Douglas Is Cancelled

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.

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.

One of the best mini series I've watched in a long while. The acting by everyone is absolutely top notch probably because the writing and direction is of an extremely high standard. Not to mention the editing which often goes without the praise it deserves. The emotional delivery of quick fire line after line demonstrates the quality of this show throughout. I'd usually call out the lead actors for their brilliance, but in this case everyone played an important and valuable role, however small, in making this an enjoyable watch to the very end, and watching to the end is so worth it, trust me. Highly recommended.

Watched this series in one sitting and it's one of the best. The storyline is stylishly crafted and all brought together in the last 10 minutes to a totally satisfying ending which resonates with the strange times we live in.

Because of Hugh Bonneville's presence comparison with 2012 and W1A are inevitable but this is a straight and serious drama with relatively few injections of humour and those that are tend to be caustic.

The casting is superb as is the script and production and Karen Gillan and Ben Miles shine through in particular but in very different ways. We need more productions like this so well done ITV.

I'll definitely watch it again.

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.