Who is Louis Theroux, the director of the viral documentary series, 'The Settlers'?
Recently, a new documentary titled 'The Settlers' was released on
BBC iPlayer
. Directed by
Louis Theroux
, the documentary is shot in the Israeli settlements in the West Bank where Theroux is revisiting the subject of a documentary he made in 2011, The Ultra Zionists. In both these documentaries he focuses on Jewish people who, motivated by religious nationalism, have broken international law and settled in Palestine.
While Theroux may have made the documentary to shed light on the increased number of people following the ideology and how it had affected the lives of the Palestinians, his work has been receiving rave reviews on social media with people commending him on showcasing the mentality and activities of the settlers.
"Louis Theroux you proved why you are thee best at documentaries, you shone the light of truth on these maniacs without breaking a sweat. They dug their own holes with their own mouths" wrote a person on X. "The horror - the daily horror - of what happens in the West Bank gets far too little mainstream coverage. It's great to see someone with Theroux's profile expose a new audience to this reality. Watch it, share it." wrote another.
But who is Louis Theroux and why is his documentary the talk of the hour?
Who is Louis Theroux?
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Born on May 20th, 1970, Louis Theroux is a British-American documentarian born in Singapore. He was born to Anne Castle, an English teacher and Paul Theroux, an American travel writer and novelist.
Theroux spent most of his childhood in London where he attended the Westminster School before graduating with first-class honours from the Magdalen College, Oxford in Modern History.
After graduation he moved to the states where he began his journalism career with Metro Silicon Valley and then worked for a magazine Spy. He also ventured into the television industry as a correspondent for Michael Moore's TV Nation.
He has been married to Nancy Strang since 2012 and shares three children with her. Throughout his career of three decades, he has explored various other profiles such as journalist, broadcaster and author.
Louis Theroux- the Documentarian
Image credits: X/@theafroaussie
While his entire professional life has been a part of media one way or the other, what Theroux is famous for are his documentaries, especially with BBC. He has created many famous works such as Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends and When Louis Met...
Through his work, he has explored various topics such as crime, justice, and unusual unique themes as well. He has travelled to countries such as Israel, Nigeria, South Africa and more.
However, during and after Covid, Theroux started a podcast with BBC Radio 4 titled 'Grounded with Louis Theroux' and in 2023 he moved to create 'The Louis Theroux Podcast' with Spotify.
'The Settlers' marks Theroux's first work of documentation post the lockdown and thus was eagerly awaited by fans of his work.
Why is 'The Settlers' going viral
Image credits: X/@theafroaussie
Louis Theroux's 'The Settlers' comes at a time when the Israel-Hamas war is an ongoing reality. While he had already explored the topic in his 2011 documentary, as mentioned above, this time more eyes were on 'The Settlers' as it has been shot in a region that has been plagued by war and deaths for more than a year. In his documentary viewers not only get to see the mindset of the settlers but also of the military guarding the area and how they treat Jews and Palestinians. Theroux can also be seen in conversation with
Daniella Weiss
, who has been the head of the settler movement for the past 50 years.
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