Douglas Is Cancelled

British Television series

  • Hugh Bonneville
  • Karen Gillan
  • Alex Kingston
  • Nick Mohammed
  • Simon Russell Beale
  • Ben Miles
  • Madeleine Power
Country of originUnited KingdomOriginal languageEnglishNo. of series1No. of episodes4ProductionExecutive producers
  • Steven Moffat
  • Ben Palmer
  • Sue Vertue
ProducerLawrence TillRunning time40-45 minutesProduction companyHartswood FilmsOriginal releaseNetworkITV1Release27 June (2024-06-27) –
18 July 2024 (2024-07-18)

Douglas Is Cancelled is a 2024 British comedy-drama television miniseries created and written by Steven Moffat, directed by Ben Palmer and starring Hugh Bonneville, Karen Gillan and Alex Kingston. It was first aired weekly from 27 June 2024 on ITV1, with all four episodes made immediately available on ITVX on that date.[1]

Synopsis

Douglas Bellowes is a widely respected middle news anchor with a co-anchor Madeline and newspaper editor wife Sheila, when he is accused of making a sexist joke at a wedding and encounters cancel culture.[2]

Cast

  • Hugh Bonneville as Douglas Bellowes, lead presenter for Live at Six news.
  • Karen Gillan as Madeline Crow, Douglas’s co-presenter.
  • Alex Kingston as Sheila Bellowes, Douglas’s wife and a newspaper editor.
  • Nick Mohammed as Morgan, a comedy writer working for Live at Six.
  • Simon Russell Beale as Bently, Douglas’s agent
  • Ben Miles as Toby, Douglas’s producer.
  • Madeleine Power as Claudia Bellowes, Douglas’s daughter and political activist.
  • Joe Wilkinson as Tom, Toby’s driver.
  • Kirsty Wark as Interviewer.

Episodes

No.EpisodeDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
1Episode 1Ben PalmerSteven Moffat27 June 2024 (2024-06-27)
2Episode 2Ben PalmerSteven Moffat4 July 2024 (2024-07-04)
3Episode 3Ben PalmerSteven Moffat11 July 2024 (2024-07-11)
4Episode 4Ben PalmerSteven Moffat18 July 2024 (2024-07-18)

Production

It is written by Steven Moffat, directed by Ben Palmer, and produced by Hartswood Films in association with SkyShowtime and BBC Studios Distribution. Moffat also serves as executive producer alongside his wife Sue Vertue, with Lawrence Till as producer. Moffat described writing the script “in secret”.[3][4]

Filming

Production started on the four-part series in London in November 2023.[5]

Casting

In November 2023, Hugh Bonneville, Karen Gillan, Alex Kingston, Ben Miles, Simon Russell Beale, and Nick Mohammed were confirmed in the cast.[6]

Broadcast

The entire series was available in the UK on ITVX from 27 June 2024, and was aired weekly on ITV1 from 27 June to 18 July 2024.[7][8]

Critical reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, 58% of 12 reviews are positive for the miniseries, and the average rating is 6.7/10. The critics consensus on the website states, "While this satire's scattershot aim at thorny topics doesn't hit every target, Hugh Bonneville's expertly hapless performance makes it a squirmy pleasure to watch."[9]

References

  1. ^ Cooke, Rachel (26 June 2024). "Douglas Is Cancelled: finally, a funny cancel culture comedy". New Statesman. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  2. ^ Richardson, Jay (17 November 2023). "Hugh Bonneville & Karen Gillan lead ITVX comedy from Steven Moffat". Comedy.co.uk. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  3. ^ Yossman, K.J. (17 November 2023). "Karen Gillan, Hugh Bonneville to Star in New Cancel Culture Dramedy From Steven Moffat (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  4. ^ "Hugh Bonneville to star in new comedy-drama about cancel culture". Chortle. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  5. ^ Mensah, Katelyn (17 November 2023). "Doctor Who's Karen Gillan, Alex Kingston reunite for Steven Moffat series". Radio Times. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  6. ^ Lewis, George (17 November 2023). "Doctor Who boss's new show reveals cast including Ted Lasso star". Digital Spy. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  7. ^ Godfrey, Jake (17 November 2023). "Douglas Is Cancelled - Steven Moffat makes a return to television comedy". Film Stories. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  8. ^ Lawson, Mark (17 June 2024). "'And today's news is … I'm cancelled': Hugh Bonneville, Alex Kingston and Steven Moffat on their cancel comedy". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  9. ^ "Douglas is Cancelled: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 5 July 2024.

External links

  • v
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Series written
and produced
  • Press Gang (1989–1993)
  • Joking Apart (1993–1995)
  • Chalk (1997)
  • Coupling (2000–2004)
  • Jekyll (2007)
  • Doctor Who (2005–2017, 2024)
  • Sherlock (2010–2017)
  • Dracula (2020)
  • The Time Traveler's Wife (2022)
  • Inside Man (2022)
  • Douglas Is Cancelled (2024)
Films written
  • The Adventures of Tintin (2011)
Novels writtenPlays written
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