Louis Theroux to look at ‘fear and optimism’ in Edinburgh TV festival lecture

Theroux said he was thrilled to appear at the event

Louis Theroux will examine both “fear” and “optimism” in the world when he delivers the James MacTaggart Memorial Lecture.

The 53-year-old journalist will cover the challenges facing broadcasters in the multi-platform universe in his speech at the Edinburgh TV Festival in August.

Organisers said his lecture will look at “the reasons for both fear and optimism in a world beset by populism, social media, AI, and virality in all its forms”.

He will also talk about how he has maintained longevity and relevance in broadcasting for more than 25 years.

Theroux said: “I am beyond thrilled to be asked to deliver this year’s MacTaggart Lecture.

“The old Chinese curse runs ‘May you live in interesting times’. But I also believe interesting times – to those of us whose job it is to report on them and reflect them, while also providing an occasional distraction from them – can be a blessing.

“The many years I’ve spent reporting on the fringes have been an ample education on the nature of human psychology and the strange place the world now finds itself in.

“I look forward to sharing some insight into what I think I’ve learned.”

The broadcaster is best known for inserting himself into fringe political groups, cults and gangs through his work at the BBC, where he has made Louis Theroux’s Weird Weekends, When Louis Met… and Louis Theroux: Forbidden America.

In his most recent project on BBC Two, Louis Theroux Interviews…, he spoke to famous faces such as Stormzy, Dame Judi Dench and Rita Ora and adopted a more traditional interview style, often in the home of his subject.

This year he has also launched his new Spotify show, The Louis Theroux Podcast, in which he continues to talk to celebrities.

In 2019, Theroux created his production company, Mindhouse, which has been involved in making the documentaries KSI: In Real Life and Joe Wicks: Facing My Childhood.

Edinburgh TV Festival executive chairwoman Fatima Salaria said: “Louis is one of the most thoughtful … figures in TV, with a wide range of cultural interests and a broad appeal across generations.

“I can’t wait to hear his take on where TV is, where it’s come from and where it’s going.”

The MacTaggart Lecture, which has formed the centrepiece of the Edinburgh International Television Festival since 1976, last year saw former Newsnight journalist Emily Maitlis take to the stage.

The News Agents podcaster said during her speech that the BBC “sought to pacify” Number 10 by issuing a swift apology for her 2020 Newsnight monologue about Dominic Cummings. The corporation said it did not take action due to “pressure” from Number 10 or Government and found the programme breached “editorial standards”.

Other speakers at the MacTaggart Lecture have included Sir Billy Connolly, screenwriter and playwright Jack Thorne, historian and broadcaster David Olusoga and creator of The Thick Of It Armando Iannucci.