Douglas is Cancelled.

Over the weekend I binged this short series, because once I started watching I just couldn’t stop.

Whilst my skin crawled, it was compulsive viewing, mostly because so much of what was being shown in this drama about sexism and the cancel culture is what we see playing out in the real world, time and time again.

What starts as a drunk joke at a wedding - brushed aside, soon escalates, and we learn that there’s a predatory side to the story.

I’ll leave you to read about the brilliant cast elsewhere, including Hugh Bonneville, who plays the main character, Douglas to perfection. ?

What I invite you to look at here are some of the sensitive themes that hooked me, in Steven Moffat’s latest drama which aims to show what women (in this case Madeline) have to deal with whilst trying to progress in their profession, and the media impact of celebrities on minorities.

Sexism not misogyny

The joke told by Douglas, that he insists he couldn’t remember, was vehemently defended as being merely sexist, not misogynistic, and likely “one of his usual”. This normalising of sexist jokes is upheld by so many in the drama it becomes farcical. Even Douglas’s wife jokes about her husband’s “stories”.

Objectifying women

Madeline, the younger half of the news couple, co-presenter to Douglas, is positioned as being there to keep men interested. It’s awkward, underpinned with comments suggesting that “women in the workplace make it tense”, but that in order for them to achieve it’s the “way of the world” that having women work with men means they will inevitably get attention.

Power and authority in the wrong hands

The story shows the struggles of Madeline, the power and influence men in senior positions have, and the potential impact on her career that they yield.

Douglas is warm, likeable and bumbles along, despite being surrounded by strong women.

Madeline sums it up when she says, “there are human rights, men don’t have any rights that women don’t have, and therefore there are just human rights”.

This shows the coercion throughout the programme as complex, and if you took any of the sentences in isolation you’d struggle to articulate exactly what the specific issue is, but package them all together and the brilliant acting of an experienced predator and the behaviour is clearly creepy.?

Language use

We’ve all heard those phrases, the ones that aren’t quite serious enough to escalate as a grievance, but that make you feel uncomfortable. “Park your little bottom”. Eye roll.

The comedy writer….. don’t get me started on him…. talks about women in the TV industry being kept in boxes unless anyone needs a laugh. You’ll have to watch to fully appreciate the moment.

Generational perspectives

Douglas’s daughter, a feminist activist, asks her dad for honesty, because she doesn’t want to find herself in a position where she has to “cancel him”. Their exchanges are humorous and entertaining to watch, but also points to the no-nonsense attitudes of a generation that doesn’t tolerate ill-chosen words and actions from those in more senior positions of power. Douglas, on the other hand, excuses away his behaviour, referencing his age, social standing and gender.

Action, or inaction

There’s a lot of talk in DEI circles about men being allies. Why? Because often men have the perceived equal power or status to respond to another man in a situation where their views towards women might not enable a victim to hold her perpetrator to account safely.

?In the third episode, screaming at my TV screen, I watched Douglas visits the hotel room of producer Toby, to find him interviewing Madeline (something he apparently often did, interviewing in his hotel room which was widely acknowledged to be used “like an office”).?

He had a moment of conscience. He returned to the room. In that moment Douglas had the option to act, to rescue the young Madeline from a situation she was clearly uncomfortable in, but instead he assumed she was going to do whatever she needed to get the job. His words of support…. “it’s worth it – whatever shit you have to wade through, it really is worth it”.

Female responses to inappropriate situations

This leads us on to something that has been a frequent topic in women affinity groups I’ve sat in - how do you professionally and safely respond to a situation where a man has acted inappropriately, in that precise moment?

For Madeline, what’s interesting about her character is that there seems to be a combination of feelings running through her as she seeks to right the wrongs against her younger self. A clearly ambitious woman, she’s held Doulas in idol status since being a little girl, watching him on television and attending his book signing whilst at university – it’s clear she expected more of him. Towards the end of the final episode, it’s clear she’s sick of the stereotyped treatment endured by women in her profession and wants to take a stand for something in a profound way.

At points, her revenge feels manipulative, and Douglas walks into a number of situations without realising (or choosing to ignore) the intent in Madeline’s actions. I’m quite sure that this will be a source of debate, particularly given the manipulation she experienced as part of her ‘interview process’. Was she right to do what she did?

A thrilling watch – sitting with me long after watching

Douglas is Cancelled isn’t actually at all about what Douglas said, it’s about what he didn’t do. That’s where I’ve landed with it.

Whether you enjoy the programme or not, it will undoubtedly make you think. Perhaps as a man wondering if he’s ever enabled the kind of situation that plays out (however small the part), or as a woman who’s looking at lived experiences through a different lens. What I loved most about Douglas is Cancelled, is that it has sat with me after finishing watching. To leave me considering the experiences I’ve had during my career, and the ways in which they have shaped my beliefs, and where they fit in society.

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