Gotta Get Theroux This: My Life and Strange Times in Television
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- Create Date：2021-10-04 07:52:55
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Louis Theroux
- ISBN：1509880399
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Summary
In 1994 fledgling journalist Louis Theroux was given a one-off gig on Michael Moore's TV Nation， presenting a segment on apocalyptic religious sects。 Gawky， socially awkward and totally unqualified， his first reaction to this exciting opportunity was panic。 But he'd always been drawn to off-beat characters， so maybe his enthusiasm would carry the day。 Or， you know， maybe it wouldn't。。。
In Gotta Get Theroux This， Louis takes the reader on a joyous journey through his life and unexpectedly successful career。 Nervously accepting the BBC's offer of his own series， he went on to create an award-winning documentary style that has seen him immersed in worlds as diverse as racist US militias and secretive pro-wrestlers， the violent gangs of Johannesburg and extreme drinkers in London。
Arguably his biggest challenge was corralling celebrities in his When Louis Met series， with Jimmy Savile proving most elusive。 Blindsided when the revelations about Savile came to light， Louis was to reflect again on the nature of evil he had spent decades uncovering。
Filled with wry observation， larger-than-life characters， and self-deprecating humour， this is Louis at his insightful and honest best。
In Gotta Get Theroux This， Louis takes the reader on a joyous journey through his life and unexpectedly successful career。 Nervously accepting the BBC's offer of his own series， he went on to create an award-winning documentary style that has seen him immersed in worlds as diverse as racist US militias and secretive pro-wrestlers， the violent gangs of Johannesburg and extreme drinkers in London。
Arguably his biggest challenge was corralling celebrities in his When Louis Met series， with Jimmy Savile proving most elusive。 Blindsided when the revelations about Savile came to light， Louis was to reflect again on the nature of evil he had spent decades uncovering。
Filled with wry observation， larger-than-life characters， and self-deprecating humour， this is Louis at his insightful and honest best。
Reviews
Leigh Morris
，
Entertaining stuff
Harry
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i aspire to be Louis Theroux， physically and emotionally， so this book was a good starting point for that。
Alex
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This is an easily readable book， and thoroughly enjoyable。 He does spend too much time revisiting Jimmy Saville， but perhaps rather than berating that， it gives us an understanding of how that relationship has affected him， and still plagues his mind。 There is a lot unsaid， and at least in my copy the afterward addresses some issues， he is， after all， perceptive and self-aware。 There are a lot of people complaining that he comes across as privileged， I think he is aware of this。 After all， he ca This is an easily readable book， and thoroughly enjoyable。 He does spend too much time revisiting Jimmy Saville， but perhaps rather than berating that， it gives us an understanding of how that relationship has affected him， and still plagues his mind。 There is a lot unsaid， and at least in my copy the afterward addresses some issues， he is， after all， perceptive and self-aware。 There are a lot of people complaining that he comes across as privileged， I think he is aware of this。 After all， he can only write from what he knows， just because someone is privileged doesn't mean they won't feel anxiety， does he need to self-censor？ I'd challenge him to write something away from what he has already documented previously。 。。。more
Matt Payne
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Tried reading。 Got a few chapters in and sent it back to the library。 I expected it to be captivating and fast paced， but it was long winded， boring and was really hung toward a political lean。 As a massive Louis fan I was looking forward to this but was left flat
Kieran Desmond
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As a therouxite I loved this。 It was fascinating to see each individual story that I remember watching on TV from a totally different perspective。 I really feel very acquainted with the life and times of such an icon now。
Alice Dowden
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I listened on Audible and have to give a disclaimer， I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it quite as much if I didn't have it read to be by Louie himself。 Funny and fascinating， I'm glad to have listened to his tales。 I listened on Audible and have to give a disclaimer， I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it quite as much if I didn't have it read to be by Louie himself。 Funny and fascinating， I'm glad to have listened to his tales。 。。。more
Andrew Mulrooney
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I enjoyed reading about Louis Theroux's early life and how he got his break into television but there was just a bit too much Jimmy Savile for my liking。 I enjoyed reading about Louis Theroux's early life and how he got his break into television but there was just a bit too much Jimmy Savile for my liking。 。。。more
Luke
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For anyone between the age of about 20 & 35 in the UK， Louis Theroux is ground zero when it comes to documentaries so I was excited to read this book。The main bulk is about Louis’ life: his childhood， education， how he got started out， his career & his complicated psychology。 He comes across as very intelligent， has quite a lot of anxieties & self esteem issues which he has managed to use in a positive way。 He is Oxford educated but manages to be down to earth， he has an interest in the macabre For anyone between the age of about 20 & 35 in the UK， Louis Theroux is ground zero when it comes to documentaries so I was excited to read this book。The main bulk is about Louis’ life: his childhood， education， how he got started out， his career & his complicated psychology。 He comes across as very intelligent， has quite a lot of anxieties & self esteem issues which he has managed to use in a positive way。 He is Oxford educated but manages to be down to earth， he has an interest in the macabre & spends his life trying to understand things， not just the world but himself & how he works。 He is a national treasure but manages to keep it real & down to earth。The elephant in the （room）book is Jimmy Saville。 Louis met Jimmy Saville about 20 years ago and tried to get to the bottom of rumours of pedophilia which he failed to do but I have seen that documentary & he comes across as a creep & not in a good light at all but yet he stayed in touch with Louis and （despite Theroux trying to convince himself otherwise） they became friends。 Some of the statements Louis makes about Saville in the book come across as shocking really， he is almost trying to defend him in some parts。。。 not his actions but the way that he has become a tabloid villain & trying to “balance” the good and bad parts of his personality。Having thought about it， I do think that Jimmy manipulated him & got a kick out of doing so， that is how these people work。 I mean a kids TV presenter from Leeds completely getting one over on an Oxford educated， investigative documentary extraordinaire。。 that is just another boost to a feeling that he is untouchable。 Sick really。 I hope that by writing this he can get the Jimmy Saville poison out of his system as I do think he blames himself for not stopping Saville back in 2000。 But at least he tried， which is much more than anyone else did。 In terms of the structure of the book， it is very easy to read despite some of the vocabulary used and the references to philosophy and ancient myth ect。 The book could have been done with some editing， there were spelling mistakes and the way it flows is jagged-y; which is a shame。 Still a brilliant read about a brilliant （if a bit strange） man。 I definitely have a lot more respect for Louis now。 Or should I say King Lou-E？ 。。。more
Ian
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Louis gives us the low-down。 An anxious sort， he is blessed with strong academic abilities coupled with a knack for muddling through difficult circumstances。 His rise to fame， hitched to the Jimmy Saville wagon would for many have precipitated a rather ignoble fall from grace。 Not Louis， who in his memoir returns to his association with the bad-man many times in order to make his position absolutely clear。 I tried to read this book at the beach but sitting there in the sunshine， sipping my Lucoz Louis gives us the low-down。 An anxious sort， he is blessed with strong academic abilities coupled with a knack for muddling through difficult circumstances。 His rise to fame， hitched to the Jimmy Saville wagon would for many have precipitated a rather ignoble fall from grace。 Not Louis， who in his memoir returns to his association with the bad-man many times in order to make his position absolutely clear。 I tried to read this book at the beach but sitting there in the sunshine， sipping my Lucozade amidst the ambient sounds of the surf， the frequency with which Saville appears got to me。 I took a break and finished the book on the journey home。 It's a good read and adds to the already impressive Louis Theroux body of work。 。。。more
Kerim Čamdžić
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If you are a fan of Louis Theroux I highly recommend this。
Alanna Shand
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As a huge fan of his documentaries， I enjoyed learning more about Louis Theroux。 My only critique is that I would have loved to have learnt more about him， as the book heavily recounts his TV projects which fans are already familiar with。
Harriet
，
I am a Louis lover， so I’m surprised it’s taken me this long to get around to this！ Written and reads in a very similar style to his programmes， this book gives a bit more of an insight into who Louis is and where he has come from。 I do think a little too much weight was given to everything with Jimmy Savile， and that’s not to say I didn’t find it interesting， but I was hoping to hear more about some of his other endeavours like Westboro。 Anyway， great book for those who enjoy is programmes， if I am a Louis lover， so I’m surprised it’s taken me this long to get around to this！ Written and reads in a very similar style to his programmes， this book gives a bit more of an insight into who Louis is and where he has come from。 I do think a little too much weight was given to everything with Jimmy Savile， and that’s not to say I didn’t find it interesting， but I was hoping to hear more about some of his other endeavours like Westboro。 Anyway， great book for those who enjoy is programmes， if you don’t like him， probably not for you。 。。。more
lottie pike
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didn't think i could love louis theroux any more but here we are <3 didn't think i could love louis theroux any more but here we are <3 。。。more
Angela Moore Garden Tea Cakes and Me
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3 1/2 stars
Joe Bridge
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Read the book as someone who had already watched the majority of his documentary work & was not disappointed。 The chapter about Scientology was particularly good from memory。
Thomas
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A more introspective and contemplative read than I had expected。 Reading alongside the audiobook meant Louis’ dulcet tones （and impressions） accompanied the prose perfectly。 I think your mileage will depend on whether you liked Louis beforehand like I do， and part of you may have wanted more on the subjects and documentaries only briefly referenced in a paragraph or two。 Some elements， like his education， may interest others less than the core career chronology he is known for。Learning about the A more introspective and contemplative read than I had expected。 Reading alongside the audiobook meant Louis’ dulcet tones （and impressions） accompanied the prose perfectly。 I think your mileage will depend on whether you liked Louis beforehand like I do， and part of you may have wanted more on the subjects and documentaries only briefly referenced in a paragraph or two。 Some elements， like his education， may interest others less than the core career chronology he is known for。Learning about the thought-process and morality involved in documenting people or movements was worth the read， even if at times it made for uncomfortable reading。 。。。more
Laoise O’Brien
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I love this man
Nancy
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In dit boek blikt Theroux terug op het maken van zijn documentaires。 Hij beschrijft het proces en reflecteert op verschillende projecten en zijn rol daarin， waarin hij zichzelf niet spaart。 Interessant om te lezen！
Trevor Hunter
，
Listened to the audio book version over a number of car journeys。 Interesting book I like his laid back ，self deprecating manner delivering incisive interviews with a spectrum of wacky people that inhabit this planet。 Overall I think his story/stories are best delivered through the celluloid medium。 The audio medium is a bit underwhelming and I miss the beautiful prose of the written word。 I guess it is a case of horses for courses。
Craig Wallace
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It's quite good。 It's quite good。 。。。more
Chris
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Very interesting read， Louis has a good way with the written word。 Made me realise how manufactured documentaries are though！
Bhavini
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Not really sure what I was expecting from this book， but I was slightly disappointed。 That probably stems from how I had built about Theroux to be a glitz and glamour kind of guy， but it turns out that he is completely the opposite， a very normal， down to Earth individual。
Jon Shanks
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I loved Weird Weekends and When Louis met。。。， including the now infamous Jimmy Savile episode， but admit to not watching as many of his "serious" documentaries of recent years， but was still find him an affable character to be interested in finding out more about him， which is what the book really does， very honestly with all the highs and lows of his life and career in a very relatable way。 I even bought and watched a copy of <1>My Scientology Movie before I finished the book， even though， I ha I loved Weird Weekends and When Louis met。。。， including the now infamous Jimmy Savile episode， but admit to not watching as many of his "serious" documentaries of recent years， but was still find him an affable character to be interested in finding out more about him， which is what the book really does， very honestly with all the highs and lows of his life and career in a very relatable way。 I even bought and watched a copy of <1>My Scientology Movie before I finished the book， even though， I had spoiled it for myself by reading about it first。 Of course， since writing the book， Louis has revisited his dealings with "Tiger King" Joe Exotic， so he shows no signs of stopping and carrying on Theroux！ I know I'll likely be watching （and reading） what comes next！ 。。。more
Stevenlomax1984
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I love louis’ documentaries- I’ve watched all of them- but for some reason I couldn’t take to this。 It’s well written and narrated by the great man himself don’t get me wrong， but I just found it a little dull and couldn’t wait for it to end。 Sorry Louis
BurritoChris
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I really enjoyed it。 Louis' narration is occasionally a little bit croaky but otherwise he really nails it and I especially love his impressions of other people。 He does describe in detail most of his documentaries， which made me sometimes think 'Yeah I know Louis， I saw that' and then I did a complete 180 when he described shows that I hadn't got around to seeing or that I saw once 10 years ago。 It's really interesting to see the ways that the docs fit into the context of his own life。 Big reco I really enjoyed it。 Louis' narration is occasionally a little bit croaky but otherwise he really nails it and I especially love his impressions of other people。 He does describe in detail most of his documentaries， which made me sometimes think 'Yeah I know Louis， I saw that' and then I did a complete 180 when he described shows that I hadn't got around to seeing or that I saw once 10 years ago。 It's really interesting to see the ways that the docs fit into the context of his own life。 Big recommend。 。。。more
Natalie Haider
，
I love Louis， and really wanted to love this book but just didn’t。 I was confused about whether this was supposed to be a memoir， a behind-the-scenes about his shows， or something else and found myself feeling bored about the overly detailed accounts of things I already knew about such as certain shows he has completed， and annoyed at the over focus on Saville。 I also don’t feel like I know any more about Louis except that he has 3 sons。 It took me a long time to get Theroux this book
Catherine
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took so long to finish this one！！！ （my own fault not the novel’s） but fantastic！！！ a really interesting look into louis’s life and the fascinating people he has met in his documentary making
Cheri
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A lot of content about Jimmy Saville 😬
Trudie Haywood
，
Did he have to do the accents？
Pascal
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