The BBC has released first look pictures for Waiting For The Out (w/t), the new six-part series based on Andy West’s memoir The Life Inside, from writer Dennis Kelly (Together, Utopia, Matilda The Musical).
The series is produced by SISTER (Black Doves, This Is Going to Hurt, Chernobyl) with filming in and around Liverpool wrapping earlier this year.
BAFTA nominated Josh Finan (The Responder) leads the cast as Dan, a philosopher who begins teaching a class of men in prison. The first look pictures introduce Dan’s classes, which see him lead philosophical discussions about dominance, freedom, luck and other topics that gain new meaning when seen through the prisoners’ eyes.
Through his work, Dan begins to dig deeper into his own past – growing up with an abusive father (Gerard Kearns) who ended up in prison, as did his brother Lee (Stephen Wight) and uncle Frank (Phil Daniels), who are each seen in the first look pictures alongside Samantha Spiro who stars as Dan’s mother. Dan’s life has taken him down a different path, but his time working in 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.
Also seen in the newly released pictures are prisoners Dris (Francis Lovehall), Greg (Josef Altin), Macca (Steven Meo), Wallace (Ric Renton), Junior (Tom Moutchi), Samson (Sule Rimi) and Zach (Charlie Rix), who each attend Dan’s classes. Rounding out the cast is Alex Ferns (Andor), Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo (Rain Dogs), Nima Taleghani (Heartstopper), Sophia Brown (Witcher: Blood Origin), Neal Barry (Rain Dogs), and Jude Mack (Such Brave Girls).
Waiting For The Out (w/t) was commissioned by Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama. The series is written by Dennis Kelly, with Levi David Addai (Damilola, Our Loved Boy) and Ric Renton (One Off) joining the writing team. The series is directed by Jeanette Nordahl (The Responder) and Ben Palmer (Douglas is Cancelled), with Louise Sutton (Black Mirror) and Ken Horn (Line of Duty) serving as producers. The executive producers are Dennis Kelly, Jane Featherstone (Black Doves, This is Going to Hurt), Chris Fry (Coldwater, Black Doves), Katie Carpenter (Kaos, Landscapers) and Andy West for SISTER, and Tanya Qureshi for the BBC.
Waiting For The Out (w/t) will air in early 2026 on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the UK. The project is backed by BBC Studios, who will handle global sales.
Staff Reporter
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