A Handy Guide To Some Of The Best Louis Theroux Documentaries (So Far)

Ah, an oldie but a Louis-goodie. This was an episode in the first series of 'When Louis Met…' and aired way, way back in 2001. As in the same year that Limp Bizkit 'Rollin'' was number one in the chart, btw.Louis goes to spend some time with former Tory MP Neil Hamilton and his wife Christine. It's all a bit of a mess, really. There's an extremely uncomfortable bit where Christine gets drunk and, as she puts it, 'flirts outrageously' with Louis. Also, the Hamiltons happened to be right in the middle of a huge investigation after being accused of sexual abuse when Louis rocked up with his camera crew (but the charges were eventually dropped).

Well wasn't this one a corker. Louis and The Nazis was another one of his earlier documentaries. It aired a good 14 years ago back in 2003 and we got to watch what happened when Louis travelled over to California to meet a man called Tom Metzger aka 'the most dangerous racist in America'. Errr, no big deal.I'll be honest, it doesn't make for the most comfortable of midweek telly watching, particularly when we meet the 11-year-old twins who sing racist songs and play a computer game called Ethnic Cleansing in their spare time. It's one of those Louis Theroux documentaries that really sticks with you, though.

Do you remember hearing about Westboro Baptist Church? Quick recap: they're a group based in Texas who are anti-homosexual and have been known for protesting at the funerals of American soldiers killed in action. Yeah… pretty awful.So, in this show, Louis heads over to Kansas to meet the Phelps, the family who lead the organisation and let's just put it this way, Louis says that these are the most extreme people he's ever met. Let that settle in for a minute. The original was filmed in 2007, followed by America's Most Hated Family in Crisis in 2011 and Surviving America's Most Hated Family in 2019.

The culture of getting plastic surgery in Beverly Hills back in the mid-noughties is probably something you were vaguely aware of. But took it upon himself to get all sorts of familiar with the day to day actual going on at those glossy LA clinics.He joins in on consultations, watches operations and (spoiler alert) goes under the knife himself. No, seriously. Louis got lipo. And it is for that very reason that this episode deserves a spot in the Louis Theroux wall of fame. Can't fault the guy on his dedication to the cause.

Shout out to Louis's first venture to the big screen. You're probably already pretty familiar with this one seeing as it only hit the cinemas last year. But if you missed it, find a way to see it. If you've ever been remotely curious about wtf the drama was about when people were talking about Tom Cruise being into Scientology, it's definitely worth a watch.Also, Louis almost got into a lot of trouble while trying to make this one, guys. As in legal threats were made by the church against Louis in response to the film. Yeah. Things got deep.

The most recent of Louis's endeavours, Selling Sex premiered in January of this year and sees Louis meet women who are legally providing sexual services in the UK, whether it's to make a living or supplement their income.

Is it a cop out to name the whole of Weird Weekends? I'm going to say it's not because the whole of Weird Weekends was absolutely brilliant and contained some of our favourite gems of Lou Theroux moments.The series ran for two years between 1998 and 2000 (feel old much?) and documented Louis' 'weird' (geddit?) encounters with American culture. There was the one about UFOs, that one where he took his kit off to play the part of a park ranger in a porn film, that one when he visited some swingers and that time he tried to do gangsta rap down in New Orleans. And that's merely the tip of the ice burg, my less acquainted friends.

Dell (Kevin Hart) is an ex-con who needs a job to stay on parole and out of jail. Phillip (Bryan Cranston) is a wealthy quadriplegic who needs around-the-clock care. When two men from drastically different backgrounds spend all their time together, what could go wrong?Watch now on Amazon Prime__.

Timothée Chalamet stars in this period drama about Young King Henry V dealing with the death of his brother. Watch now on Netflix__.

Party-girl Brittany is given a sharp dose of reality when her doctor tells her to be concerned about her unhealthy lifestyle. With this advice in hand, she vows to change her life and begins by signing up for the New York City Marathon. Watch now on Amazon Prime__.

Melissa McCarthy stars as Lee Isreal, a struggling author who she tries to keep her writing career afloat by forging letters from deceased authors and playwrights. Watch now on Amazon Prime__.

Along with her husband and children, Adelaide Wilson (Lupita Nyong'o) heads to the seaside home where she lived as a child. However, with bad memories from a childhood trauma haunting her, she begins to become very paranoid about the weekend, convincing herself something bad is going to happen. And she might not be wrong about that…Watch now on Amazon Prime.

Dr Don Shirley, a world class pianist, is heading on a concert tour in the Deep South of the US in 1962. He hires Tony Lip, a no-nonsense Italian-American bouncer from the Bronx, as his driver and bodyguard. Along their journey, the two men come face-to-face with racism and bigotry in the segregated south.Watch now on Amazon Prime__.

Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a famous Hollywood actor who is beginning to feel washed-up in an atmosphere he doesn't feel comfortable in and spends almost all his time with his best friend and body double, Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt). It's the 1950s and Rick lives next door to Raman Polanski and Sharon Tate. You interested yet?Watch now on Amazon Prime__.

Maya Vargas (Jennifer Lopez) is a middle-aged value-store assistant manager who has dreamt of only one thing for her 43rd birthday — a promotion at work. When she doesn't get because she doesn't have a degree, she heads to Manhattan to prove herself and everyone else that street smarts are just as important as book smarts.Watch now on Amazon Prime__.

It's the 1950s and truck driver Frank Sheeran is welcomed to the world of organised crime, in which he quickly climbs the rank. This film is 3.5 hours, so probably best to leave a whole Saturday free. Watch now on Netflix__.

A director and his actress wife fight through their marriage and divorce on different sides of the country. It's heart-breaking and realistic.Watch now on Netflix.

After being academic overachievers their entire lives, best friends Amy and Molly realise high school was meant to be about more than just getting into college. With one night left before graduation, the two head out for a night they won't forget that no studying could prepare them for. Watch now on Amazon Prime__.

Dick Cheney, CEO of Halliburton Co, is chosen by Governor George W Bush to be his Republican running mate in the 2000 US Presidential Election. When Bush wins, and Cheney becomes VP, he starts to see how far he can spread his new power. Watch now on Amazon Prime.

Olivia Colman plays an incredible Queen Anne in the early 18th century. What more is there to say?Watch now on Amazon Prime.

Traveling to attend a midsummer festival in rural Sweden, this couple never expected to find themselves in the middle of an insane pagan cult. Better to expect the unexpected, in this case. Watch now on Amazon Prime__.