“I’m having so much fun!” Lenny Rush talks fame, Father Christmas and why Essex needs to be careful | television

It’s time for a father to have an awkward conversation with his teenage son. No, not this one. This is much worse – Chris is 16 years old and still believes in Father Christmas. He should know the truth: all the presents, the fake snow on the roof, the soot on the grate, it was all his father’s. “You’re Father Christmas?” Chris says surprised. “Does it bring joy and happiness to billions of children around the world?”

In Finding Father Christmas, a funny and poignant Channel 4 comedy, Chris, played by Lenny Rush, breaks out of school and sets out on a mission with his older cousin Holly (Ellie MacKenzie) to prove to his skeptical father that Santa is real. While scrutinizing a photo taken at a celebrity party, Chris believes he has identified four people who may have secret links with Santa – Stephen Fry, mathematician Professor Hannah Fry, space scientist Maggie Adrienne Pocock and SAS: Who Dares Wins star Jason Fox. Finally, he follows clues to a secure secret facility in Milton Keynes and breaks into it with the help of a small trampoline and TV magic (a bungee cord). “It was terrifying, but it was a lot of fun,” Rush says of the trick. “I feel like if I was offered [to do it] And I said no, I’ll kick myself on the way home. I wanted to try it and I’m glad I did. But there was an element of fear.”

The scientists’ explanations were very difficult to comprehend. Explaining how Father Christmas and his presents pass through solid walls (in the absence of a chimney), Fry says, “It’s a microscopic quantum tunneling process.” Aderin-Pocock says something about the Alcubierre engine, the concertina of space and time, to explain how he could do it all in one night. Did Rush understand what they were getting at? “Honestly, I have no idea,” he says with a laugh. “But the way they explained things, it was like a story, just magical!”

Rush – cheerful, urbane and blessed with impeccable comedic timing – speaks via Zoom from the hotel room, where he is staying while filming the upcoming BBC comedy The Reluctant Vampire, based on the books by Eric Morecambe. Do you feel pressure while leading the show? “I think I’m surrounded by some of the best comedians in the UK, and I don’t feel like I have a weight on my shoulders. It’s always a laugh on set.” His first experience playing the lead role was in Finding Father Christmas, which, being a relatively short shot, proved to be a good introduction to being number one on the call sheet. “It’s been a taste. I feel like I’m not as tired as I would have been, because of a Christmas movie.”

Christmas movies have always been a big part of his life, and this is a “feel good” movie. Not like his brilliant but horrific roles as Tiny Tim Cratchit in two productions of A Christmas Carol – at the Old Vic in London and in Steven Knight’s 2019 BBC adaptation of Peaky Blinders. On the Channel 4 programme, once he found out his father would be playing James Buckley, one of the mediators, he was “raring to go”. The Inbetweeners is, of course, essential viewing for any teenager. “I’ve been lucky to work with some amazing people, but as soon as I said ‘James Buckley’ to my friends, they said: ‘Oh my God’.”

When he read the script, was he shocked to read his imaginary father’s confession of the “truth” about Santa Claus? Was that a spoiler for 16-year-old Rush? Perfect comedic pause. “It wasn’t like that.” But he’s worried that his little cousin is watching. “I’m not sure if he still believes or not. But to be fair, even if he saw it, if anything, it proves that Santa is real.”

Rush believes he discovered “the truth” when he was nine or ten years old. He, his father, and his younger brother were watching a movie downstairs, when he wandered off looking for his mother. “I came upstairs, and my mom is on the bed with wrapping paper everywhere, and all these presents.” Rush had a preconceived notion, “but the devastating part of it was that it was closed, and I knew it. I’d seen it with my own eyes.” He did a great impression on his mother, who was with him off camera at the hotel – I can hear her laughing. “She says, ‘Steve, I told you not to let them up!’ I was a good brother, and I didn’t ruin it for Bobby. He understands Chris’ need to cling to this belief in magic. “I think the big heart about the show is that his mother passed away in recent years, and she loved Christmas.”

When I spoke to Rush a couple of years ago, he was not so much a rising star as a breakout star – that year, he had won a Bafta TV Award for Best Male Comedic Performance for the BBC’s Am I Unreasonable? And two awards from the Royal Television Society. Now he has left school – passing all his exams, he says, “thankfully” – and has become a full-time actor. “It’s nice to be able to focus on what I love. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still devastated.” He laughs. “But I’m having a lot of fun.”

In addition to The Reluctant Vampire, Rush has parts in the Apple TV series Slow Horses, and in the upcoming Channel 4 Barbara Taylor Bradford series A Woman of Substance. “It’s good to be able to show people that I can do different things,” says Rush, known mainly for comedy, including performing in sketches and presenting for Children in Need. “I love comedy, but I don’t necessarily want to be a comedian or even a comedian. I just want to be an actor.” Although Slow Horses is a black comedy, he notes that “A Woman of Substance was just…” while making a troubled, sarcastic face. “You come off the set and you want to play Finding Nemo.”

In the film, Rush plays the younger brother of the younger version of the main character, Emma Hart. His disability — Rush has congenital spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia, a form of dwarfism — is not part of the plot, and he is grateful for it. “I guess you could say they make a little out of it, in the sense that it’s about a poor, working-class family [and] It helps show that struggle, but even then it’s never mentioned. He is not Frank Hart with a disability or dwarfism. He’s just Frank Hart.

In dramas, in particular, he says, “When there’s a role for someone with a disability, it’s usually the focus. I think it’s changing, for sure, but I don’t really think there’s enough. I wouldn’t mind doing a role at all.” [disabled] It’s a role that helps raise awareness, which is great, but it’s great to have other opportunities. This is something I was lucky with. Almost none of his roles were written specifically for a disabled actor; Rush was the best fit for the job. But what he brings to television means a lot to him and to those who come into contact with him, who are happy to see themselves represented. “I get a lot of people reaching out to me. It’s always so lovely and any help I can offer I love it.

Each year seems to get bigger and better for Rush, and 2026 looks to continue that trajectory. If Slow Horses brought prestige, The Reluctant Vampire, written by Rob and Neil Gibbons (the writing duo behind Alan Partridge’s recent offerings) features Rush as the lead actor, among a star-studded cast, including Asim Chaudhry and Bill Bailey. He will also learn to drive. “So beware everyone in Essex,” he says with a laugh. “It will definitely help with independence. A lot of times, when you have a disability, other people tell you: ‘You can’t do this, you can’t do that’, and I think this also proves that I can do it. I’m very excited.”

At home, Rush’s friends remain unimpressed with his remarkable career. “Not in a bad way. They support me, but I’ll say, ‘Guess what I’m going to do next?’ I’ll tell them, and they’re like, ‘Oh, right.'” He likes to come home on weekends while filming. “It’s nice to have that normalcy and see the dogs.” He smiles. “That sounds bad. “I put the dogs in front of my father and brother.” Another perfect pause. “Yes, seeing the dogs.”

It’s time for Rush to get to work – they’re outside filming today, and it doesn’t end until 10 p.m. He works until break, so the Rush family’s Christmas will be quieter this year. “We’ll get more of a cold drink, just the four of us.” The tradition that will be observed is for the family to sit down to watch a festive film together on Christmas Eve. This year, will be the year to include Rush. It must be nice to think about others, the growing excitement for the big day, and at the same time hear about cozy, fairy-lit living rooms across the country. “It’s really beautiful,” Rush agrees, all cheerful and bright.

Finding Father Christmas airs on Channel 4 on Christmas Eve at 7.30pm.