Louis Theroux interviews; Jimmy Carr Destroys Art; The White Lotus

“The portrait that emerged of the rapper was of a decent bloke with a complicated family life and a largely positive attitude. But those qualities alone don’t make you an A-lister, and it was hard not to feel that there was another more ambitious or mercurial side to Stormzy that Theroux had missed entirely. Above all, the episode confirmed that Theroux is at his best away from the interview couch, free to explore the crazy world of celebrity on his own idiosyncratic terms.”
Ed Power, The i

“Britain’s most successful rap star was happy to talk about traumatic personal problems — his violent youth, the breakdown of his one serious relationship, his bouts of mental illness — but if the issues were difficult, the questions never were. ‘Are you OK?’ Louis kept asking, ‘do you want to stop?’ This was far removed from one of his Weird Weekends, where he wins the confidence of his interviewees to coax them into unguarded revelations.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“Both men seemed to be in matey fanboy mode, Stormzy seeming faintly star-struck by Theroux and Theroux saying: “I was struck by his enormous achievement and his impressive physique.” (All right, Louis, calm down. Though, yes, I too may have noticed the washboard stomach.)”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“No fireworks or gimmicks. Just two people sitting down and talking in front of a camera, with a few relevant excursions. Theroux may be the only British broadcaster with the clout to get away with such an old-fashioned format.”
Ed Cumming, Telegraph

“The destructions - by fire, paintball, chainsaw, etc - were stupid, but no more so than the “debate” that preceded them. If works are worthy of debate, they’re important by definition. If they’re not, why bother with them at all?”
Ed Cumming, Telegraph

” The writing is as dense and layered as ever, the plotting is immaculate and the viewers’ sympathies – or loathings – are never allowed to rest in one place for too long. The characters may be there to unwind, but White is not one to let his audience relax.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian