Englishman abroad (Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends)

Member Name: hobo

Product:	Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends
Date:	21/03/01 (23 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Seeing the freaks and wierdos of the world got out smarted by louis

Disadvantages: seeing the freaks and wierdos of the world

What is it about Louis's interview technique that makes this program so watchable? I think it has something to do with the fact that he has a fairly passive technique. He just sits back and lets people say their piece. By choosing people with a particularly bigoted or just plain interesting view point he can then just fire off fairly simple questions and actually gain some insight from them.
Louis also always approaches the interview from the postion of the underdog. He looks a bit nerdy and I think, often plays to this image, often pretending to be ignorant of his subject, but open minded to their views. He does this to try to make the interviewee feel dominant and in control of the situation, when in actual fact, he's guiding them, gently towards th real money line. The one piece of wisdom they will produce that leaves the audience agog.

And that's the beauty of the show, at least once per show, Louis will guide the interviewee into saying something so earth shatteringly stupid or so contradictory to the case they are trying to argue, that we all look at each other and say "I can't believe he said that".

Summary: