Walking The Dog with Emily Dean - Rosie Jones (Part One)

Episode Date: September 15, 2025

Join Emily and Raymond in North London with the brilliant comedian Rosie Jones! Rosie started her career behind the scenes in television as a writer on panel shows. She’s gone on to become a household name - appearing on shows like Taskmaster, The Last Leg, 8 out of 10 Cats and Would I Lie To You!Rosie’s never had a dog - but she’s always wanted one… and she has an elaborate plan that she’s going to enact to make sure she gets a dog in her life soon - and it can’t come soon enough!We discussed how hard Rosie is working to protect her boundaries when she’s approached by members of the public, her approach to dealing with exes and how she realised she used humour as a child as a mechanism to combat ableism. Follow @josierones on Instagram Rosie is currently on tour with her new show I Can’t Tell What She’s Saying. You can can find a date near you and buy tickets at https://rosiejonescomedy.com/ Rosie has recently set up the Rosie Jones Foundation which is on a mission to empower lives and change minds. It is taking a stand against isolation and prioritising inclusion. This begins with two key priorities: ensuring access to appropriate, lived experience-led mental health support for individuals living with cerebral palsy and fostering community connection and peer support through events and workshops. You can read more at https://www.rosiejonesfoundation.com/ You can stream Pushers on Channel 4 nowFollow Emily: Instagram - @emilyrebeccadeanX - @divine_miss_emWalking The Dog is produced by Faye LawrenceMusic: Rich Jarman Artwork: Alice LudlamPhotography: Karla Gowlett  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So I need to warn you. Yeah. Raise a bit slow at walking. Me too. Everything you said about me so far, he likes boobs. He likes to bring with all women and they're slow at walking.

You can't be dis-scribing me right now. This week on Walking the Dog, Ray and I met up with the very wonderful comedian, writer and actress Rosie Jones in London's Walthamstow. So Rosie and Ray, I think it's fair to say, fell totally in love with each other at first sight. I was officially the gooseberry, but they very kindly allowed me to hang around as I had a lot I wanted to chat to this amazing woman about. Rosie and I talked a lot about her childhood and how she developed cerebral palsy at birth as a result of not breathing for sex. 17 minutes, but she grew up with incredibly positive supportive parents who she entirely credits with giving her everything she needed in order to succeed. Her comedy career started out behind the scenes in TV production, but it was after her very first TV appearance on 8 out of 10

cats that her stand-up career really took off. And since then, she's gone on to appear on everything from Taskmaster to QI, live at the Apollo to the Jonathan Ross Show, as well as a very much. well as being a very successful comedian. Rosie's also a hugely talented writer. She's the co-creator and star of the Channel 4 series Pushers, which is just a total work of brilliance, by the way. So if you haven't seen it, do get involved immediately. And she's also written a series of children's books

based around the adventures of the amazing Ediette cart, which I thoroughly recommend if you have any young people in your life. Do also make sure to catch Rosie on her brand new stand-up tour. Can't tell what she's saying, because this woman is just brilliant live. You can get your tickets at rosyjonescom.com. Rosie is honestly such a joy to spend time with. She's obviously hilarious, we knew that. But she's also someone who exudes this very positive warm energy with everyone she encounters.

During our walk, we befriended pensioners, joggers, mums, granddad's. At one point, we were basically babysitting someone's children. So Ray has insisted she become our new. best friend and frankly it's the best decision he's ever made really hope you enjoy our chat here's rosy and re-wee right let's grab a coffee shall we yeah let's go in it yeah i'm following rosy she knows what she's doing oh my god so we won't get them now but the hag it's toasty in here it is in Incredible.

Did you say haggis, Rosie? Huggis. Oh my... I mean I knew you had, but I just didn't quite believe you. Oh my God, it's incredible. Is it okay if I just carry him while we choose something? I won't have him running around. Just to the cat page.

Oh, I'm so sorry. Thank you. Oh, Rosie. Rosie. We're not doing. That's how I live my life. Don't ask. Wing it.

You got to wing it. I... Oh, how are you? Stop it. Not me? Why have we caught? No, no. We were looking at the toesies. We were meandering.

Get the haggis. The hag is the one. I was unsure. It is amazing. I am addicted. Are you? I allow myself one a week.

One a week. Rosie, something awful has happened. These lovely women you were talking to who? Raymond just, he lunged. He said his poor. Oh, that's what he likes, okay. Raymond, you can't put your poor on women's boots. Raymond did a lot like me.

I go try their boom. On the first meeting. You got a game for the room. Rosie's already made a million friends in there. Oh, story of my life. This will be a bloody nightmare because I live to live too. two minutes away so guarantee we'll see someone now. Come on then Ray, oh Ray don't we on the child's bike.

How old Ray? I mean that's a bit rude Rosie. Sorry. Sorry. He is. Do you know he's eight? He's nearly nine. No. Do you think he looks good? he looks good? He looks very good.

And he had any Botox? If he has, I want my money back. Yeah, yes. Do you know what I do? His teeth? Oh, no, no, don't we on the Charles Trife. Oh, no. I'll be a break in wheels.

Oh, Stella. You are who I think you are, aren't you? I think I am. You are? You are? You are? You think I'm Sarah Millick. No.

I know. I see you and I said to the lady that I'm here with that I think she's a famous lady. I am. I'm Rosie. Hello, Rosie. Nice to meet you. This is Ray. This is Raymond and I'm Emily.

And Raymond and Rosie and I go and for a walk. Oh, bless you. Oh, bless you. He is. He's so cheerful. His thing is sort of a lot of attention from large groups of women. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But like me. A bang on. It's lovely meeting you. Great to meet you. You too. A very good day. We will do. And you enjoy yourself.

Can't have a bad one on a day like today, can you? Are you getting a coffee? Yes, this is what I do with this lady every week. Have you had the Haggitt's Toasty? No. Get one. Thank you. They are amazing.

Are they? Are they? Do you want to share one? Yeah, yeah. Haggit. It is yummy. Oh, I'll see you later. I'm not going to share it.

No. No, have it all. I'll see you later. Bye. Bye. Bye. Thank you. There we go.

Bye. You get recognized so much, don't you? Yes. I can't put my finger on it. I think it's a number of things. And the biggest example is years ago. Me and my mum were in the same restaurant as the dude, but we spent the whole night going,

is it him? No, yeah, yeah, I'm not. It may be, whereas, because of how I talk, how I walk, how sure I am. If you know me, you have a hundred percent of it to me, but on top of that. And I don't know if it's a disability thing, a gender thing, all my personality. People feel like they know me a lot more. So I think other celebrities,

like I would have never gone up to Jude Law because he feels overworldly, Whereas people go, oh, it's Rosie. And they already feel that connection. That's rather lovely though, isn't it? Yeah. It is. It is.

But I am in therapy, as everyone should be. And I'd say 95 of my interactions with people are lovely. But that's 5% when people cross their mark, whether that be picking me up, which they did. What do you mean physically people? Yeah, because a lot of people say, oh you're shorter in real life. And because they're quite small, they think they can carry me, or they kiss me, or they hug me for a bit to them.

a bit too long and that feeds into disability as well. I think they infantilise me. And sometimes it feels like even though they might not know it themselves, they feel like, even though they might not know it themselves, they feel like, they feel like, they feel like, they feel like, they might not know it themselves. They feel like they're doing me a favour, saying hello, sitting with me, pulling up a chair. And it's through everybody and learning how to have a lovely interaction, a lovely connection, a lovely connection with somebody but then going, thank you. Goodbye. Yeah. Do you know, I think that makes a lot of sense and I can really see what you mean about the... It's unintentional I suppose, isn't it?

Yeah. That's like condescension and... As you say, infantilisation is a good word. It's... And all that sort of stuff that people possibly don't even realise they're doing. they're doing when they're doing it you know but you know what there is also the thing where you're very likeable and you're very warm as well yeah and you have good energy yeah so I think a lot of it is that as well yeah yeah and I do

love it I love walking from my local park and chatting to people and having that human connection but yet recently I've been trying to navigate seeing how great it is to have a connection but also leaving things for myself. Yeah. I remember that other week I was cremestral and you know when everything makes you want to to cry and I was having a cry on London Bridge. It felt quite poetic. And it was obvious that I was sad

and someone came up to me and went with his phone already open on camera. on camera mode and went photo and I had to go, no, no. I got tears streaming on my face, and if he said, are you okay or anything alongside, inside that that would have been better but it was a purely selfish act from him to be like I don't care what is happening right now I am just seeing a famous person and I want to

have a photo to prove that I have seen you and it's when they cross the line in their mind from being a person to simply being an anecdote they will say at the dinner table that say at their dinner table that night. And it is, as you say, it's that dehumanising aspect of it, which you need to, and I imagine therapy's really helpful with that. You have to come to terms with it and say, okay, this isn't personal. Yeah. Do you know what I mean? But I'm being dehumanised right now and that's an odd feeling.

Yeah, yeah. Where is my dog, Rosie? Oh my God, oh my God. No, no, no. worry I got eyes on him at all time oh he's made a friend raising oh no one they drop that coffee not you I'm so clumsy I've always been clumsy and you know what I've I'm at peace with it now good I love that come on let's walk way so I need to warn you yeah Raise a bit slow at walking.

Me too. Everything you said about me so far, he likes boobs, he likes flirting with all women, and they're slow at walking. You can't be dis-scribing me right now. Come on, Ray. Let's follow Rosie. So why don't we walk for a bit and then we could maybe find a little place to sit with Ray

because he likes a rest. Would you like that? Yeah. I mean I call it walking the dog Rosie but it's really embarrassing because people come out with dogs like that, you know, these big proper labradoros. Yeah. But that's a problem with you. Ray is a dog.

You shall not have a dog. have a second hand in four-ve-be-a-bed-ty complex. Where is a dog? That's a dog. That is a dog. What kind of dog? What's your dog? He's a Labrador.

I love a Lab. Do you like a Labrosy? I love a Lab. Hello Lab. What's your name? Kenva. Kenva. What's a good name?

I love that. That's from Cornwall. Is it? Oh nice. Oh, Kempel was nice. So Rosie, I need to find out more about your dog history. So empty. My past blank.

Really? My present blank. My future. I got a three-step plan. plan. So step number one, move to the coast. Yes. Yes. Because I've been in London for 14 years. And you were originally from Bridlington, aren't you? So did you have a beach near quite near you? Yes. Yes. Yes. But my dad was always allude it to dogs. It was always my plan to get rid of my dad and get a dog. But my mum is quite fond of him, which is terribly annoying. So, I've always always always.

The road dog so I can move to the coast at 40. Oh, Ray's met a friend, Rosie. What's this one called? Rosie. No, I'm Rosie. Two Rosies. Rosie, look at your name. I love Rosie.

What kind of dog is Rosie? Cocker Spaniel. Oh, Rosie. What do you think of a cock of a spaniel? This is literally step one in my plan. My friend wants to get a dog in the future. So do you like a Cocker Spaniel? Yeah, I like a good, sturdy, medium dog.

I won't take it personally. Apart from me. Yeah, I could have a Rosie. Yeah, I see. I want a good, sturdy, chunky, medium, dog. I see that for you. Well, we're going to talk about this, but I read, you know what I really loved was your kids' books? I really like them.

You write so brilliantly. Thank you. And do you know what? I love reading kids books because it's just, I don't know, I particularly love this because the heroine in this is brilliant. Yeah. So, let's be honest, she's quite heaven. There's a lot of similarities with you. Yeah.

She's from Widdlington. Yeah. But she said her fantasy dog is a husky, I think, she said. Yes. So that will be step till when, let's a great dog. What's that? Is that a cocker as well? Yeah.

You seem to have a fondness for a cocker. Which surprises me. Yeah. I'm kneeling dogs. Strictly in dogs. Step two would be when I'm slowing down a little bit. I can see myself giving up stand up. Can you?

Yeah, because I like it, but I can't be bothered travelling. Really? But what I will never give up is writing. Interesting. So I love the idea of living by the coast, writing a book a year, living with big kids, big dogs, hostages, labs. And then step three will be

the house full of rescue gives. Oh my God, I'm gonna move in. Yeah. And I'll be the eccentric old bag, my own. I'll be like, and you'll be like, don't pay any mind to her. She won't leave. She's been here for several years now.

Yeah. You know what? I got a three-step dog plan. When it comes to love marriage, babies, whatever. If it happens, it happens. Now, Rosie, Yeah, but look how small it is. Oh, sorry, my dog's just a little.

Sorry, my dog's just done a poo, so I don't want to, your pot, your bun. It's a bit of dog poo. There we go. No. Come on, Ray. They're very delicate poos. Can you see you? That's a big problem.

I do want a horse to get, but think about their poo. Well, this is what I say. You know what? They do shits like Greg Davis. Yeah. Do you know what I mean? I mean, that's... What?

The old are awful. I mean, I've not seen his poos. I know you've worked with him. And I've made... I haven't actually. Oh, have you not? Oh, yeah, right. You have?

I forgot that I did. That's much. You didn't have dogs or pets because of your dad's allergies. But it sounds like you've had a... You had a pretty lovely childhood. I did. I did Breedlington. Yeah.

It's a seaside town in York. And I always say it's great if you're under eight and over 88. The eight decades in between a shit old boy, So I left when I was 18, but it was really lovely having my childhood by the coast. And my parents have always been my greatest champions. And they're teachers, right? Yeah, yeah. teacher. Yeah. That's so great in terms of that balance between discipline and just loving kids and just

wanting to be their best they can be. I love the sound of your parents. I've heard you talking about them before and you've talked really openly about how scary that must have been as well. Oh yeah. Because when you were born, am I right Rosie? You cerebral palsy developed as a result of you didn't get oxygen for 17 minutes? Yeah, so when I was coming at my shoulder got stuck. Right. So my lungs weren't out on my body, out of my body. Out of my my mum's body and then I stopped breathing for 17 minutes and when that happens your brain is like a computer so it goes right we need to shut down something what can we Can we shut down and stay alive?

Spider-Man's come to say hello to my dog. Oh, there's the warden coming. I better pick him up, Rosie. I've always had a slight Lady Chatterleys thing over the Black Warden. I imagine a fantasy scenario. I see you now. Right, shall we start you walk with? park warden they all congregate over there so let's... I don't want a group sex thing.

They all congregate. We're not going to be passed around Rosie. I'm not talking about a bloody gangbanger. I'm just giving you options. I was thinking more of blind date. I could be still a black. I love this. We put their three wardens

beyond three trees. The trouble is he's slowed down and now he's looking like a curb crawler and that's put me off him. Yeah, that's it. That's it. As a story of my life, you see, the minute he shows interest and slows down,

I don't want to know. Not bothered. We can catch him up later, and I can seal a block. I love this. Right, let's go on these benches, because I think... Right.

You know when kids do that thing, like when they lose their ball, and it's like the worst thing that ever happened in their whole life? I don't go. It's your ball, go on. It's got in there. Oh, Spider-Man got knocked back. It will happen.

Is Spider-Man crying? No. Spider-Man was classic the hero, and Josie gave the lady back their boss. Do you know what, Rosie, if Spider-Man did cry and had some sort of emotional breakdown, I would watch those films. Yeah, yeah.

Come on then, let's go on this bench. You were telling me about your... Yeah, and so that must have been... So you stopped breathing for 17 minutes and it's really interesting. I've never really made that, you know, how you've explained it, that I understand that. So your brain, it's having to focus on staying a lot. which is why the brain is shut down. Yeah.

So their brain never completely shuts up. Right. In one go, it will give up stuff as it needs the little oxygen they have to keep the important stuff alive. So, the part that controlled muscles in my brain died. Right. And other parts in my brain tries to pick up the slack, but not as well as that proper muscle bit.

So actually, being born disabled, I think is brilliant because I've never known any difference. And I mean, we're getting heavy now, but if I think about my disability, I think about my disability, it's not a bad thing. I can do everything I want to do. What I don't like is how other people treat me because of meditability. So there's a lot more intelligent people that can say it more eloquently, but a lot of disabled people recognise that what actually is a proper disability

of our life is society. like there's, but the greatest example is a work building. Right. A disabled people can work in that building. What they might not be able to do is getting that building because No one's thought to build a ramp or stairs. So it's... Spider-Man's back.

Hello, Spider-Man. Mm-hmm. Yeah, bye-bye. Bye-bye. You can meet you. Hey, was that that's so sweet. Bye. Bye, Spider-Man.

Oh! Oh, that was so embarrassing. Oh, I don't know what to do. Spider-Man's crying now, it's all kicked off. Spider-Man is fucking crying, Losey. What are we going to do? You wanted this. You got what you wanted.

Oh my God. Look, the good news is he's okay. Are you happy now? I am, I'm not going to lie. It's made my day about 12% better getting to see Spider-Man cry. I'm as evil as you, I hope so. Yeah. So just going back, when you were young, your school days,

it sounds like you had a fairly happy time at school. I did? You know what I did. I really did and a lot of people, their basic question to me was, did you get bullied? And I always said, no, even though I was the only disabled child in my school. And I didn't, I think in 16 years I had two or three people who said mean things to me. Like your legs don't work properly. And to that I looked at him and went to that.

I went, no, they don't. I've really got anything else to say. And he went, oh, no, that's it really. And I always found that you couldn't tease me, couldn't make fun of me because I would always say it before them. Yeah. As a 35-year-old woman now, aware of abelism, aware of myself in the world. Is there another Rosie?

Is there you call Rosie? My friends called Rosie as well. Rosie, what kind of dog are you? She's a bit of a mix. She's a rescue from Hungary. Oh, from Hungary. Oh, my, you're a rat. Rosie.

Hello, Rosie. How old is Rosie? She's nearly two now. We're meeting so many roses. People call their dogs, Rosie. They're really... They're in their very dog name. My mum was again, they called me Rosie, Lucky or Spot.

A lot of people called their kids Ruby in the 90s, and now that's become a real dog's name. Yeah. And Luna? Yeah. I feel like Barnaby is a dog. You see, that was one of my first boyfriends was a Barnaby. Was it a dog?

Barnaby Scott Hughes. You're getting an insight into my background. Bonobey Scott Hughes. And do you ever have those ones in your past, Rosie? The ones that got away a bit? No. Don't you? No.

All my exes have bookings. I thought women were nice though. No, no, no. You know what it is with women, two women together. When it's good, it's got. Like, nothing else. communication, their emotional intelligence, their intimacy is incredible. It's incredible.

When it is bad, women can be psychos. Really? And two together. Yeah. Nightmare. Also, what I have done a lot is I've dated someone. And then because we're two women and women are the greater gender, we then go, let's be friends.

Oh yeah. And that never works. No, I'm very, I'm very, I need to pretend you never exist. Maybe not forever, but certainly for a good few years. Yeah. Because for me, it just feels, I think that is the same thing to do. Yeah. And generally, people want friendship, particularly if someone's broken up with you,

I think I can see how it benefits them, but you have to sort of do that self-care thing and think, What am I getting out of this? I'm just allowing them to feel better about themselves. That's it. That's it. And it's interesting. I haven't dated lots of people.

But I do think quite a few of the women are dated. this makes me sound arrogant, but they got to the stage where they no longer feel romantic towards me, but they still love me as a human being, so they're desperate to have. to have me as a friend and I'm a people pleaser. Are you?

So, you big time. So I have gone. Yeah, yeah. I'll take the scraps. Yeah, probably my hope is that they will change their mind. and they will want to date me again and I can think of very about women who have wanted me in their lives but I'm like oh I don't need you because I've got

I forgot my friends and what I started with them was something completely different. So yeah, now, well I'm in a very happy relationship now. Oh, that's great. But I think, yeah, that will end. but I think any future relationships I have I will really analyse and it's goes for romantic and friendship and need to analyse what they give to me rather than making them happy. Well, that's a very female tendency, and I've had therapy,

and so I remember my therapy thing, that's a real thing of going into any, as you say, romantic or just a botanic friendship of what can I do for them? What am I giving them? What can I bring them? Yeah. Rather than thinking, because you never can see what you give back to a friendship or a relationship.

And it's, yeah, it's a really healthy, way to look at it. It's not even a transactional way. It's not saying what can I get out of this. It's just, it's just, I think, it's not being grateful for scraps of anybody, you know. Yeah. Yeah. It's like I ran into my X last week and she said, shall we get copy? What did you say? went, no, thank you. So boundaries.

I wasn't rude at talk to her. I had to how she is, but I don't want her in my life. I don't need her as her friend. So I didn't know why we would be getting. And don't you think really liberating? I remember some an ex-once saying to me a guy saying, but I just hadn't envisaged a situation where we wouldn't be able to speak. So what I hadn't envisaged a situation why I wouldn't get what I wanted. Do you know what I mean? That's basically what he was saying. I hadn't envisaged a situation where you put boundaries up. And I

remember him saying, but I still want to be your friend. I was like, of course you do. I'm great. Yeah. I've got lots of water. I've got really exciting, glamorous friends and interesting job, I've got nice clothes, a good car, I own my own property. Of course you want me in your life. But do you, I feel that. I really feel that. And it's just keeping what you have, but whether that's your life, I feel, career. keeping all that simply for you and the people you want to bring into that world. Why wouldn't you want to be in Rosie's world? We all want to be in Rosie.

Was it obvious to everyone when you were growing up like your parents that you had, you were funny, that that would be a currency for you? Yeah, I think I came from a very fondness. funny family and every dinner time we would sit round the table for hours and just make each other laugh. Alongside that from a very young age I realised that if I told the joke of a joke of right I pout fun on my own disability that no one else could use that as a weapon towards me. So humour was always a defence mechanism. older more mature slightly and I realized that that is part of ableism that I had to put my

human armour on every day in order to survive in order not to survive in order not to get bullied. So would you sort of, is it the sense of I'll make that joke first so you don't have to, right? Yes. And now I feel like I'm in a much healthier place with humour and that I use it on my terms. Yeah. And if I'm ever uncomfortable or angry or sad in a situation where I would have in the past joked about it, I don't say, no, that's not okay. And I won't constantly use humour to make people feel comfortable around me. Because that again comes into people-pleasing territory where you're saying,

I want to make your life free of any awkwardness and you don't have to do the work. Like a great simple example is a lot. A lot of the time going into a pub, a bouncer will stop me and go, you can't come in, you're drunk. And I, in the patch, will go, oh, sorry, now you're a bit confused and disabled. and I would probably walk away and go to another pub and I think oh pleasant the bouncer thought I was drunk now and go now he should have had basic diversity training. A disabled woman looks very different to an intoxicated woman.

And I will go, no, I'm disabled, I like to meet to your manager. Not every time because sometimes I can't be asked with all the big mirror of standing up for what's right. But I feel stronger and more confident in myself that when I do experience discrimination or abelism and no longer make a joke. I instead go, no. You're wrong, go away, educate yourself

and treat me like a decent human being. Fair enough. Yeah. interesting because with kids with small kids who don't know and perhaps they haven't been they haven't grown up around people with disabilities yeah how do you deal with that because sometimes that's a different thing sometimes isn't it do you yeah but actually no one is born with prejudice and I have a lot of friends now who have children who have known me since they were born.

I'm not disabled to them. I'm not different. I'm the anti-Rosey. And I find that when they become aware of my differences, There are the questions, there are, why do you wobble or why do you speak slowly, or why do you fall over and asking their questions isn't their problem? I will answer them. Honestly, I will go, it's because I have something because of terrible palsy.

And then they go, okay, so we'll pay Lego because it is not a big deal. And they don't say, you're so brave. No. put, do you know what to me? Yeah, and I feel like there's a lot of tension in the world right now, particularly with minorities and different people. And I feel like a lot of their world's problems, covers of their own. be so by talking asking questions. I feel like we talk about people in big groups instead

of going let's think about another conversation with a conversation with the interview that matter and the individuals that will be impacted by this decision, which is normally being made by a straight, white, non-disabled six men. A great example I'm using it because it's close to me was that recent government benefits and everything like the government was talking about disabled people like it's one group of identical human beings that didn't act us like they didn't fully understand or get to know how this one decision would have affected the millions of us out there and never like if a prime minister had simply talked to the people who would have, who are going to be affected by the course he would have made a very different decision.

And it's also, well, I won't go into that, but it's like, really disappointing. Yeah. Do you know what I mean given that you were sort of thinking, oh okay finally. Yeah. Maybe the compassion's on the way. Yeah. It feels doubly disappointing because you expect better, I suppose, you know. That's it. Like we're getting into it now, but it won't surprise you. I've always been a labour about it. I'm liberal. I was so, really when they came in that year and I don't know who that's common government is it's certainly not the Labour I voted for it doesn't have that vulnerable people in mind. I really hope you

you love part one of this week's Walking the Dog. If you want to hear the second part of our chat, it'll be out on Thursday, so whatever you do, don't miss it. And remember to subscribe so you can join us on our walks every week.