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

Episode Date: September 17, 2025

We’re back in North London with the wonderful and hilarious comedian Rosie Jones. In this part of our chat, we discuss Rosie’s “deceitful” entry into the comedy world, why she loves dark comedy and we find out about the project that Rosie’s the most proud of yet… By end of our walk - we might even have convinced her to expedite her plan to get a dog! 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.

Welcome to Part 2 of Walking the Dog with the fabulous Rosie Jones. Do go back and listen to Part 1 if you haven't already and do go and catch Rosie live in her new show. I can't tell what she's saying. Get your tickets now at Rosie Jonescom. And while you're there, you can also find out all about Rosie's charity, the Rosie Jones Foundation, which is honestly doing amazing work,

helping to empower people living with cerebral palsy. Really hope you enjoy part two of my chat with Rosie. and do give us a like and a follow so you can catch us every week. Here's Rosie and Ray Ray. Your comedy career, I know you got into it through, was it as sort of, it was objective who were a TV production company? Yeah. And did they have a sort of, you know, it was a scheme that they had for...

Yeah, yeah, so Channel 4 did a graduate scheme for diverse people and they put me into a production company called Objective and at the time they were making... Is that Andrew Newman? No, I don't know. Yeah! And Adelagler? You don't know here?

Yeah! I love those two. So that must have... That was after you'd graduated from... Because you've gone to Huddersfield, hadn't you? You know, everything. I'm an RJ expert and when you got that job and I'm interested in this

because it picks up on something that happens in one of your books was there a part of you thinking oh I'll go in on the crew side the writing side because actually I've got enough light to take up space but maybe this is a bit of a slightly clever way of doing it by the back door so that no one thinks I think I have a right to that space. Yeah, it's interesting looking back now, knowing where I ended up.

It feels like I was very, not deceitful, but very... Now let's go deceitful, Rosie. Yeah, and going, I know how to get ruined. rich and famous but I think when I started if somebody said to me you're going to be a comedian actor and writer I would have gone no especially because of my speech because growing up, I don't think I ever saw anybody on TV and in the media who looked and spoke like myself. I decided to become a TV researcher because I wanted to become a TV researcher because I want wanted to bring more disabled people their voices into TV.

I just didn't think that could ever be me. And again looking back now, I have never been sad, but there that I've been sad But there have been things that I've just thought of as fact. For example, somebody sounds like me could never be a comedian. Somebody with cerebral palsy could never be a comedian. be successful. Somebody like me can never be in a loving relationship. And as I said, those things never upset me because I just thought those are facts. And I just thought those are facts. And I

need to build and feel my life with other things because those are aspects of life that are not available to me and I now realised that I had those thoughts and feelings because growing up I never saw positive representation of disabilities. There was never a successful disabled adult that I thought I wanted to be like them when I grew up. there was never a disabled person and you in a happy, healthy, romantic relationship. So if you never see it, how could you ever believe it could happen to you? That's why I think to get up on stage and start stand up, which you did.

Yeah. And presumably you had lots of people around you encouraging you and mentoring you. But I wonder Sarah Pascoe I know was one of them who's lovely. I made her do this. She's come on pre-no getting a dog actually. Really? I like to think I made it happen. Yeah.

But I think that's still. still shows something in you that is to be that change maker, if you like, as you say. Yeah. You know, because you're still standing up on stage just that. And you've had to deal with so much shit. You've done an... Every day. I now don't look on social media because I get daily shit.

Daily hate. for simply being disabled. Sometimes they spite it up and they will make it sexist or homophobic. They're the most creative ones. But yeah, I get hate about my disability, every single one. single day. And did it, I know I saw the brilliant documentary you made about it and I know it was when you first went on eight out of ten cats was quite an early doors appearance for you TV wise

because you knew Jimmy Carr who I know you'd written for you wrote him a joke. Yeah. You think you could have delivered a bit better. Yeah. I know I could. Are we allowed to know the joke? I've actually forgot. That's the bad, isn't it?

Yes. But we love Jimmy. When you went to one 80 to 10 cats, I mean that's shocking, isn't it? That you were actually getting people, just trolling you? What's interesting actually is I don't really remember getting a lot of hate. after their first few appearances. It's actually got bigger than more successful,

and become, which is... And question time as well. Yeah. Because you're sort of saying here in my political beliefs, that becomes a sort of, oh, I'll attack her for her disability. Yeah. I don't have any proper solid facts or theories about this, but I definitely felt a shift

when I became more of a regular person on TV. And it's almost like people could handle me popping up every few months. Yeah, we'll tolerate her as the token booking, but please we don't want to integrate.

Yeah, but yeah, we've had enough of her now. She can go away. And again, it's only my personal belief in next week and that's the babies, but I almost feel like the hate came more. When I was to become more mainstream. People couldn't understand that a disabled person could be successful.

sexual, independent and crucially, being normal, be flawed. I've actually not talked a lot about this, but I did Big Pack was of a year a few years ago, and I got so much hate. I was trending on Twitter because of the amount of hate on it. And it was tricky for me because on Big Fat Quartz of the year, including Jamaica, they have a very big fact course of the year, including Jamaica, they have seven big comedians so that year we had Captain Brian we had Kevin Bridge bridges we have Richard Ayah Waddy we had Mount Good Rock all amazing comedians and and I let that recording going.

That for me wasn't a good day at work. I feel like I didn't get in enough jokes. I felt too quiet, I felt people spoke over me. And some of that is at being a comic who speaks slowly in a room with seven non-disabled facts speaking comics, I couldn't keep up. But part of it was I was tired. like everyone, I just had a bad day at work.

But I do not believe that I deserved the hate I got for me. And I feel like the hate was, oh my God, what she said. not finish it says it's funny, whereas I truly, truly, truly believe that if a colleague, if Capron or Kevin or Richard had had a quiet one. I like that, that class. Yes. It would just have been inconsequential.

No one would have said anything. You'd probably have gone, oh, he normally talks a lot more than that. But he wouldn't have been trending because of a death threats. So it just means that for me. You've been naughty this morning. Sorry, I'm naughty, I'm notty, I'm very much. Go on, yeah.

I just feel like being disabled and being a woman. Every single job I do needs to be perfect. very perfect and it fits a little less than perfect. I get stronger. Yeah. Yeah. So interesting now. I mean I say interesting, it's obviously not ideal, is it?

But yeah, yeah. But it's important to be aware of it, because I think being conscious of it is key, Rosie, because at least if you're able to look at that and then you can make, you can decide, oh, it's not personal to me so you don't internalise it. And you don't spend those nights just on the floor. I call it kitchen floor parties when you're just lying down like,

this is awful, this is awful, I want everything to stop. And you think, oh no, this will pass and also this is about something outside of me. Yeah. And my performance, you know. Well, it's tricky because the hate I got from question time, I was able to go, well, your judge had never minded great, wing person who was against me because I thought I've fundamentally believed in.

And I know, hand on how I did a good job. that is easier to take in the big fat was hate where I secretly go. I know I wasn't on good form, but at the same time you need to recognise that this hate is so, disproportionate to me just telling four jokes instead of eight. Yeah. One of the things I love about your comedy is the way that you, I like to think, because I think you're a bit mischievous, and you intentionally wrong foot people. Yeah.

And it's very clever that, I think, because you come on stage and you're dark, and you say quite, you know, shocking things and, you know, your material, you're not a cosy comic at all. And that's something that feels really, I don't know whether that's what you set out to do, but it feels really important to me that you're doing that. Because again, it's doing away with this. We were talking at the very beginning when we were chatting about this slight condescension, infantilising. It's like, oh, the lovely disabled girl, she'll be nice and kind. Do you know what I mean?

That's it. I always think, thinking back to. hate and people not liking me. I do think I could have gone on a very different path in my career where I wrote jokes about being disabled, about dribbling on people. I could have a career where I didn't talk about my politics. I didn't talk about having sex, drinking, smoking. And that would be a much easier, in quotation as career.

career because I don't think I would open myself up to the hate or the Dish agreements. But for me, that would have been boring. And I think even that we like to put people into box. and for disabled people to have a good life, they can either be put in their vulnerable box. Yeah, yeah. So they're the victim, they are the sweet one, the cute one, the sexual one, the sexual one. But the second option could be the inspiration, the Paralympian, the one who defies all odds and wins gold medals.

Both of them boxes do not fit me. I'm a normal. I'm an enormous. human, flawed, sexual, alcohol-loving person. And therefore in my comedy, I do go dark, I do talk about sex, I do talk about fucking up. Sometimes and the body in the story, like a normal human being. And again, that opens me up to hate because a lot of people don't know how to deal with a disabled person who's. doesn't fit into over of the boxes. Yes, I see that.

That's a society has created. What do we do with this one? Yeah. I don't get it. Well, what is also interesting about you is how insanely versatile you are. You have a huge autumn tour, don't you? Which, I'm going to come and see you. I'm going to sneak laying.

Don't tell anyone. Do you know what I'm going to say? going to say and I think if anyone's going to prove of this it's Rosie if anyone questions me I'll say excuse me I've been through something terrible he's yeah yeah he's my assistant's dog he's an emotional support also right right needs to say my comedy well also I think I'm going to blag some backstage passes because I know when you saw Simon Lebonne recently you blagged backstage passes how did you know I know everything.

You blad one for your mum. Yeah. One for Paulette, her friend. Don't ever cross me, Rosie. I can find things out. I listen to you chatting. You mentioned it on lovely Kerry Godleman and Gembrister's podcast, which is brilliant, by the way. But yeah, you're good at blagging tickets.

So I'm going to brag some for eight. Will you tell me about your tour, please? Because we need to, we need, we're going to, I don't want to leave you, but I have to do soon. Will you just tell me what's your tour called? when can I come and see you? What can I expect? Oh, shit. I do need to clarify. My mum was a cheeky bitch in that situation

because I said to Simon. Oh, I said to Simon now, is it? Look at you. Five minutes on the one show and it's I said to Simon. You've changed. I said to Mr Leborn, can I had to take this. And he said? Yes, and my mum said, actually can you get fall? She dragged poor let into the equation?

Yeah! Why did she drag Paulette into it? To be a paulette needs to come to everything. Oh, I quite like, I think I'm Paulette. Yeah. You know what I mean? I'm the Paulette in people's live. Emma's got to come.

Paulette's got to come. Yeah, you would love Paulette. Okay, I'll let her off. You're touring, I mean, it's quite full on this tour, isn't it? Yeah. So, I'm on tour now and I love it. I love talking because I love meeting people, as you know. Oh, you do.

And I just love making people laugh. And it's my best show yet is for a lot of silly jokes, but as well as that I talk a lot about. growing up the lack of representation out there for people like me. And now that has impacted and affected the person I am today. And it's called? I can't tell what she's saying. I love that.

You're good at her show names, aren't you? You're good at them. Yeah. So we can go and see, well, I'm going to put at the beginning all the details for how to get tickets. And you have to go and see this woman live. Honestly, you are so brilliant. And I also want to talk briefly about a show that you have, which is on Channel 4, which I've been watching on 4OD. And it's called Pushers.

And it's one of the funniest shows. It's the most brilliant sitcom. I went into it quite sort of not knowing. what to expect and it centres around you it's such a clever conceit but it's also a brilliant conceit which is this idea so your character I think she's called Emily isn't she love you have me at Emily her disability benefits have been cut and so she comes up she and her friends slightly grimy some of these pals but she comes up with this brilliant they all collectively come up with a solution which is they disabled people they're brilliant people they're brilliant

drug dealers because they're so marginalised and ignored and invisible that no one would suspect them. It's fucking brilliant. It's the best thing I've ever done, I wrote it with my amazing from Peter. And does Peter work on Veep as well? Yeah. Yeah. And I'm so proud of how silly it is. It's so funny.

It is. Ryan who plays you and my second income and is brilliant. That's a brilliant thing. I actually was, you know when you're crying, laughing and it's when you get stopped by the police and you bought beer all over your jean,

and you go, oh I'm so sorry, I can't control it. I'm disabled. And you've got a load of drugs in your bag. I'm so proud of it. So yeah, if you haven't watched it, watch it. Oh, you've got to. Well, I tell you, I love that Ben Shepard's a fan as well. I'm going to go, I watched all of it and won't go.

I binged it. You didn't strike me as a binger, Ben. And sometimes when I do peepers, They are bought stuff and they say, oh, I love their show. You can tell their bullshit. Can you? But Ben, I knew he was showing you in. You could tell him seen every other.

I hope you can tell I have. Yeah. Oh, every hell of them. Isn't that true? You know, when you people haven't read the book or you can just tell, can't you? What do they say, Rosie, when they lie? They quote everything from the back of it. Whereas I went specific with the book.

Yeah. Because I love the book. I really recommend it. If you've got kids... You know what? Everything you said today, you've done your research. It wasn't work because I love you. I mean, you're my new friend.

I love everything. I'm such a fan of everything that you do because everything you do, and I can think of no greater compliment, is the product of an original mind, original thinking. And that's, do you know what I mean, when you see stuff that feels your book is original, pushers is original, your comedy's original. And that's what I ask of people, originality, and it's bloody rare, you know. So, pushes I thoroughly recommend. Oh my God, yeah.

I just love it. We're currently waiting to see it if we can do a series too. And I really hope we can't cause a George Lord's World and the characters with Built. And me and Peter already have five. five series in the head. And you've also got a second series, you do a brilliant show with Catherine Ryan, who's a mutual palavos and Judy Lars.

Oh, yes. Pulled out of order, which is great. You know what? So that's a panel show for Comedy Central and it's about not judging a book. by its school and I would say this. But I think Comedy Central have made a genius move

getting me to host it because I think 20 years ago it would have been hosted by a non-disabled man and it would have been... Look at that bird. Cheeky old bird. It would have been quite mean and quite nasty. You're right.

Whereas getting me to be the leader, getting me to control the temperature, I come from the place of I know what it's like to be judged. I get judged all day every day. Let's find the joy and the comedy from that. So it's about making fun of that. foreign up people and more about celebrating the joy of our

differences. Yeah. And do you know what? I love that because you're so right how you're the perfect toast for that because they ask really, some of it's the sort of silly questions, but you realise when they'll say

who out of these women has been married four times. Yeah. And it's a seemingly innocent question, but you are making judgments. Yeah. Are you thinking she looks like she's been around the block or something? Yeah. You're not conscious.

And it feels like quite a subtle examination of unconscious bias. Yes. Which is something you understand. Yeah. You know, you've been on the receiving end of. But when, because I'm the host, we never make phone up like a person. And it's something, it's an instinctive thing, which I'm going to go out on her limb here and say, I think women sometimes know that line better, if I'm honest.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Where comedy becomes cruelty. Yeah. The best example is in C.B. One of the questions was, who's had the most one-night's day? and the most was a 68 year old woman. Love my idol. Who had 3,000, one night's and when I said that,

she corrected me and said, actually 3,000 and two. Because last night in the hotel I had a reason. She's my queen. Don't get me wrong, that situation with a three thousand one night's and ended up being hilarious. Yeah, it's funny.

But the comedy came from how we approach sex instead of mocking a very confident a very confident, amazing, sexual liberated woman. Yes, we become the bus of that punchline, not her. Come on then, Ray, Ray, let's go back to the house. I wish this was my house. Oh, it's so nice. Nice. I know.

I look, I do a little bit around here. What do you think, Rosie, having spent time with Ray, I got the impression you were more of a medium-sized dog fan. How do you feel about Ray? Well, Ray is unique. Oh, I love that. A beautiful guarantee. I get a Ray. I will get a race.

And actually, being here today, interacting with all the dogs, I thought I needed to wait until a move down of. Oh no. Has he sheds his parents that little one? Yeah. Oh, that's a shame. Oh, no. Oh, it's a shame. What's that happened? What should we do, Rose?

You just have to leave into it, do you? Oh dear. Oh, is it? What? That's his excuse? No, it's true. No, it's true. It's a shame.

It's really bad. Oh no. Oh no. I know he's flirting with the girl. I mean, it's an absolute nightmare. like that. This is why I am gay. It's not quite right for me that all. But I'm...

Now I know your interwaters, I'm going to keep my eyes out open for you. Rosie, this has been one of the loveliest mornings of my life. Oh, it really has. I've been a lot of it. Have you? Just, you're so easy to talk to. Don't you think sometimes you just connect with people, don't you?

Yeah, and it just works. But I felt that with you immediately. Is you? Yeah. Oh, I love it. I felt really happy that I'm being really happy that I'm being able to. that I'm being complimented. No.

Well, get ready to get complimented all the board at times. Rosie, I think if you got married ever, Yeah. This would be the place. Don't you think? It's a really nice wedding venue. Okay. I'll let you know when it happens.

All right, let's go to the cafe. I would they get married? Two years, maybe. You're in a relationship now? Yeah. Would you propose at some point? Which would you? Well, we've only been going out for six months.

And you're suggesting... But we are very happy. I love a confident posh man. Don't you? Confident posh man make the world go around. He's the sort of grand... Oh, it's so cute. He's the sort of granddad who would say,

Come here, sausage. Oh, I love that. That's made my heart's sick. Our producer is crying, can we say, the soppy old bugger. It immediately was. They went from wood that I was in their back to their most wholesome moment. He was an elderly man. He was a bit of a silver forked, and going, hi, hi, to a child. And then it was, as you say, it was a lovely granddad moment.

I mean, we're saying granddad, maybe he's rich, if you know what I mean? She looks about your age. He could just be a rich. It's the cutest thing, and now we're really analyzing. really am I was he I want to talk to them oh it's so cute that was so cute we loved it we really enjoyed it we didn't know who you were shouting you can tell I'm a shooter yeah we loved it it was a very sweet reunion This is Raymond, my dog.

Oh my goodness. It's a dog. It's like one or like a wrap. I know. He's a holly. He's a good boy. He's cute. You want to say.

You want to have a stroke, do you want to? He's just about getting freaked out because he was holding the other dog and it's horse and birds. No. Do you know, he's sort of, he's like a cat, Rosie, isn't he? He doesn't make a sound either. No. What sort of dog is, eh? I mean, it's a good question.

He is an imperial shih Tzu. He's more, I always say he's a bit more like a sort of mini-Ewalk, basically. But yeah, he's an imperial shih Tzu. He's got phenomenal, her. Oh, thank you. I remember the days people said that to me. You are talking. You are great.

You do. I got my other grandsons here. Oh, how many are you got? We got eight, but we've got. We've got, we've just had a new granddaughter, just a week old. Eight? Yeah. Oh, they don't mess about the Irish.

He's one of a date. I'm one of the young. Go on, go and see the rest of the family. Thanks very much. So lovely to meet you. Bye, bye, bye, bye, bye. See you. Yeah, bye.

Rosie, I feel like I've met a whole new family today. I feel like I've got a whole new community, do you? Yeah, but there's his. every day for me. I love it here. Do you know what I love most about this place? You. I've had such a lovely time, Rosie.

We need to see each other before I get married to you. Oh, I'm coming to the wedding. Will you say goodbye to Ray-Wing? Bye, baby, Ray. A final grope of the boobs. you. Can we do this again soon? Yes, we love you Rosie. Bye-bye. Bye. Bye. I really hope you enjoyed that episode of Walking the Dog. We'd love it if you subscribed and do join us next time on Walking the Dog wherever you get your podcasts.