Douglas Is Cancelled

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.

Famed and loved TV presenter Douglas Bellowes makes a comment at a wedding, a comment that is deemed sexist. The comment is witnessed by a fellow guest, who posts the incident on Twitter, a media frenzy begins, and Douglas faces cancellation.

Stick with it, I struggled to get through episodes one and two, in episode three however, a switch is flicked, and it transforms into a tense, thought provoking story of control and abuse.

I was expecting a comedy drama, and early on there are snippets of humour, but all of that vanishes in episode three, the tone changes, as does the whole feel. Moffat makes you think, question and try to apportion blame to the various parties, you question who is guilty of what, who's the real villain.

Steven Moffat went for tried and tested, cast members he successfully worked with on Doctor Who, and none of them disappoint, wonderful to see Karen Gillan and Alex Kingston reunited. Hugh Bonneville and Ben Miles are fantastic too.

Please don't quit at episode two, stick with it, I assure you at episode three it will reward you.

8/10.

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.

This show is a strange animal, but also somewhat entertaining, thanks in no small part to its brevity. The plot moves quickly and mercilessly, similar to the way the public internet court can pass judgement on someone like Douglas. As with everything written by Steven Moffat, the dialogues take center stage: they are snappy and spirited, often relying on quick repartees to drive the narrative.

The lead cast is excellent across the board, and I could listen to Karen Gillan's soft Scottish accent all day long. Where the show slumps however, is when the secondary players get any screen time. It's hard to believe that Moffat is the creator of such pointless characters as Douglas' unbearable daughter, or his clueless manager, or Nick the comedy writer, whose lifeless sense of humor is certainly meant to be ironic in and of itself, but really only ends up being discordant.

All in all, it's an interesting project and it's topical enough to generate discussions worth having in this day and age. I just wish Moffat had been more judicious when choosing his characters and a little braver when detailing the actual cancelling.

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.