"An emotional true story”: The Split team’s new BBC drama, Waiting for the Out, promises gut-punching viewing

If you loved BBC One’s The Split as much as we did and you’re waiting patiently (or not so patiently) for the spin-off series, we have some good news for you. The production team behind it, SISTER, is currently hard at work on a brand-new drama called Waiting for the Out - and the emotional true story promises to be gut-punching viewing.

Based on Andy West’s moving memoir, The Life Inside, the series will introduce us to philosopher Dan (Josh Finan) who teaches a class of men in prison. As he converses with them about their lives and feelings, it forces him to confront his own personal history, as the son, brother and nephew of men who have ended up in prison themselves.

Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, says the series offers a “nuanced new take on male identity, forgiveness and self-discovery” – and we’re expecting an impactful watch, to say the least. Ahead of Waiting for the Out’s arrival on our screens, here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming series, including the cast, plot and the memoir it’s based on.

What is Waiting for the Out about?

As we mentioned, the six-part series is based on Andy West’s acclaimed 2022 memoir, The Life Inside. Produced by SISTER, the production company behind The Split and Black Doves, Josh Finan leads the cast as Dan, a philosopher starts teaching a class of men in prison, leads discussions each week about dominance, freedom and luck.

The topics gain a new meaning when seen through the prisoners’ eyes and both ignite passions and create tension. Dan’s work also means that he begins to dig deeper into his own past, having grown up with a violent father (Gerard Kearns) who ended up in prison, along with his brother Lee (Stephen Wight) and uncle Frank (Phil Daniels).

Dan took a different path to his family, but his time working in a prison with these men impacts him in ways he hadn’t ever imagined. It begins to make him worry obsessively, hat he belongs behind bars just like his father. And, as Dan’s personal crisis deepens, his actions begin to threaten both his own future - and that of his family.

Dennis Kelly, writer and executive producer, says: “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…”

Author of The Life inside, Andy West, will also serve as executive producer and has said he hopes the series won’t be the portrayal of life in prison that we’ve previously seen on screen before. “I’m so thankful to the writers, directors, producers and everyone involved in adapting The Life Inside,” he says.

“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.”

Josh Finan, who plays Dan, added: “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.”

Executive producers for SISTER, Chris Fry and Katie Carpenter, say: “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.”

Is Waiting for the Out based on a true story?

Yes, author of The Life Inside Andy West has in fact been teaching philosophy in English prisons for several years. His memoirs narrates his experience and touches on his own history as the son and brother of men who have spent years behind bars.

Who's starring in Waiting for the Out?

The cast of Waiting for the Out includes:

• Josh Finan (The Responder)
• Gerard Kearns (The Day of the Jackal)
• Samantha Spiro (Sex Education)
• Phil Daniels (House of the Dragon)
• Stephen Wight (Bergerac)
• Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo (Rain Dogs)
• Neal Barry (Rain Dogs)
• Alex Ferns (Andor)
• Francis Lovehall (A Thousand Blows)
• Steven Meo (House of the Dragon)
• Ric Renton (One Off)
• Tom Moutchi (Gladiator II)
• Nima Taleghani (Heartstopper)
• Sule Rimi (The Day of the Jackal)
• Charlie Rix (Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power)
• Jude Mack (Such Brave Girls)

How can I watch Waiting for the Out?

The BBC hasn’t yet shared a release date for Waiting for the Out, but we do know that it will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. As soon as we have a confirmed date, we’ll share it here. In meantime, you can check out our pick of the best TV dramas to watch now here.