Pastime | Episode
Pastime

Out of Time: 3. What Kind of Coward Are You?

Limelight | Nov 06 2026 | 00:28:30

Following a catastrophic attempt to free the Epsilon from the ice and the withdrawal of support from the Polaris, Fred embarks on a perilous solo journey to seek help. With Fred away, convinced that the answer lies within the storm itself, Maria pursues a dangerous journey of her own.

When a stranded Arctic research vessel transmits a call for help, the ship that comes to the rescue is not what they expected. Trapped together in a frozen limbo, two crews separated by a century must survive starvation, the elements, and paranoia to get home.

A chilling five-part supernatural thriller that blends claustrophobic survivalism, cosmic sci-fi and environmental geopolitics, set in one of the most hostile places on Earth - the Arctic tundra. Written by the writers of the award-winning drama podcast 'Up In Smoke', Cambria Bailey-Jones and Guy Larsen.

MARIA.....Raffey Cassidy FRANK.....Ben Crowe TIMOTHY.....Sacha Dhawan RAYMOND.....Burn Gorman BERTIE.....Calam Lynch FRED.....Tanya Moodie LAURA.....Tiffany Smith

Writers: Cambria Bailey-Jones and Guy Larsen Director: Nadia Molinari Sound Designer and Technical Producer: Sharon Hughes Technical Producer: Sam Dickinson Production Co-ordinator : Pippa Day Series Script Editor: Lorna Newman Casting Manager: Alex Curran

Series Scientific Consultant: Prof. James Lea from the University of Liverpool Weather Consultant: Andy Cutcher Arctic Historian Consultant: Peter Martin Army Consultant: Alec Heron Ship Navigation Consultants: Martha Armitage & James Butters Artwork: Madison Coby

A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4.