Channel 4 announces Rosie Jones sitcom Disability Benefits

Rosie Jones is set to star in Disability Benefits, a six-part Channel 4 comedy.

The idea was piloted last year as a Comedy Blap and is now being developed into six half-hour episodes.

Rosie Jones said:

“I am incredibly excited to be making Disability Benefits for Channel 4. It has always been my dream to have my own sitcom and now it is coming true! Bring it on!!”

Having had her state benefits cut to shreds after being made redundant, a young woman with very little left to lose begins to build an illegal drugs empire. But Emily (Jones) isn’t your average street-dealing dope peddler – she’s sharp, funny, biting, highly educated – and on top of all that, she has cerebral palsy.

People have underestimated Emily her entire life. If they’re not patronising her for completing the most menial of tasks, they’re pretending she’s not there. What better disguise could there be for criminal activity than to be entirely written off by the same broken system which exists to protect the law?

Charlie Perkins, Head of Comedy for Channel 4 said:

“Rosie is a National Treasure at Channel 4, with her distinctively funny and powerful work felt across all genres. So making her first sitcom alongside the huge talents of Peter, Merman and 2LE is the perfect next step for this special force of nature. Disability Benefits adds to an increasingly exciting slate of Channel 4 Comedy shows for next year and beyond.”

The series will be produced by Merman Television and 2LE Media.