Thought The Stars Of Douglas Is Cancelled Looked Familiar? Here's Where You've Seen The Cast Before
Douglas Is Cancelled, the new comedy-drama from Doctor Who and Sherlock showrunner Steven Moffat, began airing on ITV this week, and it’s already sparking some heated conversations.
The divisive new series stars Hugh Bonneville as a well-known news presenter who finds himself at the centre of a high-profile controversy when he’s exposed for making a sexist joke at a wedding.
Despite hopes it will all blow over, his co-presenter Madeline (played by Karen Gillan) has other plans in mind.
If you thought the cast of the new four-part miniseries looked familiar, here’s why…
Hugh Bonneville
Hugh Bonneville plays the titular news present in Douglas Is Cancelled, but Downton Abbey fans don’t need to be told that the actor of course plays Earl of Grantham Robert Crawley in the British period drama.
The BAFTA-nominated actor is also known for playing Mr Brown in the much-loved Paddington movies, along with previous roles in TV shows like The Gold, Twenty Twelve and its follow-upW1A.
But maybe you first watched Hugh on the big screen in Notting Hill, playing the clueless stockbroker who asks Julia Roberts’ famous character: “What do you do?”
Karen Gillan
Perhaps you’ll recognise Karen Gillan, who plays co-presenter Madeline in Douglas Is Cancelled, better when she’s painted head-to-toe in blue playing anti-hero Nebula in Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy and Avengers: Endgame.
But you probably first knew her as Amy Pond, companion to eleventh doctor Matt Smith in Doctor Who.
She’s also been in big film releases like Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, The Big Short and Oculus. Her most recent film role was in the crime thriller Sleeping Dogs, appearing on screen opposite Russell Crowe.
Alex Kingston
Alex Kingston, who plays Douglas’ wife Sheila in the new show, is another Doctor Who alum who will be familiar to fans of the show, after she played assassin and archaeologist River Song between 2008 to 2015.
However, her longest TV tenure was playing Elizabeth Corday in ER for over a decade. Back in 1996, she also starred in the TV miniseries The Fortunes And Misfortunes Of Moll Flanders with Daniel Craig, and played Boudica in the 2003 film of the same name.
Grange Hill fans might even remember that she appeared in a few episodes of the British kids’ series as Jill Harcourt.
More recently, she played Sarah Bishop in Sky’s A Discovery of Witches and Audrey Gratz in Netflix’s Treason.
Ben Miles
Before Ben Miles played TV boss Toby in Douglas Is Cancelled, he was part of one of the saddest storylines in The Crown, portraying the lost true love of Princess Margaret, Peter Townsend.
He’s also been in TV shows like Dracula, The Capture, Andor, Hijack, and the Black Mirror episode Hated In The Nation, which also explored so-called “cancel culture” .
Meanwhile, Ben’s film roles in recent years have included the spy thriller Red Joan with Judi Dench and Ridley Scott’s Napoleon with Joaquin Phoenix (which coincidentally also stars Vanessa Kirby, who played Princess Margaret in the Netflix royal drama).
Nick Mohammed
Along with playing TV writer Morgan, comedian Nick Mohammed is best known on the screen for playing assistant coach Nathan Shelley in Ted Lasso.
He created and starred in Intelligence with Friends’ David Schwimmer, and can also be found in Renegade Nell, Stath Lets Flats and Fresh Meat.
His resume also includes some impressive film credits including The Martian and Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie.
Simon Russell Beale
Bafta-winning actor Simon Russell Beale plays Bently Cassock in the new show, and is also known for previous TV roles like Penny Dreadful, Spooks and Dunkirk.
He’s renowned among theatre goers as an acclaimed stage actor, having been in productions like Uncle Vanya and The Lehman Trilogy.
His biggest film credits, meanwhile, include The Hollow Crown, A Dance To The Music of Time, Thor: Love And Thunder and The Death Of Stalin.
You may have also spotted him in the latest season of House Of The Dragon, playing Simon Strong.
Madeleine Power
Douglas Is Cancelled is Madeleine Power’s biggest on-screen role to date, playing the title character’s outspoken daughter, who has plenty to say about the controversy he finds himself at the centre of.
You may have seen Madeleine before in the Netflix drama The Last Kingdom.
Joe Wilkinson
Before landing the role of driver Tom in Douglas Is Cancelled, the chances are you’ll have known Joe Wilkinson for his work as a stand-up comic, contributing to panel shows like Have I Got News For You, Taskmaster and, most notably, 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown.
He does have plenty of acting experience, though, appearing as the slightly unnerving neighbour in Him & Her, and as a supporting cast member in the Sky comedy Rovers, which he also co-wrote.
All four episodes of Douglas Is Cancelled are available to watch on ITVX now. The show will also air weekly on Thursday nights at 9pm on ITV1, beginning on 27 June.