**Douglas is Cancelled Review: A Sermon-Filled Cancel Culture Drama with Easy Answers**
In a world fraught with geopolitical strife, climate disasters, and the looming threat of artificial intelligence, one issue seems to strike a particular chord of fear: cancel culture. This is the central theme of Steven Moffat’s new ITV drama, *Douglas is Cancelled*, which delves into the repercussions of a dangerous rumor.
Hugh Bonneville stars as Douglas Bellowes, a genial TV presenter reminiscent of Eamonn Holmes. His on-screen partner is Madeline Crow, played by Karen Gillan, an ambitious young journalist described by Douglas’s wife Sheila (Alex Kingston) as “God’s gift to the photo desk.” Their close relationship faces increasing strain when a rumor circulates on Twitter/X that Douglas made a sexist joke while drunk at a wedding. The specifics of the joke and its target remain unknown, but the fallout is immediate and severe.
The show is essentially divided into two halves: Douglas’s half, which deals with the seemingly trivial threat of cancellation, and Madeline’s half, which grapples with the more substantial residue of trauma. “Whatever shit you have to wade through,” Douglas tells Madeline during their first meeting, “it really is worth it.” But the show questions whether it truly is worth it, especially in an industry dominated by predatory men and others who feel the tide has turned against them.
Marketed as a “comedy drama” in the vein of Moffat’s previous works like *Dracula* and *Inside Man*, the laughs in *Douglas is Cancelled* are sparse and mostly relegated to Nick Mohammed’s portrayal of an incompetent comedy writer obsessed with Greta Thunberg. However, the show is fundamentally a drama—a relationship drama between Douglas and Sheila, and Douglas and Madeline; a workplace drama under the national spotlight; and ultimately, a revenge drama. Like many of Moffat’s projects, a jaunty tone masks the absence of genuine humor.
The drama’s weight falls heavily on the shoulders of its cast, but this is where *Douglas is Cancelled* stumbles. The initial episodes present an implausible scenario where a beloved TV presenter’s reputation is destroyed by an anonymous tweet from an account with only a few hundred followers. This setup seems designed to appeal to those who believe in the existence of a “woke mob.” The show then shifts to a more serious narrative about sexual assault in the television industry, but by this point, the foundation has been laid on something so petty that the emotional impact is lost.
Despite the script’s shortcomings, the cast delivers commendable performances. Bonneville excels in his role, bringing his signature brand of hapless buffoonery, while Gillan convincingly portrays a woman whose beauty often overshadows her intelligence. Ben Miles, as the sleazy producer Toby, and Simon Russell Beale, as the idiotic agent Bentley, add depth to the narrative. However, the dialogue often falls into newsroom clichés, and Douglas’s Gen-Z daughter Claudia (Madeleine Power) is given lines that feel forced and out of touch.
The show’s handling of its central theme—cancel culture—leaves much to be desired. While there is potential for a compelling drama on this topic, *Douglas is Cancelled* fails to deliver. Cancellation is one side of a transaction, with transgression on the other. The show attempts to balance a frivolous accusation with a serious transgression, but in doing so, it offers only moral binaries and easy answers. The subject matter demands ambiguity, grey areas, and hard questions, but Moffat’s approach is more sermon-like, leaving the audience with a sense of unfulfilled potential.
In the end, *Douglas is Cancelled* is like a cake that looks appealing but lacks substance. It’s filling but not nourishing, leaving viewers craving something more substantial and thought-provoking.
Source: The Independent
