‘Waiting for the Out’

This month, on National Prison Radio, you can hear a special show featuring Andy West, the author of The Life Inside, and Josh Finan, the actor who plays him in a BBC adaptation of his story. 

The Life Inside is Andy’s memoir and in January and February 2026, a dramatised version of the story – Waiting for the Out – was broadcast on BBC 1. 

In The Life Inside, Andy writes about his experiences teaching philosophy in prison while coming to terms with his own family’s history of imprisonment. 

Andy tells National Prison Radio that he had a very complicated relationship with prison. 

“I can understand why it exists, but I also think it creates a lot of trauma along the way, for people in prison and for families as well.” 

A report conducted by the Centre for Health and Justice estimates that 312,000 children are affected by parental imprisonment each year. It also found that 65 per cent of sons of prisoners end up in the criminal justice system. 

Andy talks to NPR about intergenerational imprisonment and the impact this had on him. 

“You carry someone else’s shame and if we can find a way to not do that, children don’t have to grow up with that burden.

“It’s very unique when you lose someone to prison. It’s like they’ve gone to a war zone – they come home and they’re different. And you still love that person. But you’ve never been in that war zone so there’s a part of that person you can’t connect to.” 

Speaking to NPR about his decision to become a Philosophy teacher in prisons, he says, “I was trying to understand my ancestry, go into this setting and try and figure out my family history.” 

Josh Finan, who plays Andy in the BBC drama, tells National Prison Radio what he learnt from this role: 

“The whole of humanity lives in prison… I learnt about being honest with oneself and being as truthful as you can. There’s an incredible bravery in letting yourself be yourself.” 

You can hear NPR’s special ‘Waiting for the Out’ programme on Tuesday 17 February at 5pm and 10pm

National Prison Radio is the world’s first national radio station for people in prison. It’s available on in-cell TVs and via Launchpad laptops in prisons across England and Wales. 

You can call National Prison Radio on 0808 123 1234 and leave a message. You can request a track or share an inspirational story. We listen to every single message we receive. 

If NPR is not available in your prison, call us on 0808 123 1234 and leave a message telling us the prison you are in and how long it has been down for.

Also, on NPR this month 

• If you want to do something special for your loved one this Valentine’s Day, National Prison Radio can help! Why don’t you get involved in the Family and Friends Request Show? All you’ve got to do is send us the message you’d like to be read out to your loved one and tell us the song you would like to dedicate to them. From the inside, you can call our freephone number and leave a message: 0808 123 1234. From the outside, family members can contact us via the National Prison Radio website: nationalprisonradio.com. The deadline to get your request in for the Valentine’s Day Family and Friends Request show is Sunday 8 February. 

• If you love a story, you can listen to some of the best audiobooks on National Prison Radio every evening at 11pm. And if that’s too late for you, there’s an omnibus edition 

on Sunday at 3pm. The current Books Unlocked title All the Little Bird Hearts by Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow will end on 15 February and a new title will be broadcast from 16 February. Books Unlocked is brought to National Prison Radio in collaboration with the National Literacy Trust.