Filming has begun in Liverpool this week…
The BBC has announced Waiting For The Out, an original six-part series based on Andy West’s acclaimed memoir The Life Inside. The television adaption has been written by Dennis Kelly for BBC One.
Dennis Kelly, writer and executive producer:
“It’s not at all unusual for the men in Andy West’s family to end up in prison – but Andy is the only one that chose to be there. His book is funny, insightful, beautiful, genuinely heartbreaking and nothing like what you’d expect it to be – we’ve tried to take that into the series. God alone knows if we’ve succeeded, but we’ve tried…”
BAFTA nominated Josh Finan leads the cast as Dan, a philosopher who begins teaching a class of men in prison. 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 violent father (Kearns) who ended up in prison, as did his brother Lee (Stephen Wight) and uncle Frank (Phil Daniels). 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.
Lining up alongside Finan is Gerard Kearns, Samantha Spiro, Phil Daniels, Stephen Wight, Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo, Neal Barry, Alex Ferns, Francis Lovehall, Steven Meo, Ric Renton, Tom Moutchi, Nima Taleghani, Sule Rimi, Charlie Rix and Jude Mack.
Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama:
“Waiting For The Out offers an inspiring and nuanced new take on male identity, forgiveness and self-discovery from one of the UK’s greatest writers. It’s a joy to have Dennis back on the BBC and to be working with the SISTER team to bring his thoughtful, funny and moving scripts to life.”
