| # |
Title |
Broadcast |
Synopsis |
| 1.1 |
"Born Again Christians" |
15 January |
In Dallas, Louis meets TV evangelists Marcus and Joni Lamb, and joins a group of hardline Christians called "The Family" as they visit the Deep Ellum entertainment district. |
| 1.2 |
"UFOs" |
22 January |
This episode follows several people who believe in UFOs. One of these is a man called Thor Templar, the self titled "Lord Commander of the Earth Protectorate". He claims to have killed more than twenty aliens. |
| 1.3 |
"Porn" |
29 January |
This episode offers a look at very different sides of the porn industry, as Louis interviews both male and female porn stars. He reveals the problems a lot of porn actors face, be it not getting a job in straight porn and therefore having to do gay porn, or not getting an erection when it is needed. |
| 1.4 |
"Survivalists" |
5 February |
In Idaho, Louis meets military enthusiasts and right-wing patriots who are preparing for a global catastrophe, including trips to survivalists' store Safetrek and a mountain refuge for conspiracy theorists called Almost Heaven. Louis also visits the Aryan Nation Church and helps to build a straw-bale home. The episode focuses on the survivalism movement and communities formed around it. That several self-proclaimed survivalists were also hippies and environmentalists is a recurring theme. |
| 1.5 |
"Weird Christmas" |
23 December |
Louis invites someone from each of the four episodes of series 1 to his home for Christmas. |
| # |
Title |
Broadcast |
Synopsis |
| 2.1 |
"Infomercials" |
12 May |
Louis attempts to become a presenter on Florida's Home Shopping Network TV channel and meets Anthony Sullivan (pitchman). He also meets people who invent, sell and make a fortune from products such as the Win Gym. |
| 2.2 |
"Swingers" |
26 May |
Louis meets a couple from Southern California who host swinging parties. He visits one of these to find out what drives couples to want to swap partners. This programme also offers a brief look into other kinds of swinging through an organisation that has a database of members that are rated on a scale of 1 to 10. Under this system, people rated highly are invited to exclusive parties intended to keep out unattractive, socially awkward, or otherwise undesirable people. |
| 2.3 |
"Black Nationalism" |
2 June |
American black nationalist groups have been branded anti-Semitic, homophobic, misogynist and racist by the mainstream press. Louis Theroux goes to Harlem in New York to meet its proponents, and meets the Reverend Al Sharpton, the main point of contact in the black nationalist movement. Theroux also meets Khalid Abdul Muhammad, dubbed by the media 'the most dangerous man in America' and visits the Israelite School of Universal Practical Knowledge, who believe that blacks are the true Israelites and that all English monarchs until early modern times were black. Theroux also joins Al Sharpton on a march on Wall Street to protest at the shooting by New York police of Amadou Diallo, who was shot 41 times. |
| 2.4 |
"Demolition Derby" |
9 June |
Louis has to overcome his nerves to enter a demolition derby in car-mad Michigan. |
| 2.5 |
"Off-Off Broadway" |
15 June |
Louis meets the hordes of out-of-work actors in New York as they try to land a part – and even goes on an audition himself, for a job on a Norwegian cruise ship, in front of Craig Revel Horwood |
| 2.6 |
"Wrestling" |
6 July |
Louis takes a look at different types of wrestling from the high profile WCW to people organizing events in their spare time. He also visits the WCW Power Plant, a training facility where some of the WCW wrestlers started out. The training he receives there from Dwayne Bruce shows him that some wrestlers will not break kayfabe (the illusion of fiction being fact) and will take exception when their profession's authenticity is questioned. |
| # |
Title |
Broadcast |
Synopsis |
| 3.1 |
"Hypnosis" |
25 September |
Louis meets a Las Vegas hypnotist who claims he can make dreams come true and meets a California man who teaches chat-up techniques. |
| 3.2 |
"Indian Gurus" |
2 October |
Louis travels to India to witness Westerners seeking enlightenment. In Goa he meets 57-year old American astrologer (and former psychology professor) "Deepak" who studies meditation. He moves on to meet Mike, who is a follower of Swami Ganapathi Sachchidananda, and Amma who claims spiritual powers through hugging people. He joins Amma on a pilgrimage with 400 believers on their three-month tour of India. |
| 3.3 |
"South Africa" |
9 October |
Louis meets Afrikaner separatists who dream of building cultural enclaves in post-apartheid South Africa, including leader Eugène Terre'Blanche. |
| 3.4 |
"Body Building" |
16 October |
Louis travels to California, home of the body beautiful, to see if he can join the world of extreme body building. After working out with Guy Grundy, a leading amateur, he soon realises he is not cut out to be a muscle man and goes off in search of another role in the bodybuilding world. Theroux travels to Charles Peeple's farm in Connecticut, where Peeple has transformed his farm into a playboy mansion for female body builders. While here, Theroux gets a part in a female muscle film being made at the farm. |
| 3.5 |
"Thai Brides" |
23 October |
Louis visits a Bangkok marriage agency where Western men meet Thai brides. |
| 3.6 |
"Gangsta Rap" |
30 October |
Louis travels to America's South to have a look at the gangsta rap scene known as the "Dirty South". He starts his own Gangsta rap, having a CD cover designed for him as well as getting the rappers Reece and Bigelow to write a song for him to perform on a rap radio show. Other parts include him interviewing pimp turned rapper Mello T, as well as rap superstar Master P. |
| # |
Title |
Broadcast |
Synopsis |
| 2.1 |
"When Louis Met...Ann Widdecombe" |
5 March 2002 |
A prickly encounter with the Conservative politician in which Louis upsets her by asking about her possibly non-existent sex life and hears about her love of poetry and cats. |
| 2.2 |
"When Louis Met...Chris Eubank" |
12 March 2002 |
Louis joins the ex-boxer at home, in the ring and on a trip to buy jodhpurs. Eubank attempts a tongue twister and pontificates on being a role model for children. |
| 2.3 |
"When Louis Met...Keith Harris & Orville in Panto" |
19 March 2002 |
Louis meets the ventriloquist who no longer enjoys the TV light entertainment limelight (and can't hide his bitterness about that) but is still earning a good living. He has a flashy car, an ex-model partner, a large home and a role in Crewe's pantomime. |
| 2.4 |
"When Louis Met...Max Clifford" |
26 March 2002 |
Louis meets the PR guru/media manipulator as he handles Pop Idol judge Simon Cowell and child star Declan Galbraith and organises a charity do involving Westlife. |
| 2.5 |
"Living with Louis" |
Unknown |
Jimmy, Paul and Debbie, The Hamiltons, Chris Eubank and Keith Harris talk about being interviewed by Louis Theroux. Louis also provides insight into how he felt those four shows went and what those people were like to spend time with. The show is interspersed with clips from the shows. |
| # |
Title |
Broadcast |
Synopsis |
| 1 |
"Louis and the Brothel" |
9 November 2003 |
Ex-prostitute Susan Austin and her ex client and now husband, Lance Gilman, run America's newest legal brothel - The Wild Horse Ranch in Reno, Nevada. In a three week sojourn Louis gets to know this remarkable couple and meets their customers. He also hears the stories of the working women. |
| 2 |
"Louis, Martin & Michael" |
16 November 2003 |
After losing out to Martin Bashir for an opportunity to produce an official Michael Jackson documentary, Louis tries his best to obtain an interview with Michael, but cannot. In the process, we get to see Louis meet with Uri Geller and Michael's father Joe Jackson. |
| 3 |
"Louis and the Nazis" |
21 December 2003 |
Louis travels to California to get to know some of the key personalities of the American neo-Nazi movement. |
| 4 |
"Gambling in Las Vegas" |
4 February 2007 |
Louis heads for Vegas to reveals the world behind the myths of casino culture – the slot slaves, high rollers and casino men who keep this town in the middle of the desert green with money. |
| 5 |
"The Most Hated Family in America" |
1 April 2007 |
Louis gets to know the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas – whose members are nearly all from one family and are infamous for extreme homophobia and picketing the funerals of fallen soldiers. |
| 6 |
"Under the Knife" |
7 October 2007 |
In California, where you can be whatever and whomever you want at the flick of knife and a few thousand dollars, Louis attempts to get under the skin of extreme plastic surgery. |
| 7 |
"Behind Bars" |
13 January 2008 |
Louis goes inside California’s San Quentin – one of America's most notorious prisons – to meet serial murderers, gang members, at risk inmates and guards. |
| 8 |
"African Hunting Holiday" |
6 April 2008 |
Louis journeys to Limpopo Province in South Africa to join the holidaymakers who flock there to hunt big game. |
| 9 |
"Law and Disorder in Philadelphia" |
30 November 2008 |
Louis joins Philadelphia's police department, patrolling an area that has over 400 homicides a year, drug dealers on every corner and where carrying a gun is part of everyday life. But during his time spent with the local cops, he sees a complex picture evolve. |
| 10 |
"Law and Disorder in Johannesburg" |
7 December 2008 |
Louis Theroux travels to Johannesburg, where the residents find themselves increasingly besieged by crime as he looks at the issue of law and disorder. |
| 11 |
"A Place for Paedophiles" |
19 April 2009 |
Louis visits the Coalinga Mental Hospital in California, which houses more than 500 convicted paedophiles. Spending time with those undergoing treatment, Louis wrestles with whether he can ever allow himself to believe men whose whole history is defined by deception and deceit. |
| 12 |
"The City Addicted to Crystal Meth" |
9 August 2009 |
Louis examines how drug addiction has torn apart the city of Fresno in Central Valley, California. |
| 13 |
"America's Medicated Kids" |
18 April 2010 |
Louis meets parents who have turned to medication to keep their children under control. |
| 14 |
"Law and Disorder in Lagos" |
10 October 2010 |
Louis Theroux travels to Lagos, where the residents find themselves increasingly besieged by crime as he looks at the issue of law and disorder. |
| 15 |
The Ultra Zionists |
03 February 2011 |
Louis Theroux spends time with a small and very committed subculture of ultra-nationalist Jewish settlers in the West Bank. |
| 16 |
America's Most Hated Family in Crisis |
03 April 2011 |
Four years after his last visit, Louis returns to spend a week with the Westboro Baptist Church in the wake of several defections from the church. |
| 17 |
Miami Mega Jail Part 1 |
22 May 2011 |
Louis Theroux spends time in one of the most notorious sections of Miami County Jail: the fifth and sixth floor of 'Main Jail', where many of the most volatile inmates are incarcerated. |
| 18 |
Miami Mega Jail Part 2 |
29 May 2011 |
Louis Theroux goes deeper into the jail system and meets an inmate facing a possible death sentence. He also follows a group of younger inmates who have escaped prison by pleading guilty and agreeing to attend a four month military style boot camp. |
| 19 |
America's Most Dangerous Pets |
30 October 2011 |
Travelling to America's heartlands, Louis Theroux spends time with an Oklahoma man who has bred and collected over 150 tigers, visits the woman who privately owns one of America's largest collections of chimpanzees, and finds himself in uncomfortably close contact with a number of big cats and dangerous primates. |