The new six-part drama Waiting for the Out, adapted by Dennis Kelly from Andy West's memoir A Life Inside, has been hailed as a stunning prison drama. The review in The Guardian describes it as "totally magnificent" and praises its moving, gripping and vulnerable portrayal of philosophy taught behind bars.
The series stars Josh Finan as Dan, a philosophy professor who begins teaching in a prison while grappling with severe OCD and intrusive fantasies about his estranged father. His father, uncle and brother all served time, and Dan is haunted by the fear that he will follow the same path. The drama flashes back to a traumatic seaside holiday, where his father, played by Gerard Kearns, is seen bullying a waiter and stealing jewellery.
Among the inmates, the character Keith, portrayed by Alex Ferns, stands out as Dan's intellectual equal and potential nemesis. The review notes that the prisoners are "thoroughly well-written and performed characters" who avoid cliché. Dan's relationship with his brother Lee, played by Stephen Wight, forms another central strand, with Lee portrayed as a recovering addict and former prisoner who is comparatively well-adjusted.
The review highlights that the drama sidesteps patronising expectations, suggesting that philosophy serves as a refuge for both Dan and the inmates. It concludes that the series is a "magnificent" exploration of trauma, identity and the search for meaning, with the performance of Josh Finan described as "astonishingly" bringing the tormented protagonist to life.
