Louis Theroux Wierd Weekends - Thai Brides

[StickKettleOn]

I guess many of you have seen this, as the Louis Theroux series was broadcast some 10 years ago. If you havent seen this, you must check it out. Laugh out loud funny.

Not sure if links are allowed on TV - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=or5HBFCmnBc

60 minutes split into six lots of 10 minutes. The above link is for the first 10 minutes. Click for the other 5 after you have watched it.

Doco on ferang men seeking Thai mail order brides. Ferang 'customers' are interviewd, as are the Thai 'prospects', and followed around bangkok on dates to see how they get on. Sucsessfull dates result in marrage within days. The first ferang we meet is introuced to his Thai 'prospect' and takes her to Cabages and Condoms for lunch. He is 'educated' in the Thai culture and general do's and dont's (no kissing in public, no holding hands, no expresion of love, no intamcy at all).... Within 30 mins of meeting her, is is almost on the floor holding her hand begging her to marry him - despite the fact she speaks zero English.

The Elvis fan kills me.... genuinly thinking he is being romantic, 2 hours after marrying her he declares to his new wife 'you are stunning. If i see a cheap bargain, i should not let it go"

Then there is the ferang owner of one of the agencys.... interviews a Thai 'prospect' for a ferang, and after 5 minutes is porking her in the office with her Mother outside who came to "make sure her daughter would be ok"

Without Louis Theroux, it wouldnt be funny. His sarcasm pores scorn over the customer and agency boss in a way that they dont realise they are being mocked. Louis clearly dissaproves.

Great stuff.

Google - Louis Theroux Thai Brides if link removed

Edited March 16, 2007 by StickKettleOn

[ColPyat]

Oh me god!

[zaza]

I saw the whole six parts of it. It is too confusing whether you should laugh or cry

Was it really 10 years ago?What had happen to Ronnie now?

Ara all these women now in UK living happy after they had got the money out of those half witted old men?

[farangsay]

I was on a gig in England , I suppose it would be about 10 years ago , when

one of the tabloids ran a story about a guy who went to BKK "shopping" for

a wife. It was all in the best possible taste. He checked out the models

available , kicked a few tyres , took a test drive or two and finally decided.

When the press attention got too much he sequestered her so she couldn't

talk to reporters. She managed to escape his clutches somehow. She complained

of being totally cloistered and also of his "excessive sexual demands".

The story died then of course. I hope the poor girl managed OK after that.

Stranger in a strange land and all that.

[meatgrowler]

I guess many of you have seen this, as the Louis Theroux series was broadcast some 10 years ago. If you havent seen this, you must check it out. Laugh out loud funny.

Not sure if links are allowed on TV - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=or5HBFCmnBc

60 minutes split into six lots of 10 minutes. The above link is for the first 10 minutes. Click for the other 5 after you have watched it.

Doco on ferang men seeking Thai mail order brides. Ferang 'customers' are interviewd, as are the Thai 'prospects', and followed around bangkok on dates to see how they get on. Sucsessfull dates result in marrage within days. The first ferang we meet is introuced to his Thai 'prospect' and takes her to Cabages and Condoms for lunch. He is 'educated' in the Thai culture and general do's and dont's (no kissing in public, no holding hands, no expresion of love, no intamcy at all).... Within 30 mins of meeting her, is is almost on the floor holding her hand begging her to marry him - despite the fact she speaks zero English.

The Elvis fan kills me.... genuinly thinking he is being romantic, 2 hours after marrying her he declares to his new wife 'you are stunning. If i see a cheap bargain, i should not let it go"

Then there is the ferang owner of one of the agencys.... interviews a Thai 'prospect' for a ferang, and after 5 minutes is porking her in the office with her Mother outside who came to "make sure her daughter would be ok"

Without Louis Theroux, it wouldnt be funny. His sarcasm pores scorn over the customer and agency boss in a way that they dont realise they are being mocked. Louis clearly dissaproves.

Great stuff.

Google - Louis Theroux Thai Brides if link removed

Quality,i love it when that lake mush tells lawrence "LATER!"

[bkk shadow]

Is fun to laugh at others yes?

[ZhangYimou]

is it 60 minutes long? i see part 1 at 5 minutes, and part 2 at 7 minutes? how many parts are there?

[zaza]

Is fun to laugh at others yes?

Sure it is NOT fun to laugh at others but about some words and acts of that Lake (the candle vow), (BTW,how long does the flame of a candle would last so I can estimate the life of his marriage that he had promised of being forever!!!!)

[zaza]

is it 60 minutes long? i see part 1 at 5 minutes, and part 2 at 7 minutes? how many parts are there?

6 parts

[ZhangYimou]

how do you know its ten years old? i think i saw the bts.

[kalaminsa]

Also available as a torrent.just google & you will find it.

[StickKettleOn]

I dont know for certain its ten years old, and cant be bothered to look it ip - Definatley no later than 2000. Most of his Wierd Weekend stuff was ten years ago. The one where he spends a weekend with wierdo Jimmy Saville is priceless.

Yeh I thought that about the candle - the doughnut! That was total spur of the moment if you ask me and he clearly didnt think it through.... lol "I need you, I love you, I want you" the look on her face says it all. Clealry she is thinking "<deleted>"

Gotta love Ronnie. He's like a 1940's 'bounder'. Permanent cheesy, calculating smile on his face weighing up his options. You can almost guarantee that he has serviced half the girls who have turned up looking for spouses.

What do these Thai chicks expect to find when the turn up at places like this? A floppy haired Hugh Grant type bloke who will whisk her away in an Astin Martin? Or Lake, who will "destroy you verbaly" if you piss him off? The end titles - when Lake is singing 'how deep is your love' to Louis. Pure comedy.

Why dont these guys just book into a Suk hotel for a week instead of chucking dough at an agency?

[ColPyat]

I dont know for certain its ten years old, and cant be bothered to look it ip - Definatley no later than 2000. Most of his Wierd Weekend stuff was ten years ago. The one where he spends a weekend with wierdo Jimmy Saville is priceless.

Yeh I thought that about the candle - the doughnut! That was total spur of the moment if you ask me and he clearly didnt think it through.... lol "I need you, I love you, I want you" the look on her face says it all. Clealry she is thinking "<deleted>"

Gotta love Ronnie. He's like a 1940's 'bounder'. Permanent cheesy, calculating smile on his face weighing up his options. You can almost guarantee that he has serviced half the girls who have turned up looking for spouses.

What do these Thai chicks expect to find when the turn up at places like this? A floppy haired Hugh Grant type bloke who will whisk her away in an Astin Martin? Or Lake, who will "destroy you verbaly" if you piss him off? The end titles - when Lake is singing 'how deep is your love' to Louis. Pure comedy.

Why dont these guys just book into a Suk hotel for a week instead of chucking dough at an agency?

The thing was made no earlier than December '99, because that was when the sky train opened.

I think the thing was full of very nasty and disgusting people, including and especially the presenter, who i would have slapped for some of his comments. The only exception was that Lake Palmer with his PTSD for which he had to take heavy medication - i did feel sorry for him.

The whole thing made me cringe. I don't really want to see emotionally crippled people, money grabbing females, and one lonely bloke with a lot of problems made an easy target by a mouthy presenter.

I don't like it when TV crews aim to get normal people to embarrass themselves in front of the camera, so they can get easy laughs and a good rating. This is very low.

[LoveDaBlues]

watched 1.5 clips.......boring

[Barney_the_Dinosaur]

Its about 7 years old. I recall the content vividly, though I haven't seen it again for years. I noticed at Xmas I still have have the video sitting down in my place in Jakarta.

Lawrence Lynch 'Dream Weaver' . I think he is still around.

There's a part where Ronnie says something lewd, and Louis replies 'I sort of wish you hadn't said that'. Can't recall what Ronnie says though.

[The Dan Sai Kid]

that was really funny - cheers for the link!!

Are those guys getting civil services, or just the buddhist seremonies.

[Dupont]

I dont know for certain its ten years old, and cant be bothered to look it ip - Definatley no later than 2000. Most of his Wierd Weekend stuff was ten years ago. The one where he spends a weekend with wierdo Jimmy Saville is priceless.

Yeh I thought that about the candle - the doughnut! That was total spur of the moment if you ask me and he clearly didnt think it through.... lol "I need you, I love you, I want you" the look on her face says it all. Clealry she is thinking "<deleted>"

Gotta love Ronnie. He's like a 1940's 'bounder'. Permanent cheesy, calculating smile on his face weighing up his options. You can almost guarantee that he has serviced half the girls who have turned up looking for spouses.

What do these Thai chicks expect to find when the turn up at places like this? A floppy haired Hugh Grant type bloke who will whisk her away in an Astin Martin? Or Lake, who will "destroy you verbaly" if you piss him off? The end titles - when Lake is singing 'how deep is your love' to Louis. Pure comedy.

Why dont these guys just book into a Suk hotel for a week instead of chucking dough at an agency?

The thing was made no earlier than December '99, because that was when the sky train opened.

I think the thing was full of very nasty and disgusting people, including and especially the presenter, who i would have slapped for some of his comments. The only exception was that Lake Palmer with his PTSD for which he had to take heavy medication - i did feel sorry for him.

The whole thing made me cringe. I don't really want to see emotionally crippled people, money grabbing females, and one lonely bloke with a lot of problems made an easy target by a mouthy presenter.

I don't like it when TV crews aim to get normal people to embarrass themselves in front of the camera, so they can get easy laughs and a good rating. This is very low.

Glad to be in a agreement with you again here.

Am always amazed at how my friends in England sit around and watch this rubbish and never see a human side to it. Many of these types of shows disregard any mental or human issues in their quest to be the next great TV cynic/comic.

Anyway, the last laugh is on the viewers who find it funny and giggle away in a Beavis and Butthead type laugh.

Its a type of male bonding for them, specifically, Male Loser Bonding. They are the ones with dull, uneventful lives that need this tv fix to give themselves some sort of feeling of superiority.

Most of these unfortunates probably had more sex then most of their audience which will have made in acceptable to laugh at their other problems.

I'll have real life anyday, let them have their reality TV. Up to them.

[andook]

Well, I'm typing this under banners advertising "marriage in Thailand" and other similar agency ads, so I'm not going to get moralistic about this.

I've seen some of Theroux's other docu's; about racist black and white hate groups in the US; and the w/e with misanthrope Jimmy Saville was priceless as well, like the poster above mentioned.^^

I think Theroux is normally quite a good, objective and brave interviewer; although given the material involved with this episode; no-one is coming out smelling of roses.

It is entertaining though.

[John_Rambo]

Is fun to laugh at others yes?

Yes, in this case absolutely hillarious.

Come on, some of the people on that program deserve to be laughed at.

[wolfmanjack]

Its about 7 years old. I recall the content vividly, though I haven't seen it again for years. I noticed at Xmas I still have have the video sitting down in my place in Jakarta.

Lawrence Lynch 'Dream Weaver' . I think he is still around.

There's a part where Ronnie says something lewd, and Louis replies 'I sort of wish you hadn't said that'. Can't recall what Ronnie says though.

They were talking about western women having headaches. He said that my thai wife never has a headache even when she does.

I would like to know what the deal is with English men and polyester pants ??? I saw these on this clip and I know several here in Chiang Mai that always wear them.

[qualtrough]

Its about 7 years old. I recall the content vividly, though I haven't seen it again for years. I noticed at Xmas I still have have the video sitting down in my place in Jakarta.

Lawrence Lynch 'Dream Weaver' . I think he is still around.

There's a part where Ronnie says something lewd, and Louis replies 'I sort of wish you hadn't said that'. Can't recall what Ronnie says though.

They were talking about western women having headaches. He said that my thai wife never has a headache even when she does.

I would like to know what the deal is with English men and polyester pants ??? I saw these on this clip and I know several here in Chiang Mai that always wear them.

Some real intersting characters in the show, quite enjoyed it. I would be willing to bet that this show resulted in a substantial increase in customers for those types of agencies, which probably was not the intent.

I wonder how the Lake Palmer marriage turned out? And did they have a son named Emerson?

[t.s]

The thing was made no earlier than December '99, because that was when the sky train opened.

I think the thing was full of very nasty and disgusting people, including and especially the presenter, who i would have slapped for some of his comments. The only exception was that Lake Palmer with his PTSD for which he had to take heavy medication - i did feel sorry for him.

The whole thing made me cringe. I don't really want to see emotionally crippled people, money grabbing females, and one lonely bloke with a lot of problems made an easy target by a mouthy presenter.

I don't like it when TV crews aim to get normal people to embarrass themselves in front of the camera, so they can get easy laughs and a good rating. This is very low.

colpyat

while i appreciate your apparent familiarity with the seamy underbelly of thailand and knowledge of the darkside, it seems you have no experience of louis theroux.

his wild weeknds series and others are hardly going out to take the piss at the expense of others unless they happen to be truly reprehensible or ridiculous.

He obviously pities Lake, and while he does take a poke it is a gentle one. He is far different with ronny who i dont think deserves much compassion, the man is obviously scum. the dinner scene is unbearable, and it isn't louis' doing.

If you watch some of his other shows ie survivalists and louis in the brothel, you can see he does genuinely connect with some of the subjects you claim he "aims to embarrass"

i would suggest you watch more of him before you decide he is out to destroy peoples cred. I think his strength is compassion where it is deserved and the ability to let folks dig their own graves by letting them appear as they are.

[kat1]

Thanks for the link. Louis was priceless, I wonder what he is doing now?

I remember watching this originally, along with his other series, especially his experiences in America (KKK, porn stars, etc.) and his Michael Jackson non-interview. Entertaining stuff.

It was never meant to be an honest investigation into the 'Thai Bride Industry' - Weird Weekend explains that. It does give a flavour from the Farang perspective. I wonder if there has been a similar programme made for Thais? I would love to see that...........

[mr_hippo]

What happened to Lake Palmer? Go to http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=17069

[The Dan Sai Kid]

Cheers for the link. It was interesting to follow up the doc.

Regardless of situation it beggars belief that someone would consider getting married after 2 days!!!

To tell someone, "I love you" during your first meal together - when you had met an hour before, well do I need to comment?

[StickKettleOn]

Lake Palmer's Story...

The 60-year-old admits he was taken for a fool by an Asian beauty he married only three days after they met.

She strung him along for eight months before dumping him for another rich European man, leaving him £12,000 in debt.

Now Lake, a former Army captain who served in the Borders, spends his days in bed, suffering from depression.

Lake married Panom Yeesoon nicknamed Jad in a Buddhist ceremony in Thailand four years ago.

He was convinced he had found a woman who would love and care for him for the rest of his life.

When he returned home, he bombarded her with gifts, money and love letters. But eight months later, after failing to get a visa to come to Britain, she dumped him for someone else.

Lake said: 'I know people will say I'm a silly old man but I am very lonely. Growing old on your own is frightening.

'I was just looking for someone who would give me companionship in my twilight years a bit like Fred.'

A former offshore gas rig worker, Lake was forced to retire in 2000 due to ill health. He had been married twice before but neither relationship had lasted more than five years.

He decided to seek a Thai bride through an introduction agency. It cost him £1385 and a further £800 to get to Bangkok, where he met Jad. She was 45 but looked much younger.

'She had a regal quality,' he said. 'She was slim and very well-dressed. I was swept off my feet.'

On their second day together, he proposed. They married the following day in a hastily-arranged Buddhist ceremony. Luckily for him, Lake had forgotten his decree absolute and couldn't get the paperwork together for a legally-binding ceremony. So, what he went through was only a blessing.

He slept with Jad on their wedding night and spent five more romantic days with her, before taking his pre-booked flight home.

She pledged to follow him as soon as her visa came through. It was August 2000 and Lake thought they'd be together by Christmas.

From his home in Great Yarmouth, he ran up a telephone bill of £1800 and sent her £1500 and lavish gifts.

But she was refused a visa. It turned out she was still legally married to another Englishman.

Ever hopeful, Lake continued to correspond and send money until April 2001, when she told him in a telephone call she had met a Belgian man and didn't want to know him any more.

He said: 'I cried for six weeks and I've lost all my confidence. I only have my Army pension to live on. I think that's why she didn't want me.

'I've had a nervous breakdown and I'm still desperately lonely.'

Thanks for the above link.

Jesus. Poor old lake.

It transpires then that she didnt even go to England. He met the chick through an agency, fell in love in a split second (owing to his exposed feelings and f_ucked up state of mind), marries her, then flys back to England alone. Whislt back in England, he send her money and gifts to the point where he has nothing left, then she dumps him.

And he paid the best part of B100,000 to the agency for this?

How can they agency charge such a crazy fee?

The agency is a much to blame as the girl. I didnt see 'the Dreamweaver' educating Lake on the dangers of Thai con women. And lets face it, most of the chicks that go to the agency are simply looking for a quick buck.

http://www.miltonkeynestoday.co.uk/ViewArt...rticleID=826695

As for theis link, above..... Jesus. Never fails to amaze me. I would be happy to read just once, just once about a ferang marrying a rich Thai chick, taking her back to England and taking her for everything he can. Please. Someone out there make my day.

[bkkmadness]

The Agency does take some responsibilty for this as they are apparently didn't inform Lake that his 'wife' was married already or at least they didn't research her enough to know this.

Poor ol' Lake. Classic though when after he meets the first girl he explains how it when to Louis "chemistry, chemistry, a meeting of minds."

Louis was a sh1t in this docu though, he waited until Lake left the room and told his new wife all slyly "You know he's on medication".

Ronnie was a character, I wonder if he paid a dowry for the chick that left him 8 days later?

[Prakanong]

I saw the whole six parts of it. It is too confusing whether you should laugh or cry

Was it really 10 years ago?What had happen to Ronnie now?

Ara all these women now in UK living happy after they had got the money out of those half witted old men?

Never 10 years ago - within the last 4 or 5.

[StickKettleOn]

Qiote - "Poor ol' Lake. Classic though when after he meets the first girl he explains how it when to Louis "chemistry, chemistry, a meeting of minds." "

Yep - that was a classic. Its lakes delivery though - the way he says it is more funny than the actual statement. For anyone who has seen The Fast Show, poor old Lake is the kind of stuff they base charcters on. I would love to have a beer with the bloke - he is as funny as hel_l and dosent even know it.

Ronnie is indeed just a sleezy, scummy man. Not the kind of bloke I would want to have a beer with. Still funny though, in his seedy little way.

[Prakanong]

This was the same doc where the old guy married the mae baaan who lived in a cupboard?

He got a visa very easy if I remember then they showed them at home in the UK in the house he said would be her's when he slipped his mortal coil.

They showed her dealing with the car and other housework.

I thought that story was sweet -the others quite sad.

The agency in Times Square I am sure was false - I once worked in there and it was not there when I was though he said it was long established. I was told that Ronnie was the front for a nasty character from Kent - I know a guy who got married through him. Turned out she was gay and her and her pal used two guys to get to the UK.

That was his story anyway but he was a bit of a bullshitter.