Louis Theroux in shock career move as he joins BBC rival to produce new celeb show

HE has been the BBC’s unassuming interviewer for 26 years, but now it seems Louis Theroux is stepping back from grilling stars for the corporation.

After two series of Louis Theroux Interviews . . .  for the Beeb, I can reveal he won’t be making any more of the series for the foreseeable future.

Which is disappointing enough for the BBC, but making matters worse is the fact his production company, Mindhouse, is making a new celebrity series for streaming rival Netflix.

A TV insider said: “Louis is very much seen as a BBC star, having launched his career there in 1998 when he was an unknown.

“And his two interview series in 2022 and 2023 were very much seen by execs as him doing what he does best.

“But now it seems he won’t be going back to the format, potentially for years.”

Of course, Louis’ production company has just made Boybands Forever for the Beeb, in which Louis interviewed music mogul Simon Cowell.

He will also be delivering the follow-up, Girlbands Forever, later this year.

But Mindhouse has been increasingly working with a diverse range of streamers, including Sky, for whom it produced the 2023 Lockerbie doc and last year’s Tell Them You Love Me. It also has Dart Kings coming up later this year.

In the five years since the company was created, it has also made documentaries for U&Dave, ITV, Netflix and Prime Video.

Not surprisingly, it produced Louis’ two recent interview series for the Beeb which featured him grilling the likes of rapper Stormzy, boxer Anthony Joshua, and actresses Dame Judi Dench and Dame Joan Collins.

I reckon he’ll find it hard to completely turn his back on meeting fascinating celebrities . . . 

DUO PLOT PODCAST TAKEOVER

NOT content with dominating telly, Ant & Dec are planning to launch their own star-studded podcast.

The duo – who returned to our screens this week with ITV gameshow Limitless Win – say it would be a passion project.

Dec said: “We’ve never done a podcast but we’ve been talking recently about doing one and tapping into it.”

Ant added: “We did a pilot for a Radio One breakfast show years ago, it went well but I think they gave it to Sara Cox.

“Maybe we’ll do a podcast because with the radio you have to be in for your slot every day whatever but doing a podcast means we could do it as and when.

“We are so busy as we don’t have a lot of free time.”

Just imagine the celebrity pulling power those two would have when it came to guests…

SPOOF IS SO RIGHT FOR JOHN

JOHN THOMSON may have left Corrie, but he’s already lined up a new role in Downton Abbey parody Fackham Hall.

The actor returned to Weatherfield as Jesse Chadwick to whisk Gail Platt to the South of France – bringing an end to Helen Worth’s 30 years on the cobbles.

John plays a prisoner called Bill in the period comedy film.

The writers of the spoof – in the style of Airplane! and Monty Python – include Jimmy Carr.

Fackham Hall also stars Ben Radcliffe, Damian Lewis, Tom Felton, Thomasin McKenzie and Anna Maxwell Martin.

John hasn’t worked with such a stellar line-up since his days on The Fast Show.

THE much-anticipated second series of The Last Of Us will drop on Sky and NOW in April.

This second outing picks up five years after the events of the first season with Joel and Ellie drawn into conflict with each other in an even more dangerous, post-apocalyptic world.

CLAUDIA: I LOVE MY PUP BABY

SHE’S loving life as host of The Traitors, but Claudia Winkleman has been discussing death – and has made a stark confession.

Asked how she would like to be remembered, the BBC host told the Where There’s A Will, There’s A Wake podcast: “Skip’s mum has gone.”

She continued: “So I have recently got a dog [Skip] who I am in love with. The two kids have left home.

“I didn’t know what to do. I thought I might steal a baby. So instead I got a dog, who I treat like . . . I mean, I don’t put him in clothes, but I open his mouth and insert my tongue . . . 

“Did you ever see that film There’s Something About Mary, and there’s that old orange lady that goes lalalalala with her dog?

“I was like, ‘That is disgusting!’. Turns out that I’m that lady.

“I’ve been known to sing him a lullaby. My husband was like. ‘This is too much’.”

FACE THE BLOWS

THERE’S a distinct whiff of Line Of Duty about new drama A Thousand Blows, which drops on Disney+ on February 21.

As well as being based in the criminal underworld, the show stars Daniel Mays and Stephen Graham who both played seriously troubled policemen in the BBC One cop drama.

The showrunner is Steven Knight, the man behind Peaky Blinders, current BBC One hit SAS Rogue Heroes and upcoming Netflix period epic, House Of Guinness.

These exclusive pictures from the six-parter show Francis Lovehall as Alec, one of two men who arrive in London in the late 1800s.

Together with his pal, Hezekiah (Malachi Kirby) they have to navigate the cut throat world of boxing in the capital’s East End.

There they come up against Sugar Goodson, a dangerous, veteran fighter portrayed by Graham, who’s stacked on some serious muscle for the role.

Erin Doherty who’s better known for playing Princess Anne on The Crown, and James Nelson-Joyce complete the knockout cast.