New images of Bella Ramsey in BBC prison drama Time released

New images from upcoming BBC drama series Time show Bella Ramsey bedraggled and behind bars.

The 20-year-old, non-binary actor spent the first half of this year fighting off the baddies in HBO Max’s fungal apocalypse series The Last of Us. In Time, they’re becoming the baddie.

Time will follow Ramsey as a young woman name Kelsey, who is sent to prison while in the late stages of pregnancy. 

Kelsey arrives in Carlingford women’s prison on the same day as two other inmates, Orla (played by Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker) and Abi (King Charles III’s Tamara Lawrance). 

The drama series will be a “high-stakes portrayal of life inside” the women’s prison, told through the perspectives of the three new inmates, according to the official synopsis.

As they navigate their uncertain new surroundings, where the threat of violence is never far away, they soon learn that an “unexpected sense of community and a shared understanding” could still be possible.

One new photo of Ramsey in the role shows their character Kelsey being comforted by Abi and Orla, while a second shows Ramsey as Kelsey looking disheartened while taking part in a group prison session. In the latter, it’s clear that Kelsey is heavily pregnant.

Happy Valley actor Siobhan Finneran will star alongside Ramsey as prison chaplain Marie-Louise, while Alma’s Not Normal star Sophie Willan will play another inmate, Maeve Riley.

The three-part series is written by award-winning Broken writer Jimmy McGovern alongside Helen Black, who penned the BAFTA-nominated series Life and Death in the Warehouse. It will be directed by The Confessions of Frannie Langton director Andrea Harkin.

It will be the second season of Time; the first debuted on BBC One in 2021, and starred Sean Bean and Stephen Graham. The series garnered several four and five star reviews, won two BAFTA awards, and was viewed by more than 11 million people.

Speaking previously about taking on the role of Kelsey, Ramsey said: “I’m very happy to be a part of this project, working with an incredible team and following on from a stellar first season.

“It’s such an honour to be Kelsey, I’m really excited to experience the world through her for a few months.”

Time season two will return to BBC One and BBC iPlayer this autumn.