Set in a lively NHS maternity unit of a small rural hospital in West Yorkshire, Push, produced by Various Artists Ltd for BBC iPlayer and BBC One, is a workplace ensemble comedy about an eccentric but dedicated team of midwives, desperately trying to keep their act together while things around them are quite literally falling apart.
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. Push is a laugh out loud celebration of the chaotic, high-stakes reality of pulling off a miracle several times a day. It’s blood, sweat and (third degree) tears.
Jessica says: “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.”
Full casting and transmission details will be announced in due course.