Louis Theroux has left BBC Studios to start a new production company.
The 49-year-old documentary-maker has established Mindhouse Productions with his executive producer Arron Fellows - with both said to own 40 per cent of the company - and Louis\' wife Nancy Strang is a director who owns the remaining 20 per cent.
A spokeswoman for the BBC told Deadline: "Louis and the BBC have a strong and long-standing relationship. We look forward to continuing to work together and already have exciting projects in development for next year."
Another spokesperson for BBC Studios added: "We love working with him and hope to again in the near future."
Louis confirmed his plans to set up an indie at the Edinburgh International Television Festival in August.
He said: "We will make shows that are similar to the sorts of things I\'ve done in the past but not necessarily with me in it - first-person docs that go to extremes and also stories without me that cover similar terrain."
The award-winning documentary-maker received his big break in 1998 with \'Louis Theroux\'s Weird Weekends\'. Following his success, Louis received critical acclaim for his show \'When Louis Met...\' which saw him profile several celebrities.
In the 2000 documentary \'When Louis Met...Jimmy\' Louis spent a significant amount of time with Jimmy Savile - the now-disgraced, late TV presenter -and was given unprecedented access to his home life.
