大象传媒

The i-Word is a brand-new comedy following the successes of two wannabe influencers, who have set out to become the online world’s favourite inter-abled couple

Co-writers and stars of the show Jake Sawyers and Emily Nicole Roberts reveal what inspired them to write the show and why being called ‘inspirational’ can sometimes be frustrating.

JAKE: I’m a disabled actor from Port Talbot. I’m based in Cardiff and work full-time in the creative industry. As well as acting I enjoy writing, content creating and performing in drag as my alter ego Venetia Blind. My work is often influenced by my sight impairment, I like to challenge perceptions in my signature light-hearted comedic way.

EMILY: I’m 24 and from Swansea. I joined 大象传媒 Sesh around two years ago after my friends dared me to send an email! I always used to talk about the funny things people said to me and just always had generally funny stories about growing up as a female in a wheelchair in Wales.

JAKE: The i-Word is all about people’s perceptions and the sides of our personalities we choose to show the world, be that online or in person. Growing up disabled, I always noticed I was treated differently. People would, and still do, react to my impairment in different ways. Some would see it as a negative and exclude me from things, others would see it as a positive and push me to succeed and some wouldn’t change their behaviour at all.

The i-Word is inspired by that dynamic and how that affects you as a person. Ella and Sam have taken people’s mixed perceptions and have basically turned it into a business. As someone who uses online content to break stereotypes, I’ve always been fascinated by people who do it for a full-time job. Posting 24/7, sharing every part of their lives with their followers. We both thought there was a huge amount of comedy in combining the disabled lived experience with the shameless influencer lifestyle. The show isn’t really about disability, it’s about two young people figuring out life and trying to make a name for themselves with the hand life has dealt them, something I think all audiences can relate to.

EMILY: Working with Jake on this project, we really are very tongue-in-cheek. For me, The i-Word is all about appearance vs reality with social media stardom and disabled people who are “inspirational” too. I like to think Ella and Sam are loveable rogues, cheeky, but also career-driven and money-oriented and lavish! Because who says disabled people can’t be business-minded and egotistical at the same time!

JAKE: A few years ago, I watched a TED talk by Stella Young, an amazing disabled comedian and activist. She talked about how sometimes disabled people are praised for just getting on with their day. It really stuck with me and has influenced a lot of my work. I grew up in a very supportive environment, my family never told me I couldn’t achieve something because of my impairment. I believe praise and recognition is really important, we all like to know when we’ve done a good job, but sometimes that recognition can come from a weird place in people’s brains. Being called an inspirational disabled person doesn’t quite sit right with me, it feels a bit dehumanising and can make me feel like I’m just there to motivate non-disabled people to do better. If I cross a road or catch a bus holding my cane, I don’t want people to look at me and think ‘wow look how brave he is, if he can do that think of what I could achieve’.

I’m doing it because I have to, just like everything else in life. In a nutshell, I don’t want an award for just existing, but I will take an award for something I genuinely deserve… a BAFTA maybe?

EMILY: I think when you inspire someone in a scenario where you should be seen as equal then that makes you question how that person sees you and your ability. Being inspiring is fine but not for getting a pint of milk from the supermarket!

JAKE: Writing The i-Word with Emily was a dream! We’ve both had very similar, but at the same time very different life experiences that we both brought to the table. From the off we knew using our disabled lived experience would create a lot of comedy that isn’t hugely represented at the moment. We’re also both young cheeky Welshies who wanted to create something hilarious and not preachy or stale in any way. This is our first time writing for TV and once I got over my ‘you’re not a real writer’ imposter syndrome the content came flooding in. We’ve both been writing online content for years, so I think tapping into that skill for this pilot was a good place to start, write what you know right?

EMILY: Writing a comedy short is the hardest yet most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity and such an amazing co-writer too!!

JAKE: Let’s cut to the chase, I’m blind, gay and working class. Some people might read that and think I’ve got a hard life, and sometimes I do, but in my opinion, being in the minority is often the funniest place to be. Making people laugh is honestly all I’ve ever known, it’s a way of reclaiming the power that society often tries to take away from me. I don’t take myself, or life, too seriously and I get bored easily. Cracking a joke or mocking an award situation really is the driving force of my personality.

EMILY: Comedy has always been a means of self-expression for me when I have otherwise felt lost. My relationship with comedy has also changed over the years. I no longer belittle myself; I just explore the funny aspects of how other people react to me and the humour in adapting to an unadapted world

Watch The i-Word on 大象传媒 Two Wales at 11.05pm on Friday 20 January. It will be available on 大象传媒 iPlayer shortly afterwards. An audio described version is also available on 大象传媒 iPlayer.