Louis Theroux's next documentary series is inspired by Netflix's Adolescence

Louis Theroux is working on a documentary series inspired by the virally popular Netflix drama Adolescence.

The show doesn’t yet have a name, but it has begun filming according to The Sun.

For those who spent the whole of March and April on a media blackout, Adolescence made headlines earlier this year after its power (and popularity) sparked a debate about misogyny and Incel culture among school-age kids.

It has gone on to become the second most-viewed English language Netflix TV series to date, and was watched more than 142 million times in its first 91 days on stream.

Adolescence was not based on a true story, but was inspired by headlines seen by writer Jack Thorne, who previously wrote the Enola Holmes films and Help, which starred Adolescence lead actor Stephen Graham. The show was co-written with Graham.

A work of fiction sparking a real-life investigation? It might be fairer to say both works are inspired by cultural tides larger than any TV show, but it won’t harm the show’s marketing. It “will likely air on Netflix” some time next year, according to The Sun’s sources.

Theroux will reportedly host the series himself and it, unsurprisingly, will touch on topics like “manosphere” influencer and all-round rotten egg Andrew Tate.

Louis Theroux’s last major work was The Settlers, a documentary about illegal Israeli settlers occupying the West Bank. It had a significant cultural impact at its release in April, and was broadcast on BBC Two.

That show and this upcoming Adolescence-themed one are produced by Theroux’s Mindhouse production company, which he founded in 2019 with Arron Fellows and Nancy Strang, who is also his wife.

While Theroux is best known for his BBC work, Mindhouse produced Netflix’s Can I Tell You A Secret?, released in 2024.

This won’t be the first time these themes have recently been explored in documentary film-making. The BBC’s Inside the Secret World of Incels was broadcast in 2019, Channel 4’s 2022 doc The Secret World of Incels: UNTOLD is available to stream, as is an episode on the subject from Laura Whitmore Investigates, on ITV.

• 10 shows to watch if you were gripped by Adolescence