The eye of the STORM

HUGH BONNEVILLE and KAREN GILLAN introduce us to their cancel-culture dramedy

- CAREN CLARK

DOUGLAS IS CANCELLED

THURSDAY, 9PM, ITV1 COMEDY DRAMA (BOX SET, ITVX)

The ease with which a celebrity can be ‘cancelled’ and see their glittering career implode following an ill-judged comment is explored in a much-anticipated new ITV1 comedy-drama this week. And as TV Times joins the stars of Douglas Is Cancelled, Hugh Bonneville and Karen Gillan, for a chat, they admit the show has given them pause for thought about the power of social media.

‘There’s the speed and enormity of it,’ says Hugh, 60. ‘It’s a tsunami wave or a wolf, and until it tastes death, it’s not satisfied.’

‘We’re seeing people being held accountable,’ reflects Karen, 36. ‘But there’s also the terrifying nature of how the population makes up their mind.’

These issues are all brought into focus in the four-parter, penned by Doctor Who writer Steven Moffat, in which Downton Abbey favourite Hugh plays popular broadcaster Douglas Bellowes, who presents news show Live at 6, while Guardians of the Galaxy star Karen is his slick co-host, Madeline Crow.

Douglas faces ‘cancellation’ after he tells a sexist joke at a family wedding and a horrified guest raises the incident on social media. Douglas claims not to remember what he said, but he, his cynical producer Toby (The Capture’s Ben Miles) and the show’s deluded comedy writer Morgan (Ted Lasso’s Nick Mohammed) must handle the fallout.

Here, Hugh and Karen tell us more…

What appealed to you about this show?