Hugh Bonneville fears cancellation by ‘mob’ is now ‘instant’

Hugh Bonneville fears cancellation by a ‘mob’ will now be ‘instantaneous’.
The 60-year-old ‘Downton Abbey’ actor plays a grumpy ‘dinosaur’ TV news presenter in upcoming TV series ‘Douglas is Cancelled’, and ahead of the first episode airing on Thursday (27.06.24), he put warns against so-called cancel culture. is today at a dangerous level because it is driven by the astonishing “speed” of the general public and social media.
He told The Herald newspaper when asked what the ITV series had to say about the trend of cancellations: “It’s very interesting to see how it plays out. Cancel culture has existed since the word scapegoat was used in the Bible to refer to people expelled from society because they did not share generally accepted views. This has always been around us, it’s not new.
“What is different today is that the crowd attack is now instantaneous. The speed at which truth and lies accelerate through mainstream and social media is exponential and extraordinary.
“In the same way that a metaphorical corpse can be mutilated and trampled by an anonymized crowd by fingers typing at lightning speed: ‘Well, I’ve killed that one a few times.’ Who’s next?'”
Written by “Doctor Who” showrunner Steven Moffat, 62, “Douglas is Cancelled” follows Hugh’s beloved newsreader Douglas who is canceled because of a misogynistic joke he was overheard telling during a wedding. His wife is a misrepresented tabloid editor and their daughter is a “woke” 19-year-old who repeatedly talks about “microaggression.”
Besides cancel culture, the show also references the #MeToo movement, gender dynamics in the workplace, and young people on social media.
Hugh added of his character: “Douglas is a perfectly honest and pleasant man who does good work and is well-liked for what he does. He thinks so too.
“Even when, a few years ago, he welcomed a younger colleague, Madeline, onto the couch next to him, he felt safe, knowing that the warm, avuncular relationship he had with his protégé was not a threat to himself.”
Asked if Douglas is enough, Hugh added: “I wouldn’t say that. A reckless confidence, certainly. But just as the dinosaurs didn’t know they were a dying breed, Douglas blithely ignores that the next generation is smarter, wiser, and capable of being ruthless when the stakes are low. Or when the wrongs have not been righted.
“It’s his blind spot. Its fatal flaw. This is what is at the heart of his character. Pride.
He added of the show and its themes: “It taps into a lot of current affairs in terms of our views on ethics, behavior in the workplace and in our wider society, what we can and cannot say, what we can and cannot say. I cannot do, what is acceptable, what is beyond the limits.