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