Louis Theroux: Surviving America's Most Hated Family - BBC2

Louis Theroux with members of the Westboro Baptist Church

(Image credit: BBC)

Louis Theroux returns in this one-off about the Westboro Baptist Church

Louis Theroux's history chasing down and interviewing oddballs, the marginal and the unsavoury opens a new chapter as he returns with this one-off documentary, Louis Theroux: Surviving America's Most Hated Family.

And it's a return in a double sense, since he's heading back to Kansas, to visit the controversial Christian ministry Westboro Baptist Church.

It was 13 years ago that Louis first encountered the indoctrinated group in his documentary America's Most Hated Family (America's Most Hated Family in Crisis followed four years later).

Louis with Shirley Phelps-Rober — Hateful and proud: Louis with Shirley Phelps-Roper, daughter of Fred

This time, Louis wants to see if things have changed since the death of church-founder and bigoted figurehead Pastor Fred Phelps, who believed he was a prophet appointed by God to preach "a message of hate".

TV Times rating: ****