Viewers had one question as Douglas is Cancelled started on ITV
What did you miss?
Douglas is Cancelled viewers were all left with one burning question after the series started on ITV - what was the joke?
The comedy drama follows news presenter Douglas Bellowes (Hugh Bonneville), whose TV career is left hanging in the balance after he makes an ill-advised joke at a wedding. The series got under way on Thursday (June 27), showing Douglas facing being cancelled after his comment starts doing the rounds on social media.
He repeatedly insisted that he could not remember his exact words, but revealed that the joke was "sexist". And fans have admitted they are "desperate" to know what it was.
What, how and why?
In the episode, news of the joke started to spread and viewers saw how people close to Douglas, including co-host Madeline (Karen Gillan) and wife Sheila (Alex Kingston), reacted to the furore. There were endless discussions about Douglas' quip, but as the instalment wrapped up viewers were still none the wiser about what he had said and many were frustrated.
"What was the damn joke, Douglas," one person demanded on X. Another asked: "Has anyone seen this on ITVX? Do we get to find out what the joke was?"
"I wonder what the joke was," mused another viewer, as someone else posted: "Is it only me who is desperate to find out what the joke was?" "Will we ever actually get to hear the joke?" said another person.
"So without saying what the sexist joke is someone is cancelled... ummm that won't stand up in court," remarked one viewer. Another suggested: "I suspect the whole point of Douglas is Cancelled will be that we won't get to hear the actual *joke* until some time deep into the last episode, at which point we'll go 'Was that it?'"
Somebody else teased: "Script writers couldn’t think of a joke hey?" Another person wrote: "Watching Douglas is Cancelled and trying to care about Douglas but just can’t get into it. Hugh & Karen are good in their roles. You can already tell with all this build up the ending/joke will be a complete let down. We’ve all been here before."
What did viewers think of Douglas is Cancelled?
The show itself appeared to divide viewers, with some saying it was a lot of fun and others saying they struggled to get into it.
"This is brilliant," commented one person. "It just shows what happens when people get their knickers in a twist over a tweet. Shouldn't they be living their lives instead." "Love, love, love Douglas is Cancelled on @ITVX a real hoot," penned another.
But someone else posted: "I had high expectations for Douglas is Cancelled with so many brilliant actors but the dialogue is so clumsy and weird and it feels just… off." "This is totally boring," said another post. "All style no substance."
Viewers complained about quick dialogue
Others picked up on the fact that several characters, including Douglas and his wife Sheila, spoke very quickly. "Why are they talking so fast?" asked one. "Don't think I've ever seen a programme with such a high word count on ITV1," another agreed.
One fan pleaded: "Perhaps Douglas is Cancelled could just... slow down slightly and let us catch our breath? Reduce the word count a tad?" "But still one of the best things on all week," they added.
Read more: Douglas is Cancelled
This article originally appeared on Yahoo TV UK at https://uk.news.yahoo.com/douglas-is-cancelled-hugh-bonneville-itv-214008241.html
