A British news anchor tells a joke that causes his life to crumble in British dramedy Douglas is Cancelled
In this age of social media dominance, at least a minutiae of media literacy is encouraged among the masses. Whereas ’90s and ’00s parents once cautioned their children to “surf the net” safely, watching for catfishers, child predators and information-stealing bots, it is the elder generations who often find themselves in hot water online. From teens with trendy TikTok accounts and Instagram feeds to social justice warriors with live streams and informational YouTube videos, cameras are everywhere and chances are that if you have said or done something foolish in public, it has already been committed to the digital record.
Just ask Douglas Bellowes (Downton Abbey’s Hugh Bonneville), the titular figure at the centre of new British series Douglas is Cancelled.
Described by The Guardian as a show “you might hate … for daring to exist,” Douglas Is Cancelled chronicles the multi-level undoing of Douglas Bellowes, one of Britain’s best-known and most respectfully sombre news anchors after a crude joke he made at a wedding was captured on video and shared with the world. Potentially made worse by his younger, more aware co-host Madeline Crow (Karen Gillan of the Guardians of the Galaxy films), Douglas’ social media snafu quickly escalates to the point of interference with his career, his family and his hard-earned reputation as a staunch man of the people.
“Douglas is a perfectly decent, pleasant man who’s doing a good job and is well liked for what he does,” Bonneville told iTV press in a statement ahead of the show’s U.K. release. “Is he smug? I wouldn’t say so. Unguardedly confident? Definitely. But just as the dinosaurs didn’t know they were a dying breed, Douglas is blithely unaware that the next generation is smarter, more streetwise and capable of sheer ruthlessness when the chips are down.”
One such member of the next generation is Madeline, who is described by her portrayer as “a very determined” woman “who set her sights on getting into this particular industry,” noting that “she went through a few experiences along the way that shaped her, and she quickly realized that she needed to harden up a little bit.”
During a press interview with iTV, Gillan says, “When we meet [Madeline] at the start of this drama, you just can’t quite get a read on her. The idea is that you don’t quite know what her motivations are, and you don’t quite know whether you can trust her or not. That was really fun to play.”
Those watching the series have also reacted to the clever duality of the Madeline character, commenting, as did Guardian writer Lucy Mangan, that, “Whether [Madeline] is a manipulative careerist, simply sick of the sexism that surrounds her, or motivated by a genuine grievance is the question that builds around her.” Regardless of the answer, several reviews — from The Guardian to Radio Times to the common Redditor — hail Gillan as the shining light of the series.
That said, Douglas is Cancelled is chockablock with captivating performances from a handful of well-respected actors. ER veteran Alex Kingston, for example, co-stars as Douglas’ wife, Sheila, a tabloid newspaper editor and fierce defender of those she loves; Ben Miles (The Crown) is the show’s producer, Toby Patterson; Simon Russell Beale (House of the Dragon) plays Bently Cassock (whom iTV dubbed “the worst agent in the world”); and Nick Mohammed (Ted Lasso) is Morgan, the news program’s not-so-funny comedy writer.
The keen observer — and any hardcore Doctor Who fan — may have also recognized a few of the names from Douglas Is Cancelled. In fact, the series serves as something of a reunion for Gillan and Kingston, who previously appeared together in the beloved sci-fi series alongside Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi. Bonneville, too, has appeared in Doctor Who, his performance as Captain Henry Avery coinciding with Gillan’s in a 2011 episode, and with both Gillan and Kingston in another episode from later that same season.
Consisting of just four episodes, Douglas Is Cancelled may be a short series, even by British standards, but that doesn’t mean the content isn’t riveting. Rather, its production team has recognized its assets and promotes the miniseries for its realism; even if the show isn’t based on any one driving incident from reality.
“It’s not based on any actual incident,” series creator Steven Moffat (whose many credits include Doctor Who and Sherlock) told iTV, “However, the drama does exist in a world in which all that [cancel culture] has happened.”
Douglas is Cancelled premieres Thursday, March 6, on BritBox