Hugh Bonneville looking serious taking a phone call in character for Douglas is Cancelled
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Douglas is Cancelled: ITV1 cancel culture comedy-drama starring Hugh Bonneville start date confirmed

The new drama explores what happens when a popular newsreader is 'cancelled'

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New ITV1 drama Douglas is Cancelled will start later this month.

The new series tells the story of Douglas Bellowes (Hugh Bonneville), a beloved TV newsreader. After social media learns Douglas made a sexist joke at a wedding, he must deal with an online mob.

Here’s what we know so far about the new drama, the confirmed start date, and who is in the cast.

Hugh Bonneville and Karen Gillan as newsreaders in new drama Douglas is Cancelled
British TV stars Hugh Bonneville and Karen Gillan will play British TV stars! (Credit: ITV)

What is Douglas is Cancelled about?

ITV1’s new drama explores the fallout after a popular newsreader makes a poor choice of joke at a wedding.

As Douglas’ mistake becomes public knowledge, his family and employers all have questions to ask.

Can national treasure Douglas Bellowes’s career survive? And how will those around him respond to the publicity?

Anybody else feeling like this is very close to home?

Alex Kingston looking harassed in character for Douglas is Cancelled
Alex Kingston has starred in multiple big name series before including Doctor Who and ER (Credit: ITV)

Who’s in the cast of Douglas is Cancelled?

Hugh Bonneville stars as newsreader Douglas Bellowes. Hugh, 60, is a familiar face on British TV screens due to his work in the Downton Abbey and Paddington Bear franchises.

He portrayed Earl of Grantham Robert Crawley in Downton Abbey and Henry Brown – the father of the family who takes Paddington home – in Paddington.

Hugh’s other big roles include Notting Hill (1999), The Monuments Men (2014), and W1A (2014-2024).

Scottish starKaren Gillan stars as Madeline, a colleague of Douglas. Karen, 36, first found fame as Amy Pond – a companion of Matt Smith’s Doctor – in Doctor Who (2010-2013). Karen later moved stateside where she scored roles in blockbuster films such as Guardians of the Galaxy and Jumanji.

Ben Miles in Douglas is Cancelled, backstage at a production studio
Ben Miles is another big name starring in the new drama (Credit: ITV)

Who else stars in the ITV series?

The star-studded cast also includes Ben Miles, who plays Toby. Ben played Peter Townsend, a love interest of Princess Margaret, in The Crown (2016-2017). He also starred in Steven Moffat’s noughties sitcom Coupling (2000-2004).

Alex Kingston joins her former Doctor Who co-star Karen, portraying Douglas’ journalist wife Sheila. Alex starred as River Song, the time-travelling wife of several renditions of the Doctor, in Doctor Who. Before that, Alex played Dr Elizabeth Corday in American medical drama ER for seven years between 1997 and 2004.

Also in the cast is Nick Mohammed, who will play Morgan. Nick starred as ‘Wonder Kid’ Nate Shelley in AppleTV+ comedy Ted Lasso. He was also the creator and star of Sky One sitcom Intelligence (2020-2023), which also starred Friends’ David Schwimmer.

Sir Simon Russell Beale portrays Bently. Simon has a long career in theatre and film, with performances in The Deep Blue Sea (2011), The Death of Stalin (2017) and Operation Mincemeat (2021). Last year, he starred in Mary & George. He will also appear in the upcoming new series of House of the Dragon.

Meanwhile, up and coming actress Madeleine Power appears in the series as Claudia, Douglas and Sheila’s social justice warrior daughter.

Hugh Bonneville and actress
Newcomer Madeleine Power will play Douglas’ daughter (Credit: ITV)

Who wrote Douglas is Cancelled?

Steven Moffat is the writer for the drama.

Scottish star Steven’s breakout show was the noughties comedy Coupling, which explored the lives of six friends in their thirties. The comedy aired from 2000 to 2004.

Between 2005 to 2008, Steven wrote several episodes of Doctor Who for showrunner Russell T. Davies. This included the critically-acclaimed ‘Blink’, which won a BAFTA Craft award.

He went on to be Executive Producer of Doctor Who himself in 2008, a role he continued until 2017. During this same period, he also produced the BAFTA and Emmy award winning drama Sherlock.

More recently, Steven wrote the BBC and Netflix drama co-productions Dracula (2020) and Inside Man (2022).

When’s the start date?

Douglas Is Cancelled starts on Thursday, June 27 at 9pm.

There are four episodes in total, airing on ITV1 and ITVX.

Read more: The One Show: Hugh Bonneville impresses viewers on BBC show with slimmed-down look

Douglas is Cancelled premieres on ITV1 on June 27 at 9pm.

Are you thinking of watching Douglas is Cancelled? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think.


Susan Brett
TV Writer