The first trailer has been revealed forDouglas Is Cancelled. ThisSteven Moffat-created TVminiseries is about the fallout of a newscaster’s ill-conceived joke that ends up threatening his career. The show features aleading cast including Karen Gillan, Hugh Bonneville, Alex Kingston, and Nick Mohammed.Both Moffat and Gillan boast a significant credit on the beloved BBC seriesDoctor Who. Moffat served as showrunner, and Gillan appeared as companion Amy Pond during his tenure.
Now,BritBoxhas released a trailer forDouglas is Cancelled. Bonneville’s Douglas Bellowes and Gillan’s Madeline are news anchors on a British broadcast channel. As the inciting incident,a tweet is uncovered online that alleges that Douglas made a sexist joke at a wedding he attended. Even though Douglas cannot even remember his joke, this sends him, his co-worker, and the network executives into a tizzy as a retweet occurs and spurs a social media frenzy that could threaten Douglas' career.
What This Means For Douglas Is Cancelled
Douglas Is Cancelled Takes A Comedic Approach To A Hot Button Issue
Douglas is Cancelledtakes a comedic approachto a relevant social issue that can at times be very serious. At the center of the comedy is Kingston, anotherDoctor Whoalum, who plays Douglas' wife, Sheila. Even through the steadfast support of her husband, Sheila has a bombastic energy that will undoubtedly add a comedic flare to the series. The story itself also seems to turn into somewhat of a bumbling effort to keep the company’s social media presence in line and keep Douglas safe, despite significant challenges.
Douglas is Cancelledis set for release on BritBox on March 6.
The trailer also hints at an additional layer of relationship drama as a secondary storyline. From its very first frame,romantic tension between the two news anchor leads is hinted atas a close-up shows Madeline’s hand softly touching Douglas', the latter’s hand including a wedding ring. Later in the trailer, Douglas even cautions Madeline to be careful with how she places her hands so as not to lead people to believe they are having an affair. As Douglas' career is actively threatened, so too could his marriage if he were to pursue anything with Madeline.
Our Take On The Douglas Is Cancelled
Celebrity Cancellation Is A Huge Topic Right Now
This heavily-accented trailer is chock-full of British-oriented humor as it satirizes the topic of being “cancelled” and having social media be career-ruining. This is a particularly pressing issue in the film industry right now, as this weekend’s Oscar race forBest Actressis affected by the controversial social media history ofEmilia Pérez’s main star. Because of this relevancy, it will be interesting to see ifDouglas is Cancelledhas any cross-cultural appeal in the United States, or if its viewership is primarily relegated to its home country.
Douglas Is Cancelled
Cast
Douglas Is Cancelled follows the story of a respected news presenter whose career faces jeopardy after a controversial joke. His tech-savvy co-anchor, Madeline, wields influence with 2 million social media followers and must decide whether to defend him publicly.
