PUTTING PHILOSOPHY ON THE TELLY with Andy West

Andy West, author of 'The Life Inside' takes part in our Philosophy in the Bookshop series to discuss the TV adaptation of his memoir

SOON TO BE A BBC DRAMA, 'WAITING FOR THE OUT' SCREENS IN JANUARY

The Life Inside

Andy West teaches philosophy in prisons. Every time he steps behind bars, he also confronts his inherited shame: his father, uncle and brother all spent time inside. While Andy has built a different life for himself, he still fears that their fate will also be his.

Every day he has conversations with prisoners about their lives, discusses their ideas and feelings, and listens as they explore new ways to think about their situation. Together they tackle the big questions: Can someone in prison be more free than someone outside? Would we ever be good if we never felt shame? What makes a person worthy of forgiveness? As he discusses pressing questions of truth, identity and hope with his students, Andy searches for his own form of freedom too.

Now a six-part BBC drama, 'Waiting for the Out', The Life Inside is an elegantly written and unforgettable memoir. Through exquisite storytelling and gentle philosophical questioning, it offers a new insight into our stretched justice system, our failing prisons and the complex lives being lived inside.

Andy West

Andy West is the author of The life Inside: A Memoir of Prison, Family and Philosophy (Picador 2022), which was listed as a Book of the Year in The Irish Times and The I Paper. He has written for The Guardian, Aeon, 3AM Magazine, Huck, The Big Issue, Open Democracy, The Lead, The Times Education Supplement and Bloomsbury. He is philosopher in residence at HMP Brixton.

Nigel Warburton

Nigel Warburton is a public Philosopher and co-host of the Philosophy Bites Podcast. He is the other of our bestselling Philosophy book, 'A Little History of Philosophy'. Nigel has been the host of Philosophy in the Bookshop since 2013.