When Louis Met...

When Louis Met... is a series of documentary films by Louis Theroux. The series was originally broadcast on BBC Two from 2000 to 2002. In the series, Theroux accompanied a different British celebrity in each programme as they went about their day-to-day business, interviewing them about their lives and experiences as he did so.

When Louis Met...
Title card from When Louis Met... Keith Harris & Orville in Panto
StarringLouis Theroux
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of series2
No. of episodes8 (3 + 5)
Production
Executive producersDavid Mortimer, Kevin Sutcliffe
Running time60 minutes
Release
Original networkBBC Two
Original release13 April 2000 (2000-04-13) –
26 March 2002 (2002-03-26)

Theroux's episode about Jimmy Savile (When Louis Met Jimmy) was voted one of the top 50 documentaries of all time in a survey by Channel 4. In another episode (When Louis Met the Hamiltons), the Conservative MP Neil Hamilton and his wife Christine, were arrested during the course of filming following allegations of indecent assault; these were subsequently found to be false. The show did not return for a third series, and Theroux said that he had difficulty in finding people to appear.[1]

Episodes

Series overview
SeriesEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1313 April 2000 (2000-04-13)11 December 2001 (2001-12-11)
255 March 2002 (2002-03-05)26 March 2002 (2002-03-26)

Series 1 (2000–01)
No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleDirected byOriginal air date
11"When Louis Met Jimmy"Will Yapp13 April 2000 (2000-04-13)
Louis visits his childhood hero, 73-year-old Sir Jimmy Savile OBE, a TV and radio personality, at his homes in Leeds, Scarborough and Glencoe. Louis raises the rumours of paedophilia which became more widely known after Savile's death, which Savile denies.[2][3]
22"When Louis Met Paul and Debbie"Will Yapp20 February 2001 (2001-02-20)
Louis joins Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee in their home beside the River Thames and on the road as the magician appears on Celebrity Ready Steady Cook and his wife launches a ballet company.[4]
33"When Louis Met the Hamiltons"Will Yapp11 December 2001 (2001-12-11)
Louis follows the (by then) former Conservative MP Neil Hamilton, and his wife Christine Hamilton, as they try to make a living as "objects of curiosity". The film features Louis on the sofa with a tipsy Christine, and follows the pair when they are arrested over an alleged sexual scandal (both were later cleared).[5]

Series 2 (2002)
No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleDirected byOriginal air date
41"When Louis Met Ann Widdecombe"Kate Townsend5 March 2002 (2002-03-05)
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.[6]
52"When Louis Met Chris Eubank"Alicia Kerr12 March 2002 (2002-03-12)
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.
63"When Louis Met Keith Harris and Orville in Panto"Guy Gilbert19 March 2002 (2002-03-19)
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 wife, a large home and a role in Crewe's pantomime.
74"When Louis Met Max Clifford"Alicia Kerr26 March 2002 (2002-03-26)
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.
85"Living with Louis"Will Yapp26 March 2002 (2002-03-26)
Produced exclusively for pay TV channel UK Horizons. The participants of the previous programmes (with the exception of Ann Widdecombe and Max Clifford) talk about being interviewed by Louis Theroux. Louis also provides insight into how he felt those five shows went and what those people were like to spend time with. The show is interspersed with clips from the shows.

Awards

Winner - 2002 BAFTA TV Award - Richard Dimbleby Award for the Best Presenter (Factual, Features and News) - For the "When Louis Met..." series of films.

Nominated - 2002 Flaherty Documentary Award - For "When Louis Met...The Hamiltons"

"When Louis Met... Jimmy" was voted number 50 in Channel 4's 2005 poll of the 50 greatest documentaries.

Home releases

All episodes of When Louis Met... are available on BBC iPlayer bar the episodes featuring Max Clifford and Jimmy Savile.

When Louis Met... has been released on PAL DVD in a number of best-of sets. Originally, Vol.1/Vol.2 and Vol.3/Vol.4 were released as two disc sets, before being split. Later the 4 volumes were released as a limited edition box set.

See also

References
  1. "Entertainment | Theroux quits award-winning show". BBC News. 28 November 2002. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  2. Lawson, Mark (29 September 2016). "'I was gullible' – when Louis Theroux met Jimmy Savile again". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  3. Greg Hassall (12 November 2012). "When Louis Met Jimmy". Smh.com.au. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  4. Mark Lawson (19 February 2001). "G2: Mark Lawson reviews TV programmes | Culture". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  5. "REVIEWS | Theroux hits gold with Hamiltons". BBC News. 11 December 2001. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  6. "When Ann met Louis". New Statesman. 25 March 2002. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
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