A new six-part prison drama starring Josh Finan premiered on BBC One on Saturday
Sara Baalla Screen Time TV Reporter
22:52, 03 Jan 2026Updated 22:53, 03 Jan 2026
BBC viewers say same thing as ‘heartbreaking’ Liverpool drama premieres(Image: BBC)
BBC viewers said the same thing as a “heartbreaking” Liverpool drama premiered on Saturday (January 3).
The new six-part series Waiting for the Out, which was filmed in and around Liverpool, has been crafted by acclaimed screenwriter Dennis Kelly, based on Andy West’s memoir, The Life Inside.
The programme centres on Dan Stewer (portrayed by Josh Finan), who chooses to educate a group of male prisoners about dominance, freedom, luck and other subjects that have puzzled philosophers for millennia. These themes also take on fresh significance when viewed through the inmates’ perspectives, both sparking enthusiasm and generating conflict.
The official synopsis adds: “Through his work, Dan begins to dig deeper into his own past – growing up with a father (Gerard Kearns) who ended up in prison, as did his brother Lee (Stephen Wight) and uncle Frank (Phil Daniels). Dan took a different path, but this time working in a prison begins to make him worry, obsessively, that he belongs behind bars just like his father,” reports the Mirror.
Waiting for the Out premiered on Saturday night(Image: BBC Studios/Sister Pictures/Sane Seven)READ MORE: Waiting For The Out on BBC start time, cast, episodes and how to watch Liverpool dramaREAD MORE: Waiting For The Out on BBC: Is it based on a true story?
“As Dan’s personal crisis deepens, his actions begin to threaten both his own future, and his family’s.”
The programme’s ensemble also features Samantha Spiro, Phil Daniels, Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo, Neal Barry, Alex Ferns, Francis Lovehall, Steven Meo, Ric Renton, Tom Moutchi, Nima Taleghani, Sule Rimi, Charlie Rix and Jude Mack.
The opening episode witnessed Dan commence his first day delivering philosophy lessons in a men’s correctional facility. The session quickly descended into chaos as he discovered he’d misjudged his students – and the burden of his own history.
Becoming obsessed with minor particulars, Dan lost his grip on the classroom, jeopardised his opportunity to start a family and shattered a crucial pledge to his new partner. However, when a recognisable figure emerged from the past, Dan found himself compelled to face someone he believed he’d put behind him.
BBC audiences were swift to voice their grievances following the broadcast, with numerous viewers expressing their dissatisfaction on X (formerly Twitter). “Well this is 45 mins of my life I won’t get back,” one viewer commented.
BBC viewers issued complaints(Image: BBC)
Another contributed: “This is so weird,” whilst a third remarked: “God this is awful. Fella has no survival instinct. I’d be out of there. Don’t think they’d lock him in there alone with no way out.”
Conversely, other watchers were impressed with the episode’s content, with one individual posting: “Wow very interesting style! Quite different from anything else I’ve seen,” whilst another shared: “Just watched #WaitingForTheOut and I think it’s going to be brilliant.”
Andy West, executive producer and author of The Life Inside, previously commented in a statement: “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 and executive producer 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..”
Waiting for the Out is available to stream on BBC iPlayer
For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new Everything Gossip website