BBC One announce new drama from Dennis Kelly, 'Waiting For The Out'

The drama is based on based on Andy West’s acclaimed memoir The Life Inside.

BBC One has today announced Waiting For The Out, a new six-part drama from Dennis Kelly, which is based on Andy West’s acclaimed memoir, The Life Inside.

Leading the cast will be Josh Finan, who plays 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, played by Gerard Kearns, who ended up in prison, as did his brother Lee, played by Stephen Wight, and uncle Frank, played by 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.

On playing Dan, Josh Finan said "Having the chance to work with writing of this quality, inspired by such a rich real-life story, alongside such talented creatives is a genuine gift. A real pinch me moment. Every stage of the process so far has been both a joy and a welcome creative challenge. I’m itching to get filming and can’t wait for people to get the chance to watch this hugely sensitive, empathic, hilarious and at times deeply emotional story."

Further casting include Samantha Spiro, Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo, Alex Ferns, Francis Lovehall, Steven Meo, Ric Renton, Tom Moutchi, Nima Taleghani, Sule Rimi, Charlie Rix and Jude Mack.

Speaking ahead of Waiting For The Out, writer and executive producer Dennis Kelly, said "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…"

To which Andy West, executive producer and author of The Life Inside, added "I’m so thankful to the writers, directors, producers and everyone involved in adapting The Life Inside. They have brought extraordinary creative and moral imagination to the stories in the book. We all hope to make a series that goes beyond the cliches about prisons and the families inside them and that touches people either side of the wall."

Produced by SISTER, filming has commenced in and around Liverpool on Waiting For The Out which has been written by Dennis Kelly, with Levi David Addai and Ric Renton joining the writing team.

It'll be directed by Jeanette Nordahl and Ben Palmer, produced by Louise Sutton and executive produced by Dennis Kelly, Jane Featherstone, Chris Fry, Katie Carpenter and Andy West for SISTER, and Tanya Qureshi for the BBC.

Speaking about today's news, the BBC's Director of Drama, Lindsay Salt, said "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.”

To which executive producers for SISTER, Chris Fry and Katie Carpenter added "Andy West’s brilliant memoir offers a compelling, thought-provoking, exploration of masculinity, guilt, and freedom. We feel so lucky to be working with Dennis Kelly on the adaptation; from the first draft we knew he had something urgent and profoundly moving on our hands."

"The quality of his writing has rightly attracted a remarkable cast, led by the brilliant Josh Finan, and directors, Jeanette Nordahl and Ben Palmer. Waiting For The Out is a story that asks big questions but resists easy answers. We hope it will resonate deeply with audiences. We’re delighted to partner with the BBC on a project that quietly challenges the way we think about our justice system and the lives lived both on the inside and the out."

Waiting For The Out will air on BBC One