Douglas is Cancelled viewers all have the same complaint about opening episode
Douglas is Cancelled has been met with mixed reviews
The new ITV drama, Douglas is Cancelled, premiered on Thursday, featuring the tale of esteemed news anchor Douglas Bellowes, played by Hugh Bonneville, whose career hangs in the balance following a viral social media post about an offensive joke he's alleged to have made at a wedding.
Adding fuel to the fire, his co-host Madeline (Karen Gillian) re-posts the controversial joke, although Douglas insists he can't remember the punchline.
As the first episode aired, viewers shared a common complaint - they never discovered what the offensive joke was.
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One disgruntled viewer took to X to express their frustration, commenting: "#DouglasIsCancelled I love Stephen Moffat but I'm bored. Is it a play? Why hasn't someone murdered the ghastly Claudia? ".
"Do I even care about the sexist joke? Maybe if this had been made ten years ago...Then again, I've only made it to halfway through ep 2, it might get better", reports the Express.
Roz chimed in with: "Perhaps #DouglasisCancelled could just... slow down slightly and let us catch our breath? Reduce the word count a tad. And get rid of that oh-so-fake supposed teenager. But it's still one of the best things on all week."
Another viewer complained: "Bored by #DouglasIsCancelled. The first 10 minutes should grab your attention. This hasn't. Two adverts in 25 minutes haven't helped either."
Chris added: "#DouglasIsCancelled not for me. I found it a bit boring and it was shot in a lot of dark, no light. Sorry, Lord Grantham."
Despite the backlash, other viewers were enticed by the opening episode, with one penning: "#DouglasIsCancelled what a magnificent portrait of modern life! 'A newsreader's arse can push a war off the front page...'".
Tony added: "#DouglasIsCancelled is rather good and exactly why I'm a bit tired of life! ".
The show was created by Doctor Who and Sherlock writer Steven Moffat who initially wrote the story as a play half a decade ago, long before Huw Edwards and Phillip Schofield's scandals came to light.
He previously told The Guardian: "It doesn't matter which period you put this story in: there will be somebody who fell from grace in TV."
The series consists of four episodes in total, with the next three episodes airing weekly at the same 9pm timeslot on ITV.