Gotta Get Theroux This

I saw Louis Theroux present at a conference earlier this year and was highly impressed by his shtick of self-deprecation combined with underlying erudition. Clearly Theroux came from a privileged background (famous parents, education at Westminster and Oxford), but this memoir highlights his journey from post-graduation uncertainty, plus much cannabis consumption, through to media personality. Theroux does not hold back when it comes to self-doubt and insecurity: am I doing the right thing? And what about imposter syndrome? These are feelings to which we can all relate. Part of Theroux's success comes from his 'everyman' personality. The reader also begins to form an understanding of just how complex it is to make television and the number of hours behind the scenes that are required to make just one programme. Finally, I found this an engaging journey into the past: Jimmy Savile, Chris Eubank and Neil Hamilton are not characters about whom I think regularly, yet Theroux brings them back to life in all their crudeness.

By Louis Theroux