Rosie Jones to host new Channel 4 cooking show in ‘stride forward’ for disability representation

Virgin Radio

7 Mar 2022, 17:03

Comedian Rosie Jones will be the face of new cooking and chat show for Channel 4 in what is being described as a “big stride forward” for representation of disability on TV.

The show, Dine Hard, is a five-part series where the star will be joined by some other famous faces as she attempts to make them a meal.

Channel 4’s description reads: “Expect great chat, mediocre food and (hopefully) very few culinary-related trips to A&E.”

It’s worth noting that Rosie is an amateur cook (and very funny), so we can expect a lot of laughs.

In a bid to increase representation on screen, one-third of the Dine Hard cast will be made up of disabled talent in front of and behind the camera. 

Thomas Pullen, a digital commissioning executive for the broadcaster, said diversity in TV shows was still a huge issue and Channel 4 wanted to lead the way with a more inclusive production.

He explained: "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."

Rosie has ataxic cerebral palsy, which causes slow speech and affects balance and coordination, and has been commissioned for two other shows on top of Dine Hard for the broadcaster.

She will be returning for the second series of her adventure show Trip Hazard, where she travels to different places in the UK to find the unusual and is making a one-off documentary exploring society’s attitudes towards disabled people that is yet to be titled.

Rosie is no stranger to receiving abuse online and is using her new documentary as an opportunity to investigate how common it is for disabled people to receive such hate and the type of language they encounter.

Speaking about her new projects, Rosie 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!"

Phil Harris, head of entertainment and events at Channel 4 also said he was excited to see Rosie back on screen, calling her a “brilliant talent”.

He added: “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”.

A release date for Dine Hard has yet to be announced.