BBC Studios sells 'riveting yet uncomfortable' British prison drama series Time to M-Net and Showmax.

by Thinus Ferreira

BBC Studios has sold its new Time drama series, set inside a British prison, to MultiChoice's M-Net (DStv 101) as well as its video streaming service Showmax. 

A broadcasting date for Time, written by Jimmy McGovern, has not yet been announced with British viewers who described Time as "riveting yet uncomfortable".

Time was shown on BBC One in June this year following Mark Cobden (Sean Bean of Game of Thrones), who is newly imprisoned, consumed by guilt for his crime, and way out of his depth in the volatile world of prison life. 

He meets Eric McNally (Stephen McNally of Line of Duty), an excellent prison officer doing his best to protect those in his charge. 

However, when one of the most dangerous inmates identifies his weakness, Eric faces an impossible choice between his principles and his family.

The 3-episode series filmed the prison cell scenes at HM Prison Shrewsbury, a former prison that was decommissioned in 2013, with the majority of the filming of Time that took place in Liverpool in recreations of courtrooms, police stations and education buildings.

BREAKING. Fareed Zakaria suspended by CNN International and TIME magazine following accusations of plagiarism.

Fareed Zakaria of Fareed Zakaria GPS on CNN International (DStv 401) on Sundays at 14:00 (South African time) who also writes for TIME magazine has been suspended by both CNN and TIME after allegations of plagiarism in his latest TIME article which contain text similar to that found in an April article in The New Yorker.

"Media reporters have pointed out that paragraphs in my TIME column this week bear close similarities to paragraphs in Jill Lepore's essay in the 22 April issue of The New Yorker. They are right. I made a terrible mistake. It is a serious lapse and one that is entirely my fault. I apologize unreservedly to her, to my editors at TIME, and to my readers," Fareed Zakaria says in a press statement.

TIME has now suspended Fareed Zakaria immediately, saying in a statement: "TIME accepts Fareed Zakaria's apology, but what he did violates our own standards for our columnists, which is that their work must not only be factual bur original; their views must not only be their own but their words as well. As a result, we are suspending Fareed's column for a month pending further review."

CNN in turn said that "CNN has suspended Fareed Zakaria while this matter us under review."