Douglas is Cancelled takes a wry look at the world of TV, social media and the power of "cancel culture".
In the four-part comedy-drama, the action centres on veteran presenter and national treasure Douglas Bellowes (Hugh Bonneville) who is accused of making a sexist joke at a wedding. But, as his life spirals out of control and he faces the implosion of his career, can he rely on the support of his co-host Madeline Crow (Karen Gillan)?
Here's everything that happened in Douglas is Cancelled episode 1...
The episode opens as Douglas Bellowes and Madeline Crow are reaching the end of the latest instalment of their nightly news show Live at Six and, as they go off air, Douglas is reassured by his co-host that his interview with a government minister was OK.
But matters soon become tense when their producer Toby Patterson (Ben Miles) approaches Douglas to ask how things went at a recent family wedding that Douglas attended, as he was overheard making a sexist joke by a fellow guest who has gone on social media to express their disgust.
Douglas attempts to defuse the situation by assuring Toby that it was harmless, even though he claims he can’t remember exactly what he said as he’d been drinking. But cynical Toby says that this will become news as Douglas is a renowned broadcaster who has guided the nation through crises galore and is seen as a national treasure who should maintain a "boring and bland" reputation.
As Douglas then starts to fret that Madeline might see the post, she gets into her car to head home and her driver alerts her to the brewing scandal and she looks on her phone… When she returns to her swanky flat and swiftly gets rid of an apparent prospective boyfriend who has been making himself at home there, she sees he has been watching an old Good Morning Britain interview she and Douglas once did with Kate Garraway, where she revealed that Douglas once advised her that the job was worth it.
Meanwhile, Douglas meets up with his useless agent Bently (Simon Russell Beale) and they debate whether the joke he told was one of his "usual misogynist" ones or "sexist". And when Douglas asks what could potentially happen if things get worse, Bently says that they would sever connection with him! When Douglas’ phone rings during the meal, it is Toby informing him that Madeline has retweeted the post and has written, "Don’t believe this, not my co-presenter". But is she defending him or has she made things worse by alerting her millions of followers to a situation they may not otherwise have been aware of?
At this point, we also meet Douglas’ ruthless tabloid editor wife Sheila (Alex Kingston), whose PA Helen (Stephanie Hyam) is absolutely terrified of her and who has to pluck up the courage to tell Sheila about the hot water that Douglas has got himself into.
As Sheila heads home, she immediately gets into a row with her 19-year-old daughter Claudia (Madeleine Power). As Douglas then arrives, Sheila confronts him about the "joke" and says that Madeline has exacerbated the scandal.
Despite Douglas’ claims that Madeline was just being supportive, Sheila feels that her social media post is ambiguous and could mean that she doesn’t want him to be her co-presenter any more. It becomes clear that Sheila hates Madeline and is sick of Douglas always talking about her. Meanwhile, Claudia, who is a militant student activist, bluntly questions her dad about what has happened and warns him she doesn’t want to have to cancel him.
Elsewhere, Toby is also attempting to calm the situation by trying to get the show's comedy writer to come up with an "emergency joke" for Douglas, as he still can't remember what he said at the wedding, but with excruciating awkwardness, Toby initially mistakes his own driver Tom (Joe Wilkinson) for comedy writer Morgan (Nick Mohammed). Although we find out over the closing credits that Tom is an aspiring writer…
As Sheila and Douglas continue to discuss what Madeline has done, Douglas is angry that Claudia could turn against him, so he says he will get Madeline to take down her post or even delete her account. Sheila is dubious, however, as she knows that Madeline can wrap him around her little finger and get him back on her side. But as the episode ends, Douglas storms into Madeline's office the next morning…
All episodes of Douglas Is Cancelled are available on ITVX.
