'I love Liverpool so much' - Josh Finan discusses filming for BBC Waiting For The Out ahead of release date
Josh Finan shares his affection for Liverpool and insights into his new role in the BBC series 'Waiting For The Out'.
Josh Finan said he would have been “devastated” not to star in a highly-awaited upcoming BBC series.
A new six-part series, Waiting For The Out is adapted from Andy West’s acclaimed memoir The Life Inside, from the multi-award-winning writer Dennis Kelly (Together, Utopia, Matilda The Musical).
The series is produced by award-winning SISTER (Black Doves, This Is Going to Hurt, Chernobyl) with filming in and around Liverpool wrapping earlier this year.
Waiting For The Out stars Wirral-born Josh Finan, who is best known for playing Marco in The Responder, Diggsy in Netflix's Baby Reindeer and Gerry Adams in Say Nothing. The actor recently appeared in the latest series of Black Mirror alongside Peter Capaldi and James Nelson-Joyce.
As well as recently revealing the release date for the new series, the BBC has dropped the trailer offering a first glimpse at BAFTA-nominated Finan as Dan, a philosopher who begins teaching a class of men in prison.
The newly released trailer introduces Dan’s classes, which see him lead philosophical discussions about dominance, freedom, luck and other topics that gain new meaning when seen through the prisoners’ eyes.
Ahead of the series’ looming release, star Josh Finan has spoken about his experience filming around Liverpool and discussed what makes Waiting For The Out stand out.
BBC Waiting For The Out plot
The new series sees Dan leads discussions about dominance, freedom, luck and other topics that have troubled philosophers for thousands of years – topics that gain a new meaning when seen through the prisoners’ eyes – both igniting passions and creating tension.
Through his work, Dan begins to dig deeper into his own past – growing up with a violent father (Kearns) who ended up in prison, as did his brother Lee (Stephen Wight) and uncle Frank (Daniels).
Dan took a different path, but his time working in a prison begins to make him worry, obsessively, that he belongs behind bars just like his father. As Dan’s personal crisis deepens, his actions begin to threaten both his own future, and his family’s.
Josh Finan on Waiting For The Out
Discussing filming much of the series in Liverpool, Finan said: “I love Liverpool so much and I got to spend time with my family at the weekend.
“I knew some of the crew from previous jobs and that community feeling is so nice to have at work. My family also got the chance to have small cameos in the series as well. Every time I do a job they jokingly ask “can we be in it?” so I actually asked this time and they were supporting artists for the Christening towards the end of the series.
“When my sister heard my mum and dad were going to be in it, she got severe FOMO and travelled up to join us for the day too!”
Finan said he would have been “devastated” not to feature as Dan in Waiting For The Out. He added: “Personally, I don’t think I’ve seen a drama that looks just as much – if not more – at what goes on for those outside of the prison walls as well as prisoners inside of them.
BBC Waiting For The Out cast
- Josh Finan (The Responder)
- Gerard Kearns (The Day of the Jackal)
- Samantha Spiro (Sex Education)
- Phil Daniels (House of the Dragon)
- Stephen Wight (Bergerac)
- Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo (Rain Dogs)
- Neal Barry (Rain Dogs)
- 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)
- Jude Mack (Such Brave Girls)
BBC Waiting For The Out filming locations
While all locations have not yet been revealed yet, we do know some of the spots involved in production of the new series:
When will BBC Waiting For The Out be released?
The series will begin on Saturday, January 3, with all episodes on BBC iPlayer from 6am