Channel 4 has not only signed up 2016 Funny Women Awards finalist Rosie Jones for a second series of her travelogue Trip Hazard but for two other brand new programmes.
Jones will also host a documentary online called Dine Hard, exploring society’s attitudes towards the disabled community in which Jones will cook for her pals, or attempt to because she is apparently useless in the kitchen.
Jones said: “It gives me immense pleasure to be heading up not one, not two, but THREE Channel 4 shows! How lucky am I?!
“In my opinion, Channel 4 has always been the pioneer channel when it comes to championing and celebrating diversity, and showcasing different, important stories. All three of these shows do just that. Oh, do I have a brilliantly busy year ahead!”
In an untitled special documentary made by Twofour, Jones will share the abuse she regularly receives on social media and investigate the problem, meeting other disabled people who have been the targets of online abuse. Jones hopes to involve her friends from comedy to help raise awareness of the issue.
Channel 4 commissioner Thomas Pullen said: “The representation of disability in cooking and chat show formats hasn’t come as far as in some other genres, so with Rosie Jones: Dine Hard, we wanted to take a big stride forward and throw Rosie in at the deep end, asking her to do both those things at once – cooking and chat – and in true Rosie style, she has risen to that challenge.
“But this is about way more than just on-screen representation, we wanted to make this a really inclusive production with over a third of our on and off-screen team made up of disabled talent.”
Phil Harris, head of entertainment at Channel 4, said: “Rosie Jones is a brilliant talent and we absolutely love working with her.
“We’re over the moon viewers will get to see more of the Rosie they love in Trip Hazard, as well as a different side to her in the documentary which looks at a massively important issue that is incredibly close to Rosie’s heart.”
