As Louis Theroux’s latest documentary has shocked many viewers, here’s how you can watch some of his other controversial films.
Throughout his 30 years of filmmaking, Louis Theroux has covered a range of interviews and controversial topics.(Image: Lia Toby/BAFTA/Getty Images )
Renowned documentarian Louis Theroux made a comeback this week with a new highly anticipated Netflix documentary. Titled Inside The Manosphere, the film looks into the views of influencers who are promoting what they view to be masculinity, though critics label it dangerously misogynistic.
Released last week on Netflix, Louis is seen to interview some of the leading social media influencers and podcasters that profit from spreading controversial ideas which young children are able to easily access through platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.
Describing the show, he said: “Those in the manosphere embody a swaggering machismo that is at turns misogynistic, homophobic, antisemitic, and racist. Increasingly, these aren’t figures on the margins — anyone who’s got kids, and especially boys, will know that they are making inroads into the culture. Their influence is being felt in schools, in the workplace, and all across the internet.”
Despite the documentary only being out for a few short days, it currently has a 7.1 rating on IMDb. While this film has shocked many viewers, this isn’t the first controversial topic the 55-year-old has covered in his career.
With 30 years in filmmaking, Louis has dived into a variety of topics such as UFOs, life behind bars, the world’s most dangerous pets, polymaory, and plastic surgery. In this time he has also interviewed a wide variety of people, including sex offender Jimmy Savile before his crimes where known to the world.
For those wanting to look at some of Louis’ best work, Betway has collated the top-rated episodes and films created by the documentarian over his career, and we have highlighted where you can watch them right now.
Dame Judi Dench
Louis Theroux’s top rated interview is with Dame Judi Dench from 2022.(Image: BBC)
According to Betway, the highest scoring Louis Theroux doc is the Dame Judi Dench episode of his Louis Theroux Interviews… series. With a 8.1 rating on IMBb and no one-star ratings, this interview scored 92 overall.
Filmed at her home in Surrey, Louis chatted with the actress in 2022 about her life on stage and screen over the past 60 years. Opening up about her relationship with her late husband Michael Williams, Dame Judi shares her determination to keep on working despite her declining health.
This 44-minute episode is currently available on BBC iPlayer under the BBC Two content. However, it should be noted that the episode is set to be taken off the catch-up service in eight months.
Pete Doherty
Louis interviewed Pete Doherty at his home in Normandy, France in 2023.(Image: BBC)
Another popular interview from the same series is Louis’ chat with controversial rockstar Pete Doherty. Aired in 2023, Louis is seen to travel to Normandy, France, to Doherty’s home and spends time with him on the road with his band, The Libertines.
Following his rocky relationship with drugs, this interview shows Pete opening up about his past addiction and how he had decided to step away from crack and heroin for a quieter life in the small coastal town.
Also available on BBC iPlayer, this interview was seen to get a score of 84. While it also doesn’t have any one-star ratings, it has a slightly lower rating of 7.8 on IMDb.
Extreme Love: Dementia
The second episode of Louis’ Extreme Love series has come joint third on the top-rated list. Scoring 83, this 2012 docu-series episode is noted to have a 7.8 rating on IMDb, with just 0.9 per cent of viewers giving it a one-star rating.
This hour-long episode is available on BBC iPlayer and sees Louis travel to Phoenix, Arizona, which is said to be the capital of dementia care. Getting insights from those with dementia living in residential care and at home with loved ones, Louis tries to understand how the world may look as it begins to be covered in confusing shadows.
During the series, he also dives into how family, friends and carers try to keep relationships alive while the patient is slowly slipping away.
Miami Mega Jail Part One
Also with a score of 83 is Miami Mega Jail Part One. In the first episode of the two-part series, Louis is seen to spend time in one of the most notorious sections of Miami County Jail – the fifth and sixth floor of ‘Main Jail’.
Known to be where the most volatile inmates are incarcerated, the BBC iPlayer episode from 2011 shows prisoners being held in cage-like dwellings as they live under a “gladiatorial code”.
With inmates using violence at any opportunity to gain food or status, Louis also dives into the lives of the guards in this notorious jail who say they are powerless to end the ongoing abuse.
Wrestling
Going back to one of Louis’ earliest adventures, the final episode in series two of his Weird Weekends documentaries sees Louis investigate the most extreme American wrestling organisations in 1999.
Still available on BBC iPlayer, this 49 minutes episode also ties for third place in Betway’s ratings. With an IMDb score of 7.7, this episode received 10-star ratings from 11.1 per cent of viewers.
During the episode, Louis is seen hanging out with WCW wrestlers and even considers joining the Independent Wrestling Foundation. However, this is tentative as the federation is known for using barbed wire to help spice up their shows.
Dame Joan Collins
Louis and Dame Joan Collins talked about her 70 year career back in 2023.(Image: BBC)
Coming in next is Louis’ interview with Dame Joan Collins in 2023. As part of his Louis Theroux Interviews… series, Louis travelled to the French Riviera to catch up with one of the last surviving stars of Hollywood’s golden age.
Viewers can watch the interview in the BBC Two section of the BBC iPlayer, where the Dame opens up about the highs and lows of her wild career that has spanned over 70 years. From her beginnings as a drama student at Rada in the 1940s, the star provides some insight into the toxic entertainment industry.
Sitting at sixth place with an overall score of 82, this interview currently has a 7.4 IMDb rating with 12.2 per cent of viewers awarding it 10 stars.
Louis Theroux: Behind Bars
Louis went behind bars once again for an hour long documentary in 2008. Holding a score of 81 from Betway and a 7.7 IMDb rating, this investigation can currently be watched on BBC iPlayer and sits at seventh on the list.
While in California, Louis spent two weeks inside the notorious San Quentin State Prison, which is one of America’s oldest prisons as it was built in 1852. Suffering from overcrowding, this prison houses 3,000 of the worst crooks from the state.
During his stay Louis meets David Silva, who was serving 521 years and 11 life sentences at the time. In lockdown for 23 hours a day, the prisoner opened up about how he would never see a life outside the prison’s walls.
Rap
Another episode from Louis’ Weird Weekend series that viewers enjoyed was his rap exploration. Airing in 2000, Louis is seen to travel to New Orleans to become the “first white, middle-class gangsta rapper.” Fans of the documentarian can watch his journey on BBC iPlayer.
After meeting with rapper Mellow T and interviewing Master P, this episode became famous well over a decade after it was released thanks to his own rap Jiggle Jiggle going viral on TikTok, with many users dancing to the song on the platform.
However, while this may be a popular episode for younger viewers to return to see the creation of the song, it is currently joint-eighth on Betway’s list with an overall score of 80 and an IMDb rating of 7.5.
Extreme Love: Autism
Also joint-eighth is the first episode of the Extreme Love series from 2012. Fans can watch both episodes back to back, with the autism episode getting a slightly lower IMBd rating of 7.6 in comparison to the 7.8 for the dementia episode.
This episode sees Louis visit a school for autistic children in Warren, New Jersey. Showing a glimpse into the life of the students and their families, Louis explores the highs and lows of these extraordinary relationships. It is also available on BBC iPlayer.
Beyond Belief
In his Life on the Edge series, Louis looked back at some of this documenatries from decades before.(Image: BBC)
One highly rated episode from Louis’ Life on the Edge series in 2020 is called Beyond Belief. This hour long show is able to be watched on BBC Two catch-up and looks back on some of the earliest documentaries created by the filmmaker.
Casting a critical eye over the topics, Louis explores how some of the beliefs at the time would come into conflict with mainstream society. Meeting up with people he worked with decades before, Louis wants to uncover if their beliefs have changed or if they have become stuck in their ways.
Slightly different from Louis’ other documentaries, this episode currently has a 7.5 star rating from IMDb, with 8.2 per cent of viewers giving the show 10 stars.
Off-Off Broadway
The fourth and final joint-eighth Louis Theroux show is Off-Off Broadway from his Weird Weekends series. While this episode has 10 star ratings at 11.7 per cent, its overall IMBd score is a 7.2. Like the majority of Louis’ shows, this episode can be found on BBC iPlayer.
Spending time in New York with some of the off-Broadway performers in 1999, Louis quickly finds out that it is a struggle for the majority of aspiring actors to get a foot in the door. Even going as far as to join a talent grooming agency, luck doesn’t seem to be on his side.
Louis Theroux’s highest rated documentaries
1. Dame Judi Dench2. Pete Doherty3. Extreme Love: Dementia3= Miami Mega Jail Part 13= Wrestling6. Joan Collins7. Louis Theroux: Behind Bars8. Rap8= Extreme Love: Autism8= Beyond Belief8= Off-Off Broadway