Everything you need to know about Pushers

Stand-up comedian Rosie Jones is getting her first sitcom. Ahead of the first two episodes, here’s the low-down on Pushers.

What’s it about?

Pushers stars Rosie Jones as Emily, a woman with cerebral palsy whose benefits get slashed. To make ends meet, she decides to become a drug dealer. No-one ever suspects someone with a disability, which makes her the ideal candidate to dodge the law. She teams up with other disabled and neurodivergent people to form the ultimate drugs team. Well, okay, maybe not ultimate. A drugs team.

Who is Rosie Jones?

Rosie Jones performed stand-up for the first time with no preparation at a friend’s gig, and has since gone from strength to strength.

You’ve seen her on panel shows like 8 Out of 10 Cats, QI and Would I Lie to You?, and performing stand-up on Live at the Apollo. She also hosted game show Out of Order, and co-wrote an episode of Sex Education.

If comedy isn’t your thing, you might recognise her from more dramatic roles, like in Call the Midwife and Silent Witness.

Did Rosie Jones write Pushers?

Yes, along with Peter Fellows, who helped write Armando Iannucci’s smash hit The Death of Stalin, as well as sci-fi comedy Avenue 5.

Jones and Fellows hadn’t collaborated before, but it quickly turned out to be a match made in Heaven.

“Right from our first meeting, we were like “yes, this works’,” Jones said at a recent Q&A. “It was amazing to see that connection grow. We joke that by the end of [writing], when it came to filming, we had the same brain.”

How did Pushers get made?

The sitcom started life as a Comedy Blap called Disability Benefits, which was released in 2022 on Channel 4’s YouTube channel.

The Blap has a similar plot to the first episode of Pushers, though the series fleshes out Emily’s work and home life. Pushers introduces her dad, Craig, played by the inestimable Clive Russell (Game of Thrones). In the series, Emily also works in a cash-strapped charity that advises businesses on disabled-accessible toilets.

“I’m really grateful to Channel 4 for giving us the opportunity to do a Blap as it allowed us the time to work out what it was and when we were going into the series,” Jones says. “When it came to writing the series, it was easy to write as we knew who the characters were and who we were writing for.”

The Blap features some of the same cast as the series, like Ryan McParland as Ewen, Emily’s clueless connection to the underworld. When it came to writing the full series, this meant Jones already had a sense of what worked in those characters’ voices, she explained at the Q&A.

Comedy Blaps have showcased fresh comedic talent for years. Before becoming full series, Stath Lets Flats, Michaela Coel’s Chewing Gum and We Are Lady Parts all received the Blap treatment.

What was it like filming with fake drugs?

By all accounts, a nightmare.

The scenes involving cocaine were filmed with flour, which more than once had to explode over the actors.

On set, “you had to really hope that it properly exploded, because otherwise you’re like ‘oh no, we’re losing half a day’,” Peter Fellows explained at a Q&A.

Jones was finding flour in her bra two weeks after those scenes, she added.

How was production on Pushers disability accessible?

“I wanted this to be a set where everyone felt welcome, everyone wanted to come to work and everyone was having fun doing their job, because I fundamentally believe if you enjoy what you do, the outcome will be much better,” Jones explains.

“We had an access coordinator on set which should be happening on every set and every workplace from now on. I was adamant that we needed one of them on my show. Dan Edge, who we had, was an amazing guy who was able to speak to every single member of cast and crew and ensured everyone was listened to, cared for and their needs were met. There was a breakout room in every set we were on to make sure if anyone had sensory overload, they had a space they could go to. It makes everyone go to their job with more joy. For me it’s a no brainer.”

How does Jones describe Pushers?

“It’s a show like no other. No other sitcom has had a predominantly disabled cast but beyond that, it’s a funny romp. Tune into Pushers if you want to laugh your heart out [at] silly, working class, northern comedy.”