BBC Two has announced a brand new documentary series fronted by Louis Theroux.
Provisionally titled Forbidden America, the three-part series will explore the impact of the internet and social media on some of the most controversial corners of American entertainment.
The BBC share: “Travelling the length and breadth of the United States, Louis will meet an assortment of content creators who promote far-right views, self-destructive performers – and in some cases alleged predators – whose work involves them promoting and enacting the most risqué, immoral and illegal behaviour.”
Louis Theroux said: “The world has gone through massive changes in the last few years, in particular from the effects of social media. This new series looks at the way those changes have affected people in America who are in different ways involved in dangerous, extreme, or morally questionable lifestyles.
“Far-right groups that have found new influence through gaming and streaming services. Porn performers who have seen power shift to them as they’ve embraced creator-controlled apps and called out alleged predators in the industry. And in the rap world young men with big dreams caught up in feuds and high-risk behaviour in the click-driven world of social media.
“These three documentaries were tough to make. They required delicate access conversations. They feature scenes and confrontations that are shocking and upsetting. But they are also powerful depictions of a world that has become strange in ways we could never have imagined just 10 years ago.
“They show the dangers of the technotopia we all now inhabit, where extremist content can be piped directly into the phones and laptops of millions of children. But they also illustrate some of the positive opportunities the new world has created by disrupting old hierarchies of power.
“I’m very proud of all three programmes and hope viewers will find them as thought provoking to watch as I did making them.”
Patrick Holland, Director, Factual, Arts and Classical Music Television, added: “It is brilliant to see Louis return with three challenging and timely films engaging with lives lived at the extremes, navigating the lines between real life and social media, between consent and exploitation and between self expression and hate.
“Louis is a unique filmmaker and this trilogy promises to be a major event.”
In the first film, Louis meets the young and highly inflammatory figures from the far right, including those who recently came to the broader public’s attention through the notorious Capitol Hill riots.
In another episode, Louis will immerse himself in the new world of rap and hip-hop in the southern states of America while a third instalment will explore the porn industry as it grapples with its own Me Too movement.
Louis Theroux: Forbidden America will air on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer with a release date to be announced.
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