‘I take my work too seriously…’
Louis Theroux has now entered into the realm of national treasure. From his initial Weird Weekends, through to his celebrity profiles, all the way to his more hard hitting work on subjects as diverse as Scientology and drug addiction, any new Theroux venture now feels like an event. He has spawned a thousand memes and the internet is rife with in jokes and bizarre tributes all dedicated to Theroux and his work. Personally, I adore his appearances on the Adam Buxton Podcast – it is here where we see Theroux genuinely being himself, free from the constraints of trying to coax ever more content from a reluctant subject. Gotta Get Theroux This: My Life and Strange Times in Television works on the same principle as those podcasts. An opportunity to see the man behind the construct…
More of a memoir than an autobiography, Gotta Get Theroux This focuses less on family and childhood, and more on the thing that has influenced Theroux like nothing else – television. We are given an insight in to his modest beginnings working for Michael Moore, and from there Theroux breaks down every stage of his TV career using prose that is heartfelt, honest and often hilarious. It is refreshing to see someone be so analytical of their own work, and it is clear how much perceptions matter to Louis, but above all else, the integrity of the show is king. This is probably why he returns again and again to the subject of Jimmy Saville. Clearly affected by his association with a monster, Louis tries to rationalise his relationship with Saville in a way that is both frantically tortured but also unfailingly honest.
Louis Theroux has a midas touch when it comes to television, it is very rare we see a dud from Britain’s most beloved documentarian, and with Gotta Get Theroux This, he has shown that he has other strings to his bow as well. A fascinating insight into a TV sensation.