The Responder star's new BBC drama based on "deeply emotional" true story gets release date confirmed

The BBC has revealed when we can expect their new prison drama, Waiting For The Out, to be released.

The upcoming series, which is based on Andy West’s acclaimed memoir The Life Inside, will premiere on Saturday 3rd January at 9:30pm on BBC One, and will be released as a boxset on iPlayer.

Penned by writer Dennis Kelly (Matilda The Musical), the series will star Josh Finan (The Responder) as Dan, a philosopher who teaches a class of men in prison.

But the classes soon prompt Dan to dig deeper into his own past and he finds himself obsessing over his father (Gerard Kearns), brother Lee (Stephen Wight) and uncle Frank (Phil Daniels), who all ended up in prison.

"As Dan’s personal crisis deepens, his actions begin to threaten both his own future, and his family’s," the official synopsis teases. Does Dan belong behind bars just like his father?

Alongside Finan, the series also features Gerard Kearns (The Day of the Jackal), Samantha Spiro (Sex Education), Phil Daniels (House of the Dragon), Stephen Wight (Bergerac), Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo (Rain Dogs) and Neal Barry (Rain Dogs).

The cast is rounded out by 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) and Jude Mack (Such Brave Girls).

Filming on the six-part series kicked off back in May in and around Liverpool, with Finan saying in a statement at the time that he "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 added: “Waiting For The Out is a story that asks big questions but resists easy answers. We hope it will resonate deeply with audiences."

Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, added: "Waiting For The Out offers an inspiring and nuanced new take on male identity, forgiveness and self-discovery from one of the UK’s greatest writers."

The series will be helmed by Jeanette Nordahl (The Responder) and Ben Palmer (Douglas is Cancelled), while Louise Sutton (Black Mirror) will serve as producer. Executive producers include Dennis Kelly, Jane Featherstone (This is Going to Hurt), Chris Fry (Black Doves), Katie Carpenter (Kaos) and Andy West for SISTER, and Tanya Qureshi for the BBC.

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

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