The Ministry of Time is a genre-bending new BBC One drama based on a hotly-anticipated debut novel from Kaliane Bradley that's being made people behind hits like Netflix's Beef.
Adapted by Alice Birch (pictured), the new series revolves around the titular fictional government department, which gathers "expats" — people from throughout history — in an attempt to experiment with the viability of time travel.
These expats are then brought into the present day, where they're connected and housed alongside modern-day people ('bridges') and left to try and navigate life in the 21st century.
Screenwriter Birch said of the project: "I'm so thrilled to be adapting Kaliane's beautiful, funny, joyful, moving, intelligent book with the BBC and A24. Reading it was an exhilarating, thrilling, and heartbreaking experience and I'm so excited to bring this story to the screen.”
Here's everything you need to know about The Ministry of Time right now...
The Ministry of Time release date
At the time of writing, we don't have a release date for The Ministry of Time. The series' commission was confirmed in late February 2024, so we expect it'll be a while before it hits our screens. When we hear more info, we'll be sure to include it here.
All we know at the moment is that the series is coming to BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK as and when it airs. A24 will be distributing the series internationally.
If you're looking for something new to watch while you wait, check out our picks for the best BBC dramas and best BBC comedies which we think you should be streaming right now.
The Ministry of Time plot
We explained the basic set-up for The Ministry of Time in our intro: the newly established titular governmental department is gathering its expats from across history to assess the effectiveness of time travel and pairing them up with 21st-century counterparts.
The full summary reveals some more details about the types of historical figures we can expect to meet when the series arrives, and how they might fare alongside their bridge. It reads:
"The Ministry of Time, a newly established government department, is gathering ‘expats’ from across history in an experiment to test the viability of time travel. Commander Graham Gore (an officer on Sir John Franklin's doomed 1845 Arctic expedition) is one such figure rescued from certain death — alongside an army captain from the fields of the Somme, a plague victim from the 1600s, a widow from revolutionary France, and a soldier from the seventeenth century.
"The expats are placed with 21st-century liaisons, known as 'bridges', in unlikely flatshares. Gore has to learn about contemporary life from scratch: from air travel to industrial warfare, from feminism to Spotify, from cinema to indoor plumbing; and he must negotiate cohabiting with the ambitious modern woman who works as his bridge. After an awkward beginning, the pair start to find pleasure and comfort in each other’s company, developing a relationship that is simultaneously tender, intense and profoundly unprofessional; and the expats, adrift in a new era, form friendships that ground and support them in the lonely 21st century, where they have outlived everyone they ever knew and loved.
"When a deeper conspiracy at the Ministry begins to reveal itself, the bridge must reckon with what she does next. Will she save or sacrifice the exiled misfits she has come to care for so deeply?"
Author Kaliane Bradley says of the project: "I could not be more excited for The Ministry of Time to find a new home on screen, with the dream-come-true combination of A24, the BBC and brilliant Alice Birch. I'm sure Graham Gore would have been delighted too, once someone had explained to him what all that meant.""
How many episodes will there be?
The BBC has confirmed that The Ministry of Time will be comprised of six hour-long episodes, the typical length for many of the network's dramas.
Is there a trailer?
With the series only just being commissioned in February 2024 it's way too early for a trailer just yet. Once production gets underway, we might have a better idea of when to expect more promotional material for The Ministry of Time.
What else is there to know about The Ministry of Time?
Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama is clearly very excited to bring the series to the BBC. When The Ministry of Time was first announced, Salt said: "We can’t wait to welcome BBC viewers to The Ministry of Time.
"It’s a series that feels utterly unique, fusing genres of romance, thriller, sci-fi and state of the nation drama. It’s both epic and intimate with an array of memorable characters, and a beautiful central relationship. And who better to bring it to our screens than the remarkable Alice Birch?”"
