MATILDA THE MUSICAL Writer Dennis Kelly Will Pen Adaptation of Prison Memoir THE LIFE INSIDE

A television series adaptation of Andy West's prison memoir, The Life Inside, is coming to the BBC, penned by Matilda the Musical writer Dennis Kelly. Deadline reports that Kelly is working with Black Doves producer Sister on the series.

Andy West, who teaches philosophy in prisons, has conversations with people inside about their lives, discusses their ideas and feelings, and listens as they explore new ways to think about their situation. The memoir follows Andy as he also confronts his inherited trauma: his father, uncle and brother all spent time in prison. While Andy has built a different life for himself, he still fears that their fate will also be his. As he discusses pressing questions of truth, identity and hope with his students, he searches for his own form of freedom too. The book was published in February 2022.

No further details on the production have been released at this time.

Dennis Kelly is a British writer and producer who has worked for theatre, television, and film. His play DNA, published in 2007 and first performed in 2008, has been studied by approximately 400,000 students each year. He wrote the book for Matilda the Musical, which featured music and lyrics from musician and comedian Tim Minchin, for whih Kelly received a Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical. A film adaptation of the musical with screenplay by Kelly was released in December 2022.

For television, he is known for co-creating and co-writing the BBC Three sitcom Pulling, the Channel 4 conspiracy thriller Utopia, and the HBO and Sky Atlantic thriller The Third Day. Kelly also wrote the screenplay for the 2014 film Black Sea.

Read the original story on Deadline.