{"id":670563,"date":"2026-07-02T22:07:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T22:07:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/670563\/"},"modified":"2026-07-02T22:07:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T22:07:13","slug":"perfect-bbc-prison-drama-hailed-as-totally-magnificent-tv-jumps-into-iplayers-trending-chart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/670563\/","title":{"rendered":"Perfect BBC prison drama hailed as &#8220;totally magnificent TV&#8221; jumps into iPlayer&#8217;s trending chart"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"3\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">A prison drama with a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes has found a renewed popularity on BBC iPlayer. Based on a memoir by Andy West, who recounted his experience teaching philosophy in prison, Waiting for the Out stars Josh Finan as protagonist Dan Stewer.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"9\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">The actor, recently seen in Netflix&#8217;s How To Get To Heaven from Belfast, plays a philosophy teacher who&#8217;s assigned to teach to men in a high-security correctional facility. As he gets to know his students, Dan starts obsessing over his own family&#8217;s history of incarceration as his father, brother and uncle have all been in prison.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"13\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">The series has made a surprise return onto iPlayer&#8217;s trending chart months after its January premiere.<\/p>\n<p><img draggable=\"true\" alt=\"josh finan, ronke adekoluejo, waiting for the out\" title=\"Josh Finan, Ronke Adekoluejo, Waiting For The Out\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"4743\" height=\"3162\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" style=\"color:transparent;width:100%;height:auto;\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/e8f09a28-9e20-4212-9373-c6b4d35ce394.jpg\" class=\"css-0 e1g79fud0\"\/><\/p>\n<p>BBC<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"18\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tech\/best-tech-deals\/g35899960\/best-streaming-services\/\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tech\/best-tech-deals\/g35899960\/best-streaming-services\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Best streaming services UK 2026 \u2013 including Disney Plus, Netflix, iPlayer and Apple TV\" data-node-id=\"18.0.1\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Best streaming services UK 2026 \u2013 including Disney Plus, Netflix, iPlayer and Apple TV<\/a><br data-node-id=\"18.1\"\/><\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"22\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">Waiting for the Out is now at number eight in the Top 10 of the &#8216;most popular&#8217; content on the platform, being the only non-soap TV series alongside The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, which is at number ten.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"26\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">Finan stars alongside Samantha Spiro and Gerard Kearns as Dan&#8217;s mum and dad, as well as Nikhil Parmar as Rayan, Stephen Wight as Lee Gifford, Ronk\u1eb9 Ad\u00e9k\u1ecdlu\u1eb9\u0301j\u1ecd\u0301 as Officer Stephens, and Neal Barry as Officer Guthrie, <\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"31\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">Rounding up the cast are Josef Altin as Greg Turner, Steven Meo as Daniel &#8216;Macca&#8217; McKenzie, Ric Renton as Wallace Robson, and Tom Moutchi as Tom &#8216;Junior&#8217; Kouame Jr. <\/p>\n<p><img draggable=\"true\" alt=\"josh finan, nikhil parmar, waiting for the out\" title=\"Josh Finan, Nikhil Parmar, Waiting For The Out\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"4743\" height=\"3162\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" style=\"color:transparent;width:100%;height:auto;\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/7a554d98-0a01-4172-88ac-aaf7b9dba086.jpg\" class=\"css-0 e1g79fud0\"\/><\/p>\n<p>BBC<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"36\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/movies\/a71803531\/me-before-you-streaming-bbc-iplayer\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/movies\/a71803531\/me-before-you-streaming-bbc-iplayer\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Sam Claflin and Emilia Clarke&#039;s &quot;must-see&quot; drama is now streaming on the BBC\" data-node-id=\"36.0.1\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Sam Claflin and Emilia Clarke&#8217;s &#8220;must-see&#8221; drama is now streaming on the BBC<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"40\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">An adaptation of West&#8217;s The Life Inside: A Memoir Of Prison, Family and Learning to be Free translated for the screen by Dennis Kelly and Levi David Addai, Waiting for the Out has received positive reviews, earning a perfect critic score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes out of 5 reviews.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"44\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/tv-and-radio\/2026\/jan\/03\/waiting-for-the-out-review-prison-drama-bbc-one-iplayer\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/tv-and-radio\/2026\/jan\/03\/waiting-for-the-out-review-prison-drama-bbc-one-iplayer\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"The Guardian\" data-node-id=\"44.1\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Guardian<\/a> has described the philosophy prison series as &#8220;totally magnificent TV&#8221;, while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/programmes\/articles\/5ZsM7GzJy7gRbyBhZv3VKPp\/must-watch-reviews-waiting-for-the-out-run-away-and-the-night-manager\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/programmes\/articles\/5ZsM7GzJy7gRbyBhZv3VKPp\/must-watch-reviews-waiting-for-the-out-run-away-and-the-night-manager\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"BBC.com\" data-node-id=\"44.4\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">BBC.com<\/a> praised it as &#8220;one of the most accurate but heartfelt depictions of what it&#8217;s like to be living with OCD&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"50\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">Waiting for the Out is streaming on BBC iPlayer.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"55\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">Visit our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tv\/a70049607\/streaming-guide\/\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tv\/a70049607\/streaming-guide\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Streaming Guide\" data-node-id=\"55.0.1\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Streaming Guide<\/a> now to see at a glance where you can view ALL your favourite shows and movies.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"59\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">The new edition of Living Legends, celebrating the global phenomenon of BTS, is here! <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hearstmagazines.co.uk\/livinglegendsbts\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.hearstmagazines.co.uk\/livinglegendsbts\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Buy this ultimate fan guide in newsagents or online\" data-node-id=\"59.0.3\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Buy this ultimate fan guide in newsagents or online<\/a>.<br data-node-id=\"59.1\"\/><\/p>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783030033_159_a5577bef-f874-41e6-b03b-0f8d9f1e5f46_1686136547.file.png\" alt=\"Headshot of Stefania Sarrubba\" title=\"Headshot of Stefania Sarrubba\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"css-o0wq4v ev8dhu53\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Reporter, Digital Spy<\/p>\n<p>Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/author\/stefaniasarrubba\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Radio Times<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Digital Spy<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A prison drama with a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes has found a renewed popularity on BBC iPlayer.&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":670564,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[147950,379,224469,381,96,190731,1156,224468,223205,391,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-670563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-collection-latest-news","tag-content-type-news","tag-contentid-787e3569-8293-421b-841e-a2f6a9db1cb5","tag-displaytype-standard-article","tag-entertainment","tag-issyndicated-false","tag-locale-gb","tag-shorttitle-perfect-bbc-prison-drama-jumps-into-iplayers-trending-chart","tag-sponsored-false","tag-tv","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/670563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=670563"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/670563\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/670564"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=670563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=670563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=670563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}