With a BBC film crew, Theroux travelled to Kansas to spend time with members of the church and interview its leadership.

[16] In 2019, Theroux made another follow-up, Surviving America's Most Hated Family, essentially creating a trilogy of documentaries based on the church.

Born in 1929 in Meridian, Mississippi,[18] Phelps conducts himself under the belief that he is a prophet chosen by God "to preach his message of hate".

[19] Phelps subsequently enlarged the scope of his activities and formed protests in areas where civil rights were being debated for LGBT people.

[19] Phelps received criticism in 1998 when he repeatedly exclaimed "Matt is in hell" during the funeral of Matthew Shepard, a man murdered for being homosexual.

[18] President George W. Bush signed the Respect for America's Fallen Heroes Act into law on Memorial Day in May 2006.

[30] The Most Hated Family in America includes footage of members of the Westboro Baptist Church picketing at funerals of United States soldiers.

[31] The Westboro Baptist Church members reveled in the September 11 attacks and stated they were punishment for the country's "fornication and lust".

[39][40] Theroux and a BBC film crew spent three weeks in Topeka, Kansas, gathering information on the 71 members of the organisation.

[41] In an article for The Guardian, Theroux noted, "It was fascinating to see the power of a family to create its own bizarre ideology and pass it down through the generations.

"[45] The Westboro Baptist Church appreciated the attention its organisation received from the documentary, and added a citation to the film on its website.

[2] In August 2007, Seven Network of Australia purchased a package of programmes from the BBC including The Most Hated Family in America and two other specials by Theroux: Under the Knife and Gambling in Las Vegas.

[3] In April 2008, Seven Network purchased The Most Hated Family in America and the same two other programmes from the BBC, with an additional two documentaries by Theroux added: Behind Bars and African Hunting Holiday.

[8][51] In January 2009, The Most Hated Family in America was released as part of a DVD boxed set in PAL region 2 format, along with African Hunting Holiday, Under The Knife, Behind Bars, and Gambling in Las Vegas.

[10][52] Titled, Louis Theroux: The Strange and The Dangerous, the DVD set received a four-out-of-four-star recommendation from The Daily Record.

[53] Peter Grant of the Liverpool Echo commented, "Louis Theroux took a trip to Kansas for his documentary, The Most Hated Family in America.

In the way it reveals the comic horror inherent in all forms of zealotry, it is every bit as compelling as Theroux's recent Vegas documentary.

"[12] Writing for The Scotsman, Andrea Mullaney articulated, "Theroux really had found the ultimate in weirdness for his latest documentary – they're so beyond the point of reason, into a self-perpetuating psychosis, that no matter how he tried, he couldn't challenge their beamingly-delivered pronouncements, or trip them up.

"[37] Hilary Fannin of The Irish Times commented that the airing of the documentary, "saw Louis Theroux, in The Most Hated Family in America, shatter another redneck American target, the Westboro Baptist Church".

It was like watching a youngster from a village cricket team trying to bowl out Geoff Boycott, and I began to wonder what Theroux was hoping to achieve.

[57] Writing for the Birmingham Mail, Graham Young observed, "The Most Hated Family in America is the best documentary from Louis since long before his Michael Jackson fiasco.

The shiny badge of notoriety..."[59] A review in the Irish Independent was critical of giving any coverage to the group, "Theroux tried to get the teenage daughters to deviate from the standard family line but they weren't budging an inch.

The end result was that a group of loathsome people who spend every second of their lives trying to attract free publicity for themselves got a whole hour of it courtesy of the BBC.

"[60] Writing for The Observer, Kathryn Flett was critical of the choice of title for the documentary, commenting, "The Most Hated Family in America?

[13] Schwartz was critical of Theroux's lack of detachment from his subject matter, "He repeatedly distances himself from the church, expressing his disapproval of their views.

"[13] The documentary was highlighted in The Sydney Morning Herald among "The week's best", and critic Greg Hassall characterised it as, "Disturbing, perplexing and very entertaining.

The U.S. Supreme Court case of Snyder v. Phelps, heard following a lawsuit leveled at Westboro Baptist Church for distress caused by the picketing of the funeral of a US Marine killed in Iraq, served as the background to the sequel.

Theroux was interested in the ambivalent attitude of church members towards his first film, and stated, "The new documentary feels quite different than the original – though still funny, a little darker and stranger".