The Louis Theroux Podcast

For this Christmas bonus episode, Louis sits down with writer, comedian, and panel-show super-host, Jimmy Carr. Jimmy discusses what lies behind his unique brand of ‘edgy' comedy, why he remained a virgin until the age of 26 and performing at the Riyadh Comedy Festival despite public criticism.   Jimmy’s film, ‘Fackham Hall’, is out in cinemas now.  Warnings: Strong language and adult themes.     Links/Attachments:  Book: Before & Laughter, Jimmy Carr (2021)  https://www.jimmycarr.com/product/book-laughter/    Fackham Hall (2025)  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29008225/    Jimmy Carr Tour  https://www.jimmycarr.com/tour/uk-ireland/     Alex Hormozi quote:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DIzTPjPTZB0/     Book: Homo Ludens by Johan Huizinga  https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/203913/homo-ludens-by-johan-huizinga/    Peter McGraw’s Benign Violations  https://petermcgraw.org/a-brief-introduction-to-the-benign-violation-theory-of-humor/     Book: Discipline and Punish, Michel Foucault (1975)  https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/13651/discipline-and-punish-by-michel-foucault-trans-alan-sheridan/9780241386019     Bob Monkhouse joke about cancer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTUvRW7gtGU    Jimmy Carr: His Dark Material (2021)  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16259786/     Nadine Dorries’ comment about Jimmy Carr joke:  https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/nadine-dorries-jimmy-carr-netflix-jewish-roma-b2008317.html     Jimmy Carr’s joke about injured soldiers:  https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/6486964/Jimmy-Carr-feels-terrible-about-injured-soldiers-joke.html#:~:text=Jimmy%20Carr%20'feels%20terrible'%20about%20injured%20soldiers%20joke     Saint Lawrence, the patron Saint of comedy:  https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/2015/08/10/st-lawrence-patron-saint-of-comedians     TV Show: ‘Game of Thrones’ (2011-2019)  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0944947/     Dave Chappelle quote:  https://btr.michaelkwan.com/2017/03/26/sunday-snippet-dave-chappelle/#:~:text=Posted%20by%20Michael%20Kwan%20%7C%20Mar,Maybe%20it%20was%20something%20else.     TV Show: ‘The Black and White Minstrel Show’ (1958-1978)  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0198065/     TV Show: ‘The Young Ones’ (1982-1984)  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083505/     Titania McGrath quote:  https://x.com/TitaniaMcGrath/status/1453065592651517964     Musical: We Will Rock You, Ben Elton (2002)  https://wewillrockyoulondon.co.uk/     John Betjeman’s Slough poem:  https://allpoetry.com/poem/8493391-Slough-by-Sir-John-Betjeman     TV Show: ‘The Office’ (2001-2003)  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0290978/    Naval Ravikant  https://nav.al/rich     TV Show: 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown (2012 – 2025)  https://www.channel4.com/programmes/8-out-of-10-cats-does-countdown     The Fog of War (2004)  https://tv.apple.com/gb/movie/the-fog-of-war/umc.cmc.3j815y9s5id2nvfztrlfh75il?action=play     Eric Weinstein’s Intellectual Dark Web  https://www.whatisemerging.com/videos/inside-the-intellectual-dark-web-eric-weinstein    Hillary Clinton’s ‘deplorable’ speech:   https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-us-2016-37330420     Jordan Peterson on compelled speech  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-37875695         Credits:  Producer: Millie Chu   Assistant Producer: Emilia Gill  Production Manager: Francesca Bassett   Music: Miguel D’Oliveira   Audio Mixer: Tom Guest  Video Mixer: Scott Edwards   Shownotes compiled by Elly Young  Executive Producer: Arron Fellows       A Mindhouse Production for Spotify   www.mindhouse.co.uk   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For the final episode of this series, Louis travels to Manchester to sit down with Marina Abramovic, the self-proclaimed “grandmother of performance art”. Marina tells Louis the stories behind some of her most famous artworks, as well as the relationship between performance and pain, never feeling loved in her childhood, and being caught in the middle of an online conspiracy.       Warnings: Strong language and adult themes.     Links/Attachments:    Balkan Erotic Epic, Marina Abramovic (2025)  https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2025/may/22/manchester-to-host-world-premiere-of-marina-abramovics-balkan-erotic-epic     The Artist is Present, Marina Abramovic (2010)  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2073029/    Lips of Thomas, Marina Abramovic (1975)  https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/5176    Rhythm 0, Marina Abramovic (1974)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTBkbseXfOQ&list=PL0bCt-VbCH4N3823Lj7uNAFLiYDjSnbTp&index=1    Cut Piece, Yoko Ono (1964)  https://www.moma.org/audio/playlist/15/373     Cut Piece, Yoko Ono (2005):  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/sep/16/arts.france     Bob Wilson’s Life and Death of Marina Abramovic, (2012)  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2177497/     Book: When Marina Abramovic Dies, James Westcott (2014)  https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262526814/when-marina-abramovic-dies/     Light – Dark, Ulay & Marina Abramovic (1978)  https://www.stedelijk.nl/en/collection/13991-ulay-light-dark     Seedbed, Vito Acconci (1972)  https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/266876     Seven Easy Pieces, Marina Abramovic (2005)  http://pastexhibitions.guggenheim.org/abramovic/     The Great Wall Walk, Marina Abramovic (1988)  https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2020/apr/25/marina-abramovic-ulay-walk-the-great-wall-of-china     Book: Walk Through Walls: A Memoir, Marina Abramovic (2016)  https://www.waterstones.com/book/walk-through-walls/marina-abramovic/9780241974520     Balkan Baroque, Marina Abramovic (1997)  https://www.singulart.com/blog/en/2024/06/03/balkan-baroque-by-marina-abramovic/?srsltid=AfmBOopPyXzjOP800ERQMaHvbiNNps0oMBOCmOKjWOhdpNt6X6kEvu2k   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQigTZuTmv0    BBC Maestro, Marina Abramovic:  https://www.bbcmaestro.com/courses/marina-abramovic/the-art-of-being-present    Article: ‘Marina Abramovic Just Wants Conspiracy Theorists to Let Her Be’, New York Times, 2020  https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/21/arts/design/marina-abramovic-satanist-conspiracy-theory.html     The Seven Deaths of Maria Callas (2022)  https://www.harrisonparrott.com/news/2022-11-04/marina-abramovic-brings-the-seven-deaths-of-maria-callas-to-royal     The Truth Vs Alex Jones (2024)  https://tv.apple.com/gb/show/the-truth-vs-alex-jones/umc.cmc.1azsv881ew8mcjozutufy51vf     Credits:  Producer: Millie Chu   Assistant Producer: Maan al-Yasiri   Production Manager: Francesca Bassett   Music: Miguel D’Oliveira   Audio Mixer: Tom Guest  Video Mixer: Scott Edwards   Shownotes compiled by Elly Young  Executive Producer: Arron Fellows       A Mindhouse Production for Spotify   www.mindhouse.co.uk   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Louis speaks to British actress Florence Pugh. Joining Louis at Spotify HQ, Florence talks about “abusing” herself to get into character, whether intimacy coordinators are necessary on film sets, and jumping off a building from nearly 3000 feet. Warnings: Strong language and adult themes.  If you’ve been affected by the topics discussed in this episode, Spotify have a website for information and resources. Visit spotify.com/resources       Links/Attachments:  Midsommar (2019)  https://tv.apple.com/gb/movie/midsommar/umc.cmc.3btmmnmdi8cci3gb2qupxli8o?action=play     Hereditary (2018)  https://tv.apple.com/gb/movie/hereditary/umc.cmc.1p8skf72cqba9t91v2rqjbeyv?action=play     The Most Beautiful Boy in the World (2021)  https://tv.apple.com/gb/movie/the-most-beautiful-boy-in-the-world/umc.cmc.6nsk7o2tf9grbf1cjmicejcrv     Little Women (2019)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuVlgl16DP0     Malevolent (2018)  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2386237/     King Lear (2018)  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7473890/     Thunderbolts* (2025)  https://tv.apple.com/gb/movie/thunderbolts/umc.cmc.67bgkyn0fzr8n7ngw0v4mi2df?action=play     Anora (2024)  https://tv.apple.com/gb/movie/anora/umc.cmc.ka0xf4gk3tckil4x7x14hpcy?action=play     We Live In Time (2024)  https://tv.apple.com/gb/movie/we-live-in-time/umc.cmc.3en3aplqsmjw1pbltmzo7p4mx?action=play     Article: Florence Pugh shares her life lessons  https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/culture/a64501157/florence-pugh-life-lessons-video-interview/     The Wonder (2022)  https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81426931?source=35&fromWatch=true    Lady Macbeth (2016)  https://tv.apple.com/gb/movie/lady-macbeth/umc.cmc.1crmjkmj1nzsvuwurlmdgbiji?action=play    Don’t Worry Darling (2022)  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10731256/   Credits:  Producer: Millie Chu   Assistant Producer: Sally McLennan  Production Manager: Francesca Bassett   Music: Miguel D’Oliveira   Audio Mixer: Tom Guest  Video Mixer: Scott Edwards   Shownotes compiled by Elly Young  Executive Producer: Arron Fellows       A Mindhouse Production for Spotify   www.mindhouse.co.uk     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Louis sits down with David Byrne, the musician, author and iconic frontman of Talking Heads. David tells Louis about personality clashes within the band, how his neurodivergence plays a role in his music, and being at the centre of a culture-war storm. Plus, they discuss whether Donald Trump stole his ‘big suit’. Warnings: Strong language and adult themes.     Links/Attachments:   Book: Bicycle Diaries, David Byrne (2009)  https://www.waterstones.com/book/bicycle-diaries/david-byrne/9780571371266     Album: Who Is The Sky, David Byrne (2025)  https://open.spotify.com/album/5xDqZQlSx2gRrAyAgHQ8AB     Song: ‘The Book I Read’, Talking Heads (1977)  https://open.spotify.com/track/4OT7Ndu29Z7JfhwRS2iCJX     Song: ‘That’s the Way (I Like It), KC & The Sunshine Band (1994)  https://open.spotify.com/track/0RQTbMBgSq7xgdZSHFZg4R      Book: ‘An Anthropologist on Mars’, Oliver Sacks (1995)  https://www.oliversacks.com/oliver-sacks-books/an-anthropologist-on-mars/     Song: ‘She Explains Things To Me’, David Byrne (2025) https://open.spotify.com/album/5f6f5JMGxgNa0LAJqtaUXY      Song: ‘Psycho Killer’, Talking Heads (1977)  https://open.spotify.com/track/7dSCxR4LqkmxoBrq9MzVSD     Artist: Randy Newman  https://open.spotify.com/artist/3HQyFCFFfJO3KKBlUfZsyW    Artist: Alice Cooper   https://open.spotify.com/artist/3EhbVgyfGd7HkpsagwL9GS     Album: Talking Heads 77, Talking Heads (1977) https://open.spotify.com/album/0r7o2FeARRr23EZ0TJ0a8S     Artist: Ramones   https://open.spotify.com/artist/1co4F2pPNH8JjTutZkmgSm     Artist: The Clash   https://open.spotify.com/artist/3RGLhK1IP9jnYFH4BRFJBS     Artist: Sex Pistols   https://open.spotify.com/artist/1u7kkVrr14iBvrpYnZILJR     2002 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Talking Heads performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBr0FJsDk1g    Stop Making Sense (1984)  https://tv.apple.com/gb/movie/stop-making-sense/umc.cmc.4qcn1p5rridjzo742xirf9j8m     The Silence of the Lambs (1991)  https://tv.apple.com/gb/movie/the-silence-of-the-lambs/umc.cmc.vo1hrvp25kr64fq8irp5jx75?action=play     True Stories (2016)  https://tv.apple.com/gb/movie/true-stories/umc.cmc.7ffwwfhraf765c0l9l1v7a4tw?action=play     Weekly World News:  https://weeklyworldnews.com/     David’s online magazine:   https://reasonstobecheerful.world/      Credits:  Producer: Millie Chu   Assistant Producer: Artemis Irvine  Production Manager: Francesca Bassett   Music: Miguel D’Oliveira   Audio Mixer: Tom Guest  Video Mixer: Scott Edwards   Shownotes compiled by Elly Young  Executive Producer: Arron Fellows       A Mindhouse Production for Spotify   www.mindhouse.co.uk   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Louis speaks with Nobel laureate and education activist Malala Yousafzai. Joining Louis at Spotify HQ, the pair discuss misrepresentations of Islam, the Taliban’s 'gender apartheid', and her views on the institution of marriage. Plus, Malala shares a traumatic drug experience at university that changed her outlook on life.     Warnings: adult themes and some discussion points which could be upsetting. If you’ve been affected by the topics discussed in this episode, Spotify have a website for information and resources. Visit spotify.com/resources     Links/Attachments:   Book: Finding My Way, Malala Yousafzai (2025)  https://www.waterstones.com/book/finding-my-way/malala-yousafzai/9781399637770     Book: I Am Malala, Malala Yousafzai (2013)  https://www.waterstones.com/book/i-am-malala/malala-yousafzai/christina-lamb/9781399608992     Class Dismissed (2009) - New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/video/world/asia/100000001835296/class-dismissed-malala-yousafzais-story.html     Article: Malala’s shooting   https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pakistani-teen-girls-activist-malala-yousufzai-shot-on-school-bus-by-taliban-gunman/     Article: Charlie Kirk killed  https://news.sky.com/story/what-we-know-about-how-charlie-kirk-was-killed-13428871     Article: Afghanistan's restrictions on women https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/08/1165622     Article: Southport riots   https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c99v90813j5o     Article: Pakistan child marriage laws   https://www.walkfree.org/news/2025/pakistan-takes-step-to-end-child-marriage-as-calls-grow-for-national-reform/     Malala Fund:  https://malala.org/     Mukhtar Mai profile:   https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13163169     Survey of worst countries for women:   https://www.amnestyusa.org/blog/the-worlds-worst-places-to-be-a-woman/     Credits:  Producer: Millie Chu   Assistant Producer: Maan al-Yasiri Production Manager: Francesca Bassett   Music: Miguel D’Oliveira   Audio Mixer: Tom Guest  Video Mixer: Scott Edwards   Shownotes compiled by Elly Young  Executive Producer: Arron Fellows       A Mindhouse Production for Spotify   www.mindhouse.co.uk   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices