The BBC has commissioned a "brilliantly funny" Yorkshire-set sitcom from Taskmaster star Jessica Knappett. Titled Push, the upcoming comedy is all about midwives working within the NHS.
Set in the maternity unit of a small rural hospital in West Yorkshire, the show will follow an "eccentric but dedicated team of midwives, desperately trying to keep their act together while things around them are quite literally falling apart".
Knappett serves as the showrunner for Push, which is described as "a laugh out loud celebration of the chaotic, high-stakes reality of pulling off a miracle several times a day".
The synopsis reads: "The ward may be scruffy and perpetually underfunded, but this lot are (mostly) grafters and fiercely protective of the place they call home. For them, delivering babies is the best job in the world – made all the better by the company they keep.
"They might be the angelic heroes of the NHS but they’re also glorious oddballs and lovable misfits, partial to an outrageous flirt in the corridor, a scandalous gossip in the staff room, or a disco nap in the sluice room."
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Speaking about Push, Knappett said in a statement: "It is an absolute joy and an immense privilege to be given the extraordinarily rare opportunity to make a sitcom and – not that I like to put pressure on myself – I do see it as almost a matter of public service to make this the best it can be.
"The NHS is a marvel to me and ever since I gave birth to my own children, I knew I wanted to birth a show about midwives. Thankfully this process has been a lot less painful and I didn’t need stitches."
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Jon Petrie, BBC Director of Comedy said: "We’ve been looking for a high joke rate workplace comedy for a while now, and with Push it feels like Jess and the team have really delivered. Months in the making, full of warmth, friendship and sharp writing. We can’t wait to bring it into the world."
Meanwhile, Jack Bayles, who serves as executive producer on the show described it as "a brilliantly funny show with effortless charm, bags of heart, and a cast of characters as richly diverse as the NHS itself".
Push does not yet have a release date.
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Reporter, Digital Spy
Harriet is a freelance news writer specialising in TV and movies at Digital Spy.
A horror enthusiast, she joined Digital Spy after working on her own horror website, reviewing films and focusing largely on feminism in the genre.
In her spare time, Harriet paints and produces mixed-media art. She graduated from the University of Kingston with a BA in fine art, where she specialised in painting. She also has an MA in journalism from Birkbeck University.
