Channel 4 axes comedy after 1 series despite BAFTA nomination

Pushers follows a disabled woman, Emily Dawkins, who unexpectedly becomes a drug dealer.

The six-part series, which aired in 2025, was co-written/created by comedian Rosie Jones, who also played the lead role (Emily).

Jones earned a BAFTA nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy for her role as Emily on Pushers.

The cast also featured Clive Russell, Libby Mai, Ryan McParland, Ruben Reuter, Lynn Hunter, Jon Furlong, Cassie Bradley, and Rhiannon Clements.

The Channel 4 show received mixed reviews, earning a 4.6 (out of 10) rating on IMDb from 301 reviews.

Reviewing the series, The Independent said: “For a first foray into sitcom writing for Jones, it’s remarkably assured.

“I’d happily spend plenty more seasons hanging out in the charity shop back room with this gang of improbable kingpins.”

The Guardian added: “Although its lack of sentimentality and commitment to hard comedy is admirable, Pushers still could have done with leaning a little further into the scathing satire promised by its setup.”

While this viewer, posting on Rotten Tomatoes, commented: “Push is entertaining, but ends up the classic instance of a skillful fright machine that piles on the crises until its story structure collapses.”

Channel 4 axes Pushers after just one series

Despite the recent BAFTA nomination, Channel 4 has confirmed Pushers will not be returning for a second series.

A Channel 4 spokesperson, talking to The Sun, said: “We’re so proud of Pushers and would like to thank Rosie Jones, Peter Fellows, 2LE Media and Merman Television for their brilliant and dedicated work on the series.

“We look forward to working together on future projects.

“Like all broadcasters, we regularly review our programming to ensure we’re offering the right range of content for our viewers.

“This means making difficult decisions on which shows to rest, return or conclude.”

Jones confirmed the cancellation with a post on Instagram, adding she was “immensely proud” of what the show had accomplished.

She said: “With a heavy heart and a bag full of fake drugs, I can announce that Pushers is not coming back for a second series.

“I can’t begin to tell you what this show means to me and I am immensely proud of what we accomplished in just one series, not only in terms of disability representation both behind and in front of the camera, but in terms of creating a proper, good, northern, working class comedy.

Jones continued: “Please keep watching it and enjoying it, you’re making Pushers live on.”

You can watch series one of Pushers on Channel4.com.

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