Louis Theroux unveils 'controversial' crime documentary Tell Them You Love Me

19 January 2024 , 17:07

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Louis Theroux's latest documentary will premiere Sky later this year (Image: Daniel Zuchnik/WireImage))

Sky has dropped the trailer for a brand-new film from master documentary filmmaker Louis Theroux. Set to air next month, Tell Them You Love Me will explore whether the astounding events that led to a divisive criminal trial were a misunderstood love affair or a tale of sexual assault and predatory behaviour.

The feature-length documentary examines the controversial affair between a married female professor and a non-verbal black man with cerebral palsy. The relationship and high-profile criminal trial that followed challenges our perceptions of disability and the nature of consent.

Through exclusive archive and present-day footage – as well as interviews with those on both sides of the case – Tell Them You Love Me weaves together a riveting and endlessly nuanced story about communication, disability, race, and sex. The film is produced by Theroux’s production company, Mindhouse, and directed by Nick August-Perna.

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Tell Them You Love Me will premiere exclusively on Sky Documentaries on February 3. It will be available to watch with a Sky TV package, which is currently available with Sky’s February deal along with Netflix, Sky Stream and Superfast broadband for £39 a month.

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Anna Stubblefield and Derrick Johnson were embroiled in a controversial affair

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Tell Them You Love Me centres around Anna Stubblefield, a respected academic and disability rights advocate who is passionate in her belief that the most essential part of the human experience is the ability to communicate. Anna meets 30-year-old Derrick Johnson, who has never spoken a word in his life and requires around-the-clock care and support from his family.

Anna Stubblefield gives her side of the story in Tell Them You Love Me

During his early childhood, medical professionals diagnosed Derrick as severely cognitively impaired, but Anna disagreed and told Derrick’s family she could help him communicate with the outside world. After almost two years of work, she claimed to have “unlocked his mind,” as he could now express complex thoughts and write thoughtful essays thanks to a controversial technique that involved training him to type on a keyboard.

But Anna had more to reveal: not only was Derrick a highly intelligent man but they had also fallen in love, leading Derrick’s family to question his miraculous transformation along with Anna’s intentions. This soon led to one of the most divisive criminal trials in recent times, challenging perceptions of disability and the nature of consent.

Sky unveiled the trailer for Tell Them You Love Me in January, giving viewers a glimpse into the fascinating, gripping and unnerving true story at the film’s centre. Speaking to Sky ahead of its launch, Theroux said: “When I started Mindhouse four years ago, this was exactly the kind of morally complex film I’d hoped we might be involved in making.

“It deals with some of the most sensitive and difficult themes in the culture but does so in a way that is intelligent and forensic and never sensationalist. Tell Them You Love Me is also just a powerful story which millions of people will enjoy watching and be totally engaged by.”

Click here to join Sky and watch Tell Them You Love Me. Alternatively, a host of documentaries are available on Amazon’s Prime Video and Netflix.

Jake Hackney