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‘Would you like me to cry now?’: Louis Theroux on the manosphere, marriage and misunderstandings

He’s television’s most daring documentary-maker, known for asking questions others wouldn’t. But Theroux doesn’t seem to like it when the tables are turned

On the pavement outside the Netflix office, I stand in the rain, confused. Was that interview a little off? Louis Theroux seemed not to like my questions, which were typical interview questions, related to him and his big glossy Netflix debut, Inside the Manosphere. He seemed, I don’t know, prickly? A bit testy? I’m prone to rumination, so perhaps I am overthinking. Because Louis Theroux is a good guy, right? He skewers the bad guys. And yet here I am, baffled. The only thing to do is sit in a cafe and replay the tape.

Did Louis Theroux's manosphere documentary change anyone's mind?

It's a question explored in Louis Theroux's latest documentary, Inside the Manosphere.

Netflix calls it a "no-holds barred" investigation into "a growing ultra-masculine network" – and it's been sparking discussions since its release earlier this week.

Theroux spoke to some of the space's most prominent figures – including UK streamer Harrison Sullivan, aka HS TikkyTokky, who is seen arguing with Theroux over claims he promotes misogynist views.

Some have called the documentary a "shocking" insight into the world of these influencers but others have accused it of failing to shed new light on the phenomenon.

BBC Newsbeat spoke to a group of young men and others who keep track of the online space, including charities that support women, to ask if they thought Theroux's film would have an impact.

These toxic influencers hadn’t heard of Louis Theroux. That was their first mistake

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Louis Theroux does a thorough job in this feature-length documentary about the extreme edges of online masculinity culture. That is to say, the veteran documentarian weaponises his quizzical eyebrows and uses his apologetic embarrassment as a tool for access, all the while getting at the ugly truths and delusional hunger behind a movement trying to turn the mobile phones of teenage boys and young men into an indoctrination tool and ATM.

It’s both a valuable explainer – this is what “red-pilled” means – and a viable public disinfectant.

A long-time BBC fixture, Theroux uses Netflix’s reach to get access to the comrades and camp followers of Andrew Tate, the first name referenced regarding toxic online misogyny. One of them, Briton Harrison Sullivan, aka HSTikkyTokky, hasn’t heard of Theroux and doesn’t know what to make of this trim, bespectacled 55-year-old with zero game.

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