Emily is a drug dealer, but she’s hardly your average peddler of illegal substances – not least because she carries her stash around in a floral backpack, rides a pink tricycle and has cerebral palsy.
In new comedy Pushers, the cash-strapped charity worker, played by comedian Rosie Jones, is drawn into the world of drug dealing after bumping into former classmate Ewen (Ryan McParland), who realises her disability means she avoids the attention of the police.
The six-parter, which Jones has co-written with Veep writer Peter Fellows, follows a one-off comedy pilot shown in 2022 (then called Disability Benefits) as part of Channel 4's Comedy Blap series which pilots new comedies and has a been a launching pad for other sitcoms such as Stath Sells Flats and We Are Lady Parts.
This is the first-ever sitcom for Rosie, who’s known for her stand-up work and appearances on comedy panel shows
Pushers release date
The first two episodes of Pushers will air on C4 on Thursday, June 19, 2025, at 10pm and 10.30pm, while the rest of the series will be shown every Thursday at 10pm.
The whole series drops as a box set on streaming service Channel 4 on Thursday, June 19, 2025.
Pushers plot
Emily has cerebral palsy and, after being made redundant, she’s had her benefits cut so she goes to her local job centre to appeal against the decision.
Unfortunately, Emily’s appeal is unsuccessful, but while she is there she bumps into her old school pal Ewen, who offers her a way of making some quick cash by delivering a package.
Although Emily works for a charity, it’s an unpaid position and with the bills racking up, she agrees to make the delivery…
Ewen tells Emily that he’s selling some ‘adult’ goods and the package contains some saucy merchandise, so she gets a shock when, later on, she discovers that he’s dealing cocaine after accidentally opening one of his parcels!
But having watched Emily make the drop, he realises that Emily’s disability means she slips under the radar of the police, so he lures her into the world of drug dealing.
And with Ryan being in possession of massive stash of cocaine that he need get off his hands, Emily realises it could provide the answer to her financial problems and it’s not long before she recruits a gang of people to help her.
With her work colleagues Hope and Harry and Ewen’s friend Minibus Masir among her helpers, will the mismatched organised crime group remain undetected as they carry out their illegal activities?
Pushers cast
Starring alongside Rosie Jones as Emily is Ryan McParland, who plays Ewen. The actor from Northern Ireland has previously appeared C4 comedy Derry Girls and the sci-fi drama Halo on Paramount+. On film, he's starred in Modi: Three Days on the Wing of Madness, the 2024 biopic of Italian artist Modigliani, which was directed by Johnny Depp and co-starred Al Pacino.
Also among the cast are Jon Furlong, who plays Sean, an alcoholic with anger issues. His TV credits include Adolescence on Netflix and 5's All Creatures Great and Small. Meanwhile, Game of Thrones and Still Game actor Clive Russell plays Emily's dad Craig. Soap fans will remember him as Gail Platt's love interest Phil Nail in Coronation Street on ITV1, who he played from 2005 to 2006.
Trevor Dwyer-Lynch stars as Minibus Masir. He also appeared in Corrie, playing Street Cars driver Patrick Tussel from 2002 to 2005.
Lynn Hunter (The Personal History of David Copperfield) plays Ewen's mum, Pat, while Libby Mai (We Are Lady Parts, The Chelsea Detective), Ruben Reuter (The Dumping Ground) and Rhiannon Clements (Vera, Power of Parker ) star as Emily's work colleagues Hope, Harry. and Jo.
Pushers - all about creator, writer and star, Rosie Jones
Born in Bridlington in the East Riding of Yorkshire, Rosie Jones is a comedian, writer and actress.
She was born with ataxic cerebral palsy and as a stand-up comedian, she incorporates this into her act and has performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, on BBC1’s Live at the Apollo and The Royal Variety Performance! Later this year, she will be going on tour with her show I Can’t Tell What She’s Saying.
Rosie began her career as a writer for panel shows and went on to appear as a guest on The Last Leg, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, QI and Would I Lie To You?
She was a roving reporter at Tokyo’s 2020 Paralympic Games for The Last Leg and had her own travel show, Trip Hazard: My Great British Adventure, which saw her travelling to various locations around the UK with a celebrity guest.
As an actress, she’s appeared in Casualty, Call the Midwife season 14 and Silent Witness.
And on top of all that, she’s also written two children’s books – The Amazing Edie Eckhart and The Big Trip – and an episode of Netflix drama Sex Education!
Pushers – Is there a trailer?
Yes there is. You can view it here!
Pushers interview with Rosie Jones
What inspired the initial idea for the sitcom and how similar is this series to the pilot Disability Benefits?
"Very similar. The concept is exactly the same and it came from the fact that as someone with cerebral palsy, I am constantly patronized and underestimated every day. We thought how much can we push that and we very quickly settled on drug dealing. We thought how would Breaking Bad work if it was a silly, little northern disabled lady, and that idea never left our minds, really."
As Emily gets more involved, she enlists the help of her colleagues at the charity where she works and some other characters. What can you tell us about them?
"We were very passionate from the beginning that even though it was my sitcom and I was a main character, we could not just have one disabled character surrounded by non disabled people. We really wanted the core group of Pushers to be predominantly disabled. What is interesting and quite sad really is that they aren’t doing it for the money, they’re doing it for the friendship. They are family and they have never had that before. Even though Emily is a main character, I think the heart of the show is the core gang itself."
This is your first-ever sitcom. How excited are you about that?
"I'm so happy with it. I think I've seen every episode about 40 times, and it still makes me laugh, so that's a good indication. Getting my own sitcom is the pinnacle of my career."
As well as writing and starring in Pushers, how involved were you in the making of the series?
"From the beginning, I thought if I’ve been given this opportunity, I am going to put everything into it and I have. Am I a control freak? Yes! I was a creator, co-writer, exec producer and actor, so that meant that I could have a say from early on, through the audition process, through filming and through the editing process. So I was around for it all. I am so happy with how it’s come out."
What similarities and experiences do you share with Emily?
"Even with the job I have and as a 34-year-old woman, I am underestimated, patronised and infantilised every single day. And it’s really annoying! With Pushers, we want to push the notion that society underestimates disabled people and doesn’t think they're capable. From my experience, that isn't the case at all. If you have a disability, it doesn’t mean you’re any different from the average boring human adult. So, yeah, quite a lot of the way that society has treated me has been put into the sitcom, but I've made up the cocaine bit!"
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