A new British drama series based on an acclaimed memoir about a philosopher who begins teaching a class of men in prison is hitting screens tonight.
Waiting for the Out will air on BBC on Saturday evening, with all six episodes already available to stream on iPlayer for those ready to binge-watch.
Adapted from Andy West’s memoir The Life Inside, the series was adapted by writer Dennis Kelly, best known for working on Together, Utopia and Matilda the Musical.
The series stars Josh Finan, a Bafta nominee who has previously starred in The Responder and Say Nothing, as Dan – who takes on the task of leading a philosophy class to a group of men behind bars.
The synopsis has teased the following of what viewers can expect: ‘Each week, Dan leads discussions about dominance, freedom, luck and other topics that have troubled philosophers for thousands of years – topics that gain a new meaning when seen through the prisoners’ eyes – both igniting passions and creating tension.
‘Through his work, Dan begins to dig deeper into his own past – growing up with a father who ended up in prison, as did his brother Lee and uncle Frank. Dan took a different path, but his time working in a prison begins to make him worry, obsessively, that he belongs behind bars just like his father. As Dan’s personal crisis deepens, his actions begin to threaten both his own future, and his family’s.’
Produced by the production company behind Black Doves, This Is Going to Hurt and Chernobyl, Waiting for the Out also stars Samantha Spiro, Stephen Wight, Gerard Kearns, Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo, and Neal Barry.
Early reviews have already praised the series, calling it ‘sensational’.
‘Josh Finan is a top new talent, with hit shows Say Nothing and The Responder under his belt. He takes the lead role in this brilliant new drama as Dan, a philosopher who for the first time is teaching men in prison. But this triggers Dan’s own past traumas, specifically unresolved business with his violent father. Based on Andy West’s memoir and written by Dennis Kelly (Pulling, Together) the interactions at the lessons alone are deeply fascinating,’ The Guardian wrote.
Meanwhile The Radio Times awarded the series five stars and made an early prediction that it could already be the ‘best show of the year’.
‘Waiting for the Out is a fascinating, informative, funny, poignant, piece of work, one which stands out amongst the overwhelming crowd of scripted series viewers now face choosing between,’ its review read.
‘This is a quiet series, and one that I worry may not get the attention it is due. Arriving so early into the new year, there’s a chance viewers will be too caught up in The Night Manager or The Traitors, or busy attempting to stick to their resolutions, to give this a look in.
‘That would be a crying shame. Waiting for the Out deserves to be seen and appreciated by those who can get on its wavelength. And let’s just say, if it isn’t on my own personal list of the best shows of the year come the end of 2026, then it will have been an historically good 12 months for drama. That sounds like a win-win situation to me.’
Ahead of the series premiering, Josh recalled accompanying Andy to one of his prison classes to prepare for filming.
‘That day was invaluable to the work I was doing prior to filming. I felt that very clearly that there was a big grain of truth within the scripts as there’s a lot written about the chaos of the prison and the sounds and feeling of the place. Plus of course there’s the rigmarole of handing in your phone at security, getting patted down, fob access for entry…’ he said.
‘The crux of the first episode is how Dan feels during his first day of work, so for me as I was walking through the prison with Andy, I was really trying to think about how it felt. The whole process of entering a prison for the first time is stressful as it’s sensory overload, and I really wanted to try and use that and capture that feeling for work.’
Speaking about the impact of the story, he said the series ‘looks at the long shadow that is cast over the lives of those that are impacted by the prison system and the incarceration of their loved ones’.
‘I think whilst it shows great hope – and you’ll see moments where Dan and his family are falling about laughing like any other family – there’s a sense that for families whose lives become intertwined with prisons, the experience with that institution stays with you.
‘Personally, I don’t think I’ve seen a drama that looks just as much – if not more – at what goes on for those outside of the prison walls as well as prisoners inside of them.’
Waiting for the Out premieres tonight at 9.30pm on BBC One, with all episodes now streaming on BBC iPlayer.
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