Throughout his 25-year career, Theroux has explored some of the strangest and most heartbreaking parts of our world.
Louis Theroux returns to the BBC after 15 years with his new documentary, Louis Theroux: The Settlers on this Sunday at 9pm. With renewed interest in his work, many are now searching for his 2011 West Bank film, “Louis Theroux, Ultra Zionists.” It’s available on BBC iPlayer, and viewers outside the UK can watch it using a VPN. Check out our guide on the best VPNs for BBC iPlayer now!
Ahead of the premiere, Theroux shared in Deadline News that he spent three weeks traveling across the West Bank to capture “the world of the Israeli ultra-nationalists” who have settled there illegally, violating international law.
Advertisement He mentioned being “struck by how a group could openly pursue an expansionist ethnonationalist vision while benefiting from a separate and privileged legal system compared to those around them.”
He explained that the idea for the documentary was sparked by articles in The New Yorker and The New York Times, which suggested that the settler community had ramped up its activities in the region following increased international attention on Gaza.
While filming in two separate areas, Theroux spoke with settlers and prominent leaders, including Daniella Weiss, often referred to as the “Godmother” of the settler movement. He also visited settlements like Evyatar — a site illegal under international law but recently approved by the Israeli government.
Read More: Louis Theroux Opens Up on New BBC West Bank Documentary on Israeli Settlers
Since each episode covers such vastly different ground, choosing Theroux’s best documentaries is almost impossible. Still, a few have stood out for being especially shocking, moving, or eye-opening. Here’s our selection of the highlights.
Louis Theroux Weird Weekends: Porn (1998)
Weird Weekends was one of Theroux’s first major projects, and in this standout episode, he travels to California’s San Fernando Valley to explore the inner world of the porn industry. The documentary offers a revealing and sometimes surprising look as he interviews male and female performers, who open up about the challenges they face in this often-hidden world. Conversations cover everything from maintaining erections and working in gay porn to financial struggles and competing for attention.
As Theroux refined his interview style over the years, he gradually took on more of an observer’s role. But in this early episode, he dives right in — even appearing, fully clothed, in a porn film.
The Most Hated Family in America (2007)
Theroux’s time with one of the founding families of the hate group Westboro Baptist Church became one of his biggest hits and remains among his most recognized documentaries. Founded in the 1950s, the Westboro Baptist Church is infamous for protesting against everything from homosexuality and atheism to abortion and Jewish communities, often picketing funerals and celebrating deaths worldwide. Theroux managed to reveal the people behind the hateful rhetoric — while some family members were firmly committed to their beliefs, others clearly struggled with the church’s extreme views.
Behind Bars (2008)
San Quentin State Prison in San Francisco is not only California’s oldest prison but also home to the largest number of death row inmates in the U.S. In Behind Bars, Theroux was granted rare access to dozens of the prison’s 3,000 inmates, including murderers, rapists, paedophiles, serial killers, and gang extremists. The documentary offers a fascinating and eye-opening look at how inmates build new rules, hierarchies, friendships, and rivalries within prison walls. As always, Theroux’s strength lies in his subtle approach — a carefully chosen word often leads inmates to deliver shocking and deeply revealing insights.
Louis Theroux: The Ultra Zionists (2011)
Louis Theroux spends time with a small but dedicated group of ultra-nationalist Jewish settlers. He learns about their belief that it is both their religious and political duty to settle in key areas of the West Bank, especially those with Biblical significance. As he explores their world, Louis connects with the people at the heart of the extreme end of the Jewish settler movement, finding them welcoming, humorous, yet deeply unsettling.
Drinking to Oblivion (2016)
While Theroux is known for gaining access to hate groups and getting people who have committed terrible crimes to open up, some of his most powerful work comes from his more thoughtful explorations of human nature. One standout example is Drinking to Oblivion, where he visits University College London’s specialist liver ward, home to Europe’s largest liver transplant center. There, he meets patients struggling with severe health issues caused by alcohol addiction. The documentary is deeply moving, as Theroux captures the stories of a wide range of individuals, offering a rare and honest look at alcoholism rarely seen on screen.
My Scientology Movie (2015)
The Church of Scientology, founded in Los Angeles in the 1950s, has earned a controversial reputation, with some critics and former members labeling it a cult or a pseudoreligion. In My Scientology Movie, Theroux makes a determined effort to investigate this secretive organization, but even he struggles to gain a true inside look. Despite facing numerous metaphorical and literal doors slammed in his face, and with the Church refusing to cooperate, the documentary still offers an insightful portrayal of the religion. Theroux interviews former members about their experiences, and his team even becomes the target of surveillance during filming.
The City Addicted to Crystal Meth (2009)
In this gripping documentary, Theroux investigates crystal meth addiction in Fresno, California — a city with one of the highest meth use rates in the U.S. Traveling with local police, he meets both users and caregivers as he delves into the impact of the drug. The film divided critics: some praised it for offering an eye-opening view into the human cost of addiction, while others felt it bordered too closely on Theroux becoming a detached observer: “Theroux risks becoming the Alan Whicker de nos jours, a tourist with a typewriter,” remarked one critic. Theroux explores addiction and the city’s efforts to manage it from various angles, speaking to recovering addicts, active users, devastated families, and professionals working in the field.
Extreme Love: Dementia (2012)
One of Theroux’s most poignant and emotionally powerful documentaries, Extreme Love takes him to Phoenix, Arizona, where he spends time at a residential care facility for dementia patients. He meets patients as young as 49, grappling with early-onset dementia, and connects with their families, who are faced with the painful reality of losing one version of their loved ones while adjusting to another. As with many of Theroux’s documentaries, Extreme Love features a mix of unusual conversations and bizarre moments, but the emotional context here sets it apart.