Despite not having any major pieces of work out since 2015 (My Scientology Movie), the conversation and fascination with Louis Theroux has not dwindled, but grown.

Disclaimer: I myself am a loyal fan of Louis Theroux.

I love the controversy of the subjects he chooses and his willingness to get involved in anything, from getting a tummy tuck to having a massage at a brothel.

Most of all I love the multitude of awkward moments he creates by pushing people’s buttons.

I have watched and enjoyed everything he has made, and completely understand his popularity. Motivated by personal interest, I used Brandwatch Audiences to find out as much as I could about his popularity.

A popular guy

In My Scientology Movie, Louis re-enacts some of the exercises and practices used by Scientologists in efforts to reach self-fulfillment. It’s his unconventional style and stunts like this that have turned a national treasure into a cult-like figure.

But who are the people that make up his fan cult? The Brandwatch React team found out.

Who tweets most about @louistheroux?

With a reputation for being one of the “most wanted” men in Britain (he was named seventh by Tatler as well as being listed in the “weird crush” top ten by Heat Magazine), we expected his fan base to be predominantly female.

Alas, we were wrong.

55% of tweeters talking about Louis Theroux were male compared to 45% female authors. But, why?

Perhaps, people of all genders, particularly men, are genuinely interested by the topics of the documentary rather than just the man himself.

We looked at the top interests of those who tweet @louistheroux and found that they were significantly more interested in books and politics than the average tweeter.

We also looked at the professions who were most likely to tweet about Louis.

Along with creative professionals, journalists made up a significant amount of the tweeters.

So, male, politically intrigued creatives and journalists are those who are more likely to tweet about Louis Theroux. This would suggest a large number of his fans have a genuine interest in his work, and the enticing controversial topics he addresses.