The BBC's new six-part prison drama, Waiting for the Out, premiered on Saturday night, leaving audiences split in their reactions just minutes into the episode. Created by Dennis Kelly and based on Andy West's memoir The Life Inside, the series follows a philosophy teacher confronting his family's criminal past while working in a prison. While some praised its unique style, others found it chaotic and unrelatable.
Waiting for the Out debuted on BBC One on January 3, introducing viewers to Dan Stewer, played by Josh Finan, as he begins teaching philosophy to male inmates on topics like dominance and freedom. The episode quickly unfolds with Dan's first lesson descending into disorder, as he grapples with misjudging his students and his own burdensome history. This leads him to obsess over details, risk his chance at fatherhood, and break a promise to his partner. The plot intensifies when a figure from his past reappears, forcing Dan to confront unresolved issues.
The series draws from real-life experiences, with Dan reflecting on his father (Gerard Kearns), brother Lee (Stephen Wight), and uncle Frank (Phil Daniels), all of whom have served time. As Dan delves deeper, his personal turmoil threatens his future and his family's stability. The cast includes Samantha Spiro, Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo, Neal Barry, Alex Ferns, and others.
Audience responses on X highlighted the divide. One viewer complained, "Well this is 45 mins of my life I won't get back," while another said, "This is so weird." A third noted, "God this is awful. Fella has no survival instinct. I'd be out of there." In contrast, positive feedback included, "Wow very interesting style! Quite different from anything else I've seen," and "Just watched #WaitingForTheOut and I think it's going to be brilliant."
Executive producer Andy West, whose memoir inspired the show, expressed gratitude: "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 clichés about prisons and the families inside them and that touches people either side of the wall."
Writer Dennis Kelly added: "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."
The full series is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.