Set record because Louis is back
With the weather set to be damp and cold, there’s no better time to welcome Louis Theroux back into your living room and in his new documentary, The Night in Question, he’s staying in the US to examine the topic of sexual assault.
After his recent Altered States series proved popular, the beloved broadcaster will now be travelling to American college campuses and talking with students whose universities are accusing them of sexual assault.
With reports of sexual violence increasing in recent years, the US government has urged colleges to enforce a stricter code of sexual conduct among their students.
Employing specialist administrators to carry out investigations into alleged offences, they now have the power to permanently exclude those they deem responsible.
At the start of his journey, Louis meets a neuroscience major called Saif Khan, who has been accused of raping a fellow student. Khan’s university is investigating the claims separately, even though he has been found not guilty in a court of law.
For the victims of sexual assault, these new processes, which require less stringent levels of proof than criminal cases, have allowed accusations that might have never been heard in a court of law to be vindicated. But alleged perpetrators believe the attempt to be more vigilant about rape and assault has turned into an overreaction that tramples on due process and harms innocent people.
Throughout the show, Theroux will also meet young women whose claims of sexual assault have previously fallen on deaf ears. These women also believe that a new approach to handling allegations of sex crimes is not only necessary but long overdue.
The Night in Question airs at 21:00 on BBC2.
Clip via BBC
