Jamali Maddix to investigate cults in Dave series Follow The Leader
- Dave series Follow The Leader With Jamali Maddix will see the comedian investigating religious cults, political movements, underground radicals and ostracised groups
- He says: "I've always been fascinated by cults and sub-cultures - people that choose to live as 'other'"
- The series is produced by the same team as the Louis Theroux Interviews. Theroux says of Maddix: "He is the real deal: brave, funny, curious"
Jamali Maddix will host his first series for Dave and UKTV Play in 2024. In each of the four hour-long episodes of Follow The Leader With Jamali Maddix, the comedian and documentary maker will spend time with leaders and key figures in growing communities on the fringes of the mainstream to find out just why they inspire such devotion among their followers.
The series is produced by Mindhouse Productions, who make the Louis Theroux Interviews and Sex Actually With Alice Levine.
Follow The Leader will investigate religious cults, political movements, underground radicals and ostracised groups "to try and make sense of how our post-pandemic world has splintered and been reframed".
Jamali Maddix says: "I've always been fascinated by cults and sub-cultures - people that choose to live as 'other'. Comedians are typically outsiders and I've made a career from observing people's behaviour and nuances from this perspective. With this show I want to explore the more extreme worlds people choose to live in and discover who they are and crucially why they do what they do."
Louis Theroux, who acts as a creative director on the series, comments: "In times of great weirdness, it gives me some consolation to know that we have intrepid connoisseurs of the dark, the troubling, the downright baffling of the calibre of Jamali. He is the real deal: brave funny, curious - someone who can walk the fine line of challenging and confronting where necessary but also being empathetic and kind. I'm proud to be with him on the Follow The Leader journey, wherever it may take us."
Commissioner Emile Nawagamuwa notes: "In a world that is increasingly fragmented, it's fascinating to see just what connects us and who our new thought leaders are. I'm incredibly excited that Jamali, with his natural curiosity and razor-sharp insight will be taking us into these rising movements and really getting to the heart of what makes them so compelling to so many people. These immersive journeys into fringes of society will land Dave and UKTV Play viewers right at the centre of some of the world's most eye-opening breakaway factions."
Dave channel boss Cherie Cunningham concludes: "Follow The Leader will combine documentary, comedy and travel to fantastic effect and I can't wait for Dave and UKTV Play viewers to discover the pockets of our culture that Jamali visits."