Douglas Is Cancelled

I nearly turned off a couple of times near the start (and I see that many other viewers did, their loss) but ended up bingeing all four episodes in the early hours. I have great respect for writer Stephen Moffat and it was a great cast. I confess to being a Dr Who fan and this reunion of Karen Gillan and Alex Kingston in the main female roles and as powerful characters from kept me glued to my screen (other Whovians from and in smaller roles also featured). The third episode is scary, and skin crawling, but wait .... the fourth is the key. Keep watching. There's always a twist at the end. Yes, I know that's Russell T Davies, but honestly, do keep watching or you'll always be wondering. 100 stars to Karen Gillan in this.

It starts off slowly and you wonder where it is all going. But I am so glad I stuck with it as it builds to a phenomenal climax.

The cast are fantastic with Hugh Bonneville, Ben Miles and Alex Kingston And really shows off Hugh Bonnevilles's slightly befuddled expressions and Miles being a predatory nightmare.

Karen Gillan is outstanding in a challenging role. You never know how to take her until the very end. A hugely difficult role and perfectly executed.

I absolutely hated her at the beginning and my sympathies were all in the wrong places. And then everything starts to shift and I wound up actually crying. An absolutely stellar performance from all the cast. The writing and direction were excellent.. Douglas and Madeline are brilliant and well worth any awards for their performances.

8/10 Britbox.

ITV has been in the lead over the BBC in the drama department for a few years now, and Douglas is Cancelled is another feather in their cap.

Like Sir Bates VS Post Office this takes on some very topical (if not historical) issues which feel very relatable.

The premise is a simple one - television presenter Douglas has been overheard making a sexist joke at a relatives wedding. The nature of this goes viral, dividing his fans, co-workers and the country alike. Should he be cancelled in a world where everyone finds absolutely anything offensive?

The cast here are all superb especially Hugh Bonneville and Karen Gillian as the two TV presenters, rounded out by a great supporting cast which includes Alex Kingston and always pitch perfect Ben Miles.

The show tackles a number of immediate and contemporary issues, not least of which is trial by social media, which is becoming a bigger and bigger problem these days, just ask Jay Slaters parents.

While this is Sunday night packaged entertainment that never gets on the wrong side of dark drama, its skillful and well made television.

This story grabs you from the off and feels extremely relatable from the get go. I'll be doing a deep dive on it on my Podcast tomorrow, but in the mean time, this comes with my strong recommedation.

Take on those big issue topics ITV, you do it so well.

A hugely enjoyable series although it did start off a little silly. The jokes did hit and were funny but they just seemed at odds with the story & didn't seem to fit the situation. However episodes 3 & 4 are absolute belters.

The entire cast are great with Hugh Bonneville, Ben Miles and Alex Kingston all playing their parts extremely well with Miles particularly being superbly creepy.

But head and shoulders above this exceptional cast stands Karen Gillan. A still beloved Dr Who assistant She has since provided the Marvel Universe with one of its best character arcs with Nebula, while writing and directing her own films. But IMO Douglas is Cancelled is easily the best work of her career so far, she is absolutely formidable in the final 2 episodes.

Giving a phenomenally brilliant performance. She makes you laugh, makes you cry, makes you hate her and then makes you love her and it's the sort of award worthy performance that makes watching this drama worth your time all on its own.

A very timely story with a timeless lead performance, Douglas is Cancelled is worth checking out.

The whole first episodes are a drag, and they are played like a farce. 3/10. I nearly turned it off. And then the last two episodes are great drama and written far better. 9/10. They should have done it as a two or three episode miniseries instead. Some characters are so overdrawn they feel out of place. And for a series that is (in the end) so squarely in women's corner, why write the wife's character basically as a stereotypical nagging jealous wife? It adds nothing to the point the series makes. There are some baffling decisions in this, so it's quite flawed, all in all, but it was a joy to see Gillan being able to show what she's capable of as an actor.