions to Jodie and Bella explored their approaches to acting. With Jodie discussing her research into the role and hectic filming schedule left her ‘unexpectedly method acting’ her role of Orla, saying “I was in this free fall of like, I’ve done so much googling… I know loads of statistics (…) and then you’re in the reality of it and actually that in itself worked because Orla is absolutely in that pit of blind panic…”
While Bella gave insight into acting a character that was unlike them. Explaining that, “Kelsey was a character that felt more external… That was more terrifying to be given this opportunity.”
A moment that was great to hear as an inspiring writer was the exploration of ‘Plot’ vs ‘story’. Jimmy explains, “When a man goes to shoot another man and the gun jams… That’s plot. When he goes to shoot the man and he can’t do it… That’s story”.
It also felt incredibly relevant to the episode as it truly followed this principle. Characters were given time to progress the story, it never felt that the story was being influenced externally!
The entire 40+ minutes session can be viewed on the BFI’s official YouTube Channel. I personally recommend watching if you wish to hear more insights into the production/writing of the series!
HELEN BLACK INTERVIEW
Shortly after the BFI premiere, I was incredibly privileged to be given an opportunity to speak with Helen Black, co-writer of Time Series Two! Below are some questions I was keen to ask:
Thomas Beech: As Series 1 dealt with Masculinity and themes there upon… How much is that affected with it being in a Women’s prison?
Helen Black: Time S2 like all Jimmy McGovern dramas is brutally authentic. He insisted on co-writing with a woman on this series for precisely this reason. More male writers should have Jimmy’s integrity.
The themes of this series very much centre on women’s bodies and how they experience custody, which is very different to men. We talk about periods, pregnancy etc in unflinching detail. We also talk about the impact of imprisoning women on their families. Jodie’s character ORLA has a line in episode one which sums it up, ‘I’m in here but it’s my kids that are doing the suffering.’
TB: In the writing process, how much do you anticipate actors' interpretation? Have they ‘adapted’ your words and made the character their own? Or did you have a tighter grip on how you and Jimmy wanted them portrayed?
HB: As a writer you always want everyone involved to bring things to the party. Actors give birth to your characters in unexpected ways which is always exciting. I couldn’t wait to watch the rushes each day from filming on Time to see how the scenes were interpreted. The words you use in your writing are important, but there’s no need to be precious about every single one of them.
TB: Northern representation is a huge talking point to myself and audiences, do you feel that the television landscape is making better progress with Northern rep? Or do you feel/hope that your work on Time will help push it further?
HB: In terms of Northern representation, I do think things are improving and the industry is very slowly becoming less London-centric. Writers like Jimmy, Kay Mellor, Sally Wainwright etc have been instrumental, not only in terms of representation on screen, but in insisting filming takes place up north and as much as possible local crew are used. We filmed this season in Knowsley, St Helens and Rhyl. It was also important that the first public screening of this show took place in Liverpool I think.
TB: With the recent news of ‘Overcrowded Prisons’ shining a spotlight on the UK prison system… Do you think that this new series of Time will be looked at under a ‘prophetic light’? Do you feel that you’ve captured the zeitgeist of current attitudes to the prison system? Or is this perhaps purely coincidental?
HB: We don’t deal with overcrowding in this series, but we do deal with understaffing and the impact this has on inmates and officers. That said, the current change in policy to send fewer people to prison for short sentences is very welcome but decades overdue. There’s no room at the inn, so what choice is there?
TB: Finally, do you have any words to say to a reader that might be on the fence about watching the new series? Or do you have any highlights or moments you’re excited for audiences to see?
HB: Without doubt this series of Time is a tough watch, but the performances are spectacular, the directing just gorgeous. And throughout the tension, there are moments of lightness and camaraderie. I hope people love it as much as we do.
I wish to thank Helen Black for her time and generosity in answering my questions with such detail. And give my huge thanks to my Editor, Alfie for their encouragement during the writing of this article.
Time Series Two is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.
Words: Thomas Beech (he/they)
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