Louis Theroux

Basic Facts

* Born on 20th May 1970 in Singapore

* He is a British-American broadcaster

*He once worked on Michael Moores' 'Tv Nation'

What makes his documentaries unique?

* He is most famous for his daring documentaries on controversial topics - for example prostitution and paedophilia.

* He often puts people on the spot, often making them uncomfortable while he asked them very honest and personal questions.

* He is known for asking the questions that the viewers are thinking.

* His style is usually reflexive as he takes part in the documentary, and is seen on screen.

One of his most famous documentary series is:

'Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends'

This is a television documentary series which gives audiences a look into societies and situations they would never usually come in contact with. They explore very controversial topics, and usually feature taboo topics, and people with extreme beliefs who are frowned upon by the public.

There are 3 series, each with 4-6 episodes. Some examples are:

- 'Porn Stars' (S1E3) - Louis looks at the different sides of the porn industry.

- 'Black Nationalism' (S2E3) - Louis goes to New York to meet American Black Nationalist groups, who are branded by the media as misogynist, homophobic, anti-semitic and racist.

- 'Gangsta Rap' (S3E6) - Louis goes to the Southern states of American, known as the 'Dirty South'. He explores the world of gangsters and the rap scene, and he attempts to record his own rap lyrics and learns what it takes to brand yourself as a rap artist.

A clip from 'Gangsta Rap' :