Time spoilers follow.
When Sean Bean and Stephen Graham joined forces for gritty new prison drama Time, we just knew it was going to be a hit that would keep us glued to our sofas.
And we were right. The Jimmy McGovern-created drama was one of the BBC's highest-performing new show for 2021, with nearly 12 million viewers over 30 days for the series overall.
By the time the finale aired in June 2021, fans started demanding more from the story in a second season.
Well, everyone's half-got their wish. Time will be returning... but not as we know it.
Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming episodes...
What to Read Next
Time season 2 potential release date: When will it air?
Currently, we have no news on when Time season two will air, only that it's on its way.
The status of the show remains unconfirmed as well, so if we're talking in pre-production, typically a programme of this size takes around 18 months from being put down on paper to making it to air.
Bearing this in mind, it'll be likely we won't see it until mid-2023. We know that feels like a prison sentence, but we have every faith it'll be worth it.
Time season 2 cast: Who is in it?
At the moment, the cast is yet to be announced, but we can tell you who won't be making a reappearance, sadly.
Leading men Sean Bean and Stephen Graham will likely not be turning up again any time soon, and neither will the inmates who we met during our first outing into the Time world.
Whether the characters will be attached in some way remains to be seen. We'll keep you updated when we know more.
Although this isn't the news we were hoping for, Graham has said that he is open to working on another project with both Bean and McGovern.
"And I really hope Jimmy's got another one, maybe not for a couple of years or whatever," he told Variety. "But I hope he's got another one in the bag there for me and Sean to do later on down the line. You know what I mean? Before he throws the towel in. I'd love that."
Sounds good to us.
Time season 2 plot: What's going to happen?
It's all change over at Time, with the drama moving to a brand-new central character and the story unfolding in an all-female prison.
(This is why we know the original cast will unlikely make any kind of appearance.)
It's unsure why this decision was made, or if there'll be some kind of attachment to the first season's action, but we're as curious as you are, and we'll let you know as soon as we find out more.
Like its predecessor, it's likely the story will play out over three hour-long episodes, with Jimmy McGovern once again at the helm as writer.
However, the show was initially released as a limited mini-series, which is the category it won a BAFTA for in April.
But now, of course, it has been renewed for another season, making it not-so-limited. So it's also possible that season two could be a little longer than just three hours.
After all, we know that McGovern has many more ideas to explore since season one was originally pitched as a five-part series and was then cut down from four hours to three.
The writer shared (via Variety): "Towards the end of the writing process, I was absolutely totally convinced it would be four hours. And then the BBC said, 'If you make it three, we’ll give you the green light immediately.' And as soon as a writer hears ‘green light immediately,’ they go, ‘Yes, yes.’ So it became three.
"But it should have been three and a half hours. And I’ve got to say, I have never been more savagely edited, or more intelligently and sensitively edited as I was on this show. The editor was a genius. He really was. And he took this bulk of stuff. I think the third hour was 10 minutes over or something, but he edited it superbly well.
"So it was full of stuff. There was no fat. Everything in there was lean. Everything in there should have been in there."
Time season 2 trailer: When can we see it?
Sorry – there's no sign of any kind of footage or teaser. But then again, as of writing in March 2022, the return has only just been announced.
If you keep checking in, we'll let you know as soon as we know more. Promise!
Time series 1 is available now on DVD and via BBC iPlayer.
Best Entertainment and Tech Deals
Coronation Street X Joanie - Gilroy Retro Newton And Ridley Sweatshirt
Freelance writer, Digital Spy
Tilly is Gold-Standard NCTJ accredited journalist with eight years of experience in entertainment journalism.
She has been heard giving her insight on the latest TV stories on BBC Radio across the country and on BBC News.
Previously working with The Sun Online, Yahoo, Metro.co.uk and Independent IE amongst others, she joined the Digital Spy team from 2021-2023 as Deputy TV Editor (Maternity cover).
With a speciality in TV drama and true crime, Tilly has been praised for her exclusive content with A-list stars ranging from Sir David Attenborough to the lawyers behind Making A Murderer.
She’s happy to report her mum now takes her seriously as a journalist as she got to interview George Clooney once.
