The drama is adapted from Andy West’s memoir about a prison philosophy class

Waiting For The Out (w/t), a new drama from Dennis Kelly, is filming in and around Liverpool for BBC One.

The six-part series is based on Andy West’s memoir The Life Inside, and is produced by Sister. It was commissioned by Lindsay Salt, director of BBC drama. Levi David Addai and Ric Renton join Kelly on the writing team.

The drama is directed by Jeanette Nordahl and Ben Palmer with Louise Sutton producing. The executive producers are Kelly, Jane Featherstone, Chris Fry, Katie Carpenter and Andy West for Sister, alongside Tanya Qureshi for the BBC. The project is backed by BBC Studios, who will handle global sales.

Waiting For The Out centres on Dan (played by Josh Finan), 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 – igniting passions and creating tension.

The supporting cast includes Stephen Wight, Gerard Kearns, Phil Daniels, Samantha Spiro, Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo, Neal Barry, Alex Ferns, Francis Lovehall, Steven Meo, Ric Renton, Tom Moutchi, Nima Taleghani, Sule Rimi, Charlie Rix and Jude Mack. Production is underway in Liverpool.

Screenwriter 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…”

Executive producers Fry and 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.”