Waiting for the Out author reveals new BBC drama doesn’t avoid the “moral complexity” of characters in prison

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Andy West spent most of his thirties in prison, which might seem predictable considering his father, brother, and uncle were all incarcerated during his childhood. However, his own criminal record is surprisingly minor – he only received a ticket for running a red light on his bicycle.

He’s a philosopher who teaches classes in prisons throughout the UK, working with inmates of all ages and backgrounds – including those serving life sentences, struggling with addiction, or convicted of sex offenses. His compelling and often difficult experiences are detailed in his 2022 memoir, The Life Inside, and are now the inspiration for Waiting for the Out, a new six-part drama on BBC One, written by Dennis Kelly (known for Utopia and Together).

This adaptation heightens the book’s dramatic and comedic elements while remaining true to its core message and human spirit. West, the director, explains he deliberately avoided a typical, violent prison story. “I didn’t want it to be a standard, gritty shankings-in-the-shower prison drama,” he says. He’s a calm, insightful, and captivating person – a perfect blend of intelligence and compassion, reflected in his glasses and turtleneck. “Prison isn’t violent every day,” he continues. “It’s often much more mundane: daytime television, unpleasant smells, dirty laundry, and another day slipping away.”

I won’t pretend my show is thrilling, but it does explore how time passes and things change. We aimed for something real and funny, not a heavy-handed drama about simply surviving. And it’s important to note that the characters in our show aren’t exactly heroes – they’ve all done wrong. Stories like The Shawshank Redemption, where the main character is largely innocent, avoid some difficult moral questions, and we wanted to dive right into that complexity.

Both the book and the TV series tell a compelling story. Josh Finan, known for his role in ‘The Responder,’ plays Dan, a man grappling with memories of his troubled and unpredictable father (Gerard Kearns). He patiently listens to his uncle’s (Phil Daniels) familiar stories about a life of crime while also trying to rebuild his connection with his brother (Stephen Wight), who is now a loving father and is in recovery from heroin addiction.

West draws heavily on his own experiences in his work. He describes a childhood split into two phases: first, a turbulent upbringing with his father, who went to prison when West was twelve, marked by financial hardship and run-ins with the police. Later, he lived with his mother and stepfather, a salesman, which provided a more stable environment during his teenage years. He maintains a strong relationship with his mother and brother, though his uncle passed away in 2023.

West didn’t have much formal education, leaving school with only two GCSEs. However, a philosophy teacher at college mentored him, and he eventually earned a degree. He remembers feeling envious of philosophy programs in prisons, because he’d spent a lot of time shedding aspects of who he was. He realized the life experience he’d gained growing up didn’t quite fit into academic learning, and he admired how those in prison were reconnecting with their own understanding of the world – admitting his reasons for being interested weren’t entirely pure.

The more I’ve taught in prison, the more I’ve understood that my core motivations stemmed from personal experience – visiting my brother in prison and dealing with my father’s incarceration. It wasn’t about reaching out to understand these issues; it was about looking within – confronting the source of my questions directly.

It’s interesting to consider how he managed to avoid repeating the mistakes of his father, uncle, and brother. He finds the question thought-provoking, and suggests several factors played a role. His father’s absence was significant, and the large age gap with his brother allowed him to learn from his experiences and choose a different path. He also admits to a desire to be seen as successful, especially after witnessing the criticism his relative faced. Ultimately, he believes there might be inherent differences in people’s susceptibility to addiction or risky behavior, and we should be cautious about attributing blame.

Throughout both the book and the series, the prisoners’ interest in thinkers like Beckett, Socrates, Descartes, and Malcolm X changes, but their insights are consistently sharp, surprising, and meaningful. They approach philosophy through personal feelings and experiences, rather than simply trying to solve problems. Considering they’re grappling with concepts like freedom, guilt, hope, and desire, this emotional connection is natural – how could it be any other way?

Prison often reduces people to a routine existence, like being herded around – moved from one place to another, fed, and then locked back up. I remember two inmates who really stood out. One, facing a long sentence, left a note saying ‘two-hour holiday’ – a way of describing how the class allowed him to escape mentally. Another simply said ‘Philosophy is all right,’ which, inside prison, is high praise. Prison life can really wear down a person’s spirit, so having a space to think, reflect, and feel that your thoughts matter is incredibly important.

The British prison system is struggling with overcrowding, a lack of funding, and too few staff. Prisoners often spend up to 23 hours a day locked in their cells, and the training for prison officers is much shorter – just two months – compared to the two years required in Norway. It’s no surprise, therefore, that many consider the system deeply flawed.

Many people view prisons as something simply necessary but best ignored – a place to isolate those we consider ‘other’ and believe danger stays contained. However, it’s unrealistic to expect change from individuals who often grew up facing hardship, abuse, and financial instability if their fundamental needs aren’t met first. Having seen glimpses of this difficult reality early in life, I feel a strong sense of obligation to address it, as I suspect others may not.

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Addressing these issues has meant sharing personal stories and breaking down barriers – a process that’s been genuinely helpful, not just for those open to it, but for West himself. Similar to the character Dan in Waiting for the Out, West has struggled with what he calls “the executioner” – a term for the damaging shame, unwanted thoughts, and obsessive behaviors he continues to work through.

He realized the person responsible for difficult tasks actually cares about your well-being and worries a lot themselves. He found it helpful to acknowledge his fears and anxieties without letting them take over his day. He’d tell himself, ‘I’m scared, I’m having negative thoughts, but I’ll address them later,’ and often, the feeling would pass on its own. Looking back, he feels regret for all the time he spent worrying about things that never happened, but he also notices how much happier and more at ease he is now when revisiting the source material.

It’s risky to use complex terms like ‘catharsis’ when talking to a philosopher, but I’ll take the chance. Did writing the book feel emotionally cleansing or relieving?

West offered a gentle smile. “It wasn’t a cure, exactly, but it did help me move on. The psychoanalyst Adam Phillips once explained Freud by saying, ‘My patients don’t get better, they simply get tired of their problems.’ After spending three years and writing 300 pages exploring my inner thoughts, I reached a point where I was tired of dwelling on myself. It gave me a way to express my feelings, which had been difficult to talk about for a long time, and it was important to do that deep self-exploration. But now that part is done. What else is there to life?”

Waiting for the Out will premiere on Saturday 3rd January at 9:30pm on BBC One.

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Authors

Gabriel Tate

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2025-12-29 20:42