Meet the cast of Douglas Is Cancelled

Describing what first drew him to the series, Bonneville admitted that the script "constantly surprised me with its changes of direction and tone".

He added: "Some of the twists and turns are toe-curlingly funny, but by the end, the lights have gone out, the fun has evaporated and we’re into dark territory. To read the whole thing in one sitting was as riveting as it was uncomfortable."

Presenting Live At Six alongside Douglas is the enigmatic Madeline Crow, played by Karen Gillan. It's most certainly a Doctor Who reunion of sorts, with Moffat on writing duties, Gillan as one of the series leads and Alex Kingston also starring as Douglas's wife, Sheila.

But who else stars in the new series? Read on for everything you need to know about the cast of Douglas Is Cancelled.

Douglas Is Cancelled cast: Full list of characters and actors in ITV comedy-drama

The full cast list for Douglas Is Cancelled is below but scroll on to find out more about the individual characters, plus where you've seen the actors before.

• Hugh Bonneville as Douglas Bellows
• Karen Gillan as Madeline Crow
• Alex Kingston as Sheila Bellows
• Ben Miles as Toby Patterson
• Simon Russell Beale as Bently Cassock
• Nick Mohammed as Morgan
• Madeline Power as Claudia Bellows
• Stephanie Hyam as Helen
• Patrick Baladi as Tilson

Hugh Bonneville plays Douglas Bellows

Who is Douglas Bellows? One of the country's best known and beloved news presenters, Douglas has been the news anchor that has delivered the breaking bulletins, frontline updates and more in his 30-year stint on TV screens. While he's a little insecure and moody behind-the-scenes, he counts Live At Six co-anchor Madeline as one of his friends.

Where have I seen Hugh Bonneville before? Perhaps best known for his roles in Downton Abbey (and their resulting two feature films) as well as W1A and the Paddington films, Bonneville has had a variety of roles over the years. More recently, he starred in BBC's The Gold, The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin and Netflix's I Came By. He is also set to star in upcoming festive film, Christmas Karma.

Karen Gillan plays Madeline Crow

Who is Madeline Crow? Having been fascinated with the news channels instead of cartoons as a kid, Madeline has spent her life working towards her current role as co-anchor on Live At Six. She's social media savvy, charming and also a bit of an enigma.

Where have I seen Karen Gillan before? Gillan's breakout role came in Doctor Who as Matt Smith's onscreen companion Amy Pond from 2010-2013 but since then, Gillan has been no stranger to the big screen. She has starred as Nebula in various MCU films, most recently in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3. She has also starred in both Jumanji reboot films, as well as in Dual, Selfie and Late Bloomers.

Alex Kingston plays Sheila Bellows

Who is Sheila Bellows? Sheila is Douglas's wife and works as an editor at a tabloid newspaper, regularly deciding whose most embarrassing pictures go on the front pages and what scandal to break. But when it all rings a little close to home after her husband's comments, she finds herself in quite the predicament.

Where have I seen Alex Kingston before? Kingston is best known for her roles as River Song in Doctor Who from 2008-2015 as well as being Dr Elizabeth Corday in ER from 1997-2004. Kingston has also starred in Arrow, A Discovery of Witches, Treason and Lost in Austen.

Ben Miles plays Toby Patterson

Who is Toby Patterson? Toby is Douglas's producer and therefore, his boss – although Douglas doesn't adopt that term. When he learns of Douglas's comments, he tries to figure out what is going on but instead, hires a comedy writer to inject some humour into Live At Six.

Where have I seen Ben Miles before? Miles has worked with Moffat before when he had a starring role in Moffat's Coupling, going on to star in Lark Rise to Candleford and Dracula. But fans of The Crown will recognise him as Peter Townsend. More recently, Miles has starred in The Capture, The Trial of Christine Keeler, Andor and Hijack.

Simon Russell Beale plays Bently Cassock

Who is Bently Cassock? Bently is Douglas's agent who is pretty darn useless. He doesn't really keep abreast of what's going on and often flits to whatever client will have him.

Where have I seen Simon Russell Beale before? Beale is perhaps best known for his numerous performances on stage throughout the years but is no stranger to the screen having starred in 1992's Orlando, My Week With Marilyn, Benediction and The Deep Blue Sea. As for TV, you may recognise Beale from Spooks, Penny Dreadful or Mary & George. He also has an upcoming role in the second season of House of the Dragon.

Nick Mohammed plays Morgan

Who is Morgan? Despite working at Live At Six for some time as a comedy writer, nobody quite knows exactly what Morgan does. Despite this, Toby brings him in for some light-hearted relief (aka damage control) after Douglas's comments start to gain social media traction.

Where have I seen Nick Mohammed before? The comedian, actor and writer is best known for his role as Nathan Shelley in Apple TV+'s Ted Lasso. He is also known for creating Sky comedy Intelligence, appearing on the most recent season of Taskmaster and starring in Renegade Nell, Inside No. 9 and Space Chickens in Space.

Madeline Power plays Claudia Bellows

Who is Claudia Bellows? 19-yeat-old Claudia is Sheila and Douglas's only child, having recently come into her own as an activist. Because of her unwavering dedication to social issues, she's often angry at her mother but seems to empathise with her father.

Where have I seen Madeline Power before? Power has starred in Six Wives with Lucy Worsley, The Last Kingdom and The Thirteenth Tale.

Douglas Is Cancelled will air on ITV1 and ITVX on Thursday 27th June 2024.

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