TIME

ACCLAIMED PRISON DRAMA McGovern’s masterpiece about life on the inside

With top-notch performances and a compelling script, Jimmy McGovern’s harrowing, three-part prison drama is a must-watch. Mark (an astounding Sean Bean) has been sentenced to four years for killing a cyclist while driving drunk. But how will the bewildered and timid English teacher cope with the brutal reality of life behind bars? It appears that upstanding prison guard Eric (Stephen Graham, far right with Bean) may be the man to help but Eric, with a son serving a short sentence in another prison, is facing challenges of his own… Without doubt, one of the TV highlights of this year. BBC iPlayer, available now