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Time sean bean5/5/2023 ![]() ![]() The first episode is inescapably harrowing, as Mark learns what his place is in the new order, and what it is going to take – in practical and mental terms – to survive it. In later episodes, the question of atonement and redemption and how they fit into a punitive regime is turned over, anatomised and answers found in places expected and unexpected. We learn the details of Mark’s crime mostly through the nightmares and flashbacks that haunt him. His cellmate, Bernard (Aneurin Barnard), a disturbed young man who relieves his mental suffering by cutting himself, works out that it was by drunk-driving. We are reminded that inhumane systems and catastrophic events are the creation of – as well as sometimes the masters of – the people within them.īack to Mark, who replies “I killed a man” when asked by inmates what he’s in for. What should he do, what would you do, how would anybody bear it? McGovern’s treatments of the establishment (in 2002’s Sunday, for example), of institutions (such as the army in Reg), of the church (in Broken, which also starred Bean) or of the police and the media (in Hillsborough) are always shot through with considerations of the more intangible matters of individual conscience. Another McGovern speciality – the study not of a good man gone bad, but of an ordinary man placed under extraordinary duress. It’s an offer he refuses, until it’s clear David might find himself in terrible trouble. His son, David, is serving a short sentence in another prison and harm will come to him – unless McNally starts working for Jackson Jones (a realistically, mercilessly terrifying performance from Brian McCardie). The officer in charge is Eric McNally (Stephen Graham), a man with 22 years’ service under his belt. It is a place of shifting alliances – a wing full of men who may be mad or bad but are almost always, directly or indirectly, dangerous to know. And he tells us something about the core of the man who is about to be tested as never before, as he enters a world of rules, regulations, petty bullying and sudden violence. ![]() He knows a cradle Catholic, even in the most dire straits, would be recalled to himself under the threat of being demoted to Anglican. But it is the perfect demonstration and measure of McGovern’s two greatest strengths – his psychological acuity and his ability to evoke an entire interior world with one brief exchange. It’s irrelevant in the grand scheme of things – Time is a drama about the supposed strengths and many failures of the penal system and Mark’s religion affects his experiences inside not one iota. “No, no,” Mark responds, kicked into focus. “I’ll put you down as Anglican then,” comes the brisk reply (and standard joke, though not here played as one). Nervous and disoriented, he mumbles something about not really believing in God. Among the questions barked at him – name, age, is he on any medication – is one about his religion. Mark Cobden (Sean Bean) is arriving for processing at the prison in which he will serve his four-year sentence. T here is a moment near the start of Jimmy McGovern’s latest drama, Time (BBC One), that perfectly encapsulates his genius. To get the latest email updates from Yorkshire Live, click here. The website says: "We open the giant security gates at 7am when we release you back into the world with your memories of a very unusual night and, we are confident, many tales to tell." The old prison kitchen, now a restaurant, will be serving hot meals, snacks, soft drinks and booze until 10pm.Īfter a restful night's sleep (maybe) you'll be woken early for coffee and a hearty breakfast before your 'release'. "This is a traditional Victorian cell providing a truly authentic experience."Ī genuine ex-screw will give you a guided tour of the Grade II-listed jail, including two 19th-century wings, themed cells, the segregation unit, the strip search room and the execution chamber.Īfter that, you can go ghost hunting and play games before retiring to your zero-star suite, complete with bunk beds. The official Shrewsbury Prison website says: "At 8pm you will be met by prison staff, let into the prison through the huge wooden gates and shown to your cell for the night. ![]()
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