Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast The Problematic Gaze

Dr Lee and Dave are having the week off! Before our next week's episode on 'Dirty Dancing', here's an episode from last year for our Gazers new and old to enjoy!

Greetings from PG Towers! Join social historian Dr Lee Arnott and TV Producer Dave Moor for a lighthearted look at the world of TV,  Film and Popular Culture from yesteryear that has since been considered problematic. This week we cast our Gaze over high school musical 'Grease' from 1978. The Travolta phenomenon steps up a gear and Olivia Newton John hops aboard. Many a teen girls and gays favourite. Euphoric, innocent fun? Or perhaps a darker representation of teens, cultural morals and gender roles.

Also, Dr Lee bursts Dave's 'fake it till you make it bubble'. And just who is the Sandra Dee, and who is the Rizzo in this friendship.

You can watch Grease on many media formats in the UK and across the globe!

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.

And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

Welcome to The Problematic Gazette, a bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments  and  discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week.

To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here!

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

In this episode of The Problematic Gaze, we revisit The Poseidon Adventure (1972), beginning with its iconic New Year’s Eve celebration that turns instantly catastrophic. Using the overturned ship as both spectacle and metaphor, we examine how the film reinforces—and occasionally challenges—traditional 1970s gender roles, particularly around masculinity, leadership, faith, and sacrifice. We also place The Poseidon Adventure alongside its sister disaster films of the era, exploring why these large-scale spectacles resonated so strongly with 1970s audiences. In a decade shaped by social upheaval and institutional mistrust, we ask what comfort, reassurance, or ideology these films offered when the world felt unstable.

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

This festive episode of The Problematic Gaze Podcast decks the halls with sarcasm as we revisit Blackadder’s Christmas Carol (1988). Swapping Dickensian gloom for yuletide jokes, unexpected kindness, and plenty of seasonal silliness, we explore why this one-off special has become a cult Christmas favourite. From time-travelling spirits to Rowan Atkinson at peak comic charm, this is a warm, witty celebration of Christmas television—proof that even Blackadder can discover the joy of goodwill (with a smirk). Grab a mince pie and join us for a merry stroll through one of the BBC’s most beloved Christmas treats. 🎄

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

Welcome to The Problematic Gazette, a bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments  and  discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week.

To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here!

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

For decades, the Morecambe & Wise Christmas specials were more than just television — they were a seasonal institution. In this episode of The Problematic Gaze, we take a joyful deep-dive into the 1971 Morecambe & Wise Christmas Special, fondly remembered as one of their most beloved festive showcases. Broadcast on Christmas Day 1971, this classic brought together Eric Morecambe, Ernie Wise and an unforgettable lineup of guests — including showbiz legends like Shirley Bassey, André Previn and Glenda Jackson — for a rich variety of sketches, musical performances and moments that have become part of British Christmas tradition. 

We’ll revisit Eric’s ridiculous piano concerto with Previn, Shirley Bassey’s set malfunction, and the duo’s effortless blend of slapstick and warmth that made millions tune in each holiday season. This episode celebrates how the 1971 special helped define festive TV entertainment — bringing laughter, music and a sense of shared joy to families across the UK and beyond.

Click here to watch the 1971 Morecambe and Wise 1971 Christmas Special on IPlayer

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

GAZER HOMEWORK: Next week we focus on Blackadder's Christmas Carol. Click here to watch on Amazon Prime in the UK

THIS EPISODE CONTAINS SOME BACKGROUND INTERFERENCE! WE BLAME OUR DAVE'S HANGOVER. APOLOGIES, MUST TRY HARDER (OR DRINK LESS)

Welcome to The Problematic Gazette, a bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments  and  discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week.

To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here!

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

In this episode of The Problematic Gaze, we take a smart yet light-hearted look at It’s a Wonderful Life  from 1946, starring Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, the man whose shattered dreams somehow become the emotional glue holding Bedford Falls together. We explore how the film mirrors a nation rebuilding itself after WWII, balancing hope, anxiety, and the looming pressure of the corporate machine embodied by Mr. Potter.

We dig into the film’s gender politics, especially the Madonna/Whore dynamic that frames Mary as the idealized homemaker while Violet is cast under the town’s moral magnifying glass. We also zoom out to the cultural moment: the news events shaping the postwar world,  the film landscape Frank Capra re-entered after the war, and the popular songs that set the mood of 1946.

Deep dive into with us into a beloved holiday classic—proof that beneath all the tinsel lies a rich tangle of ideals, anxieties, and unfulfilled ambitions.

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

Welcome to The Problematic Gazette, a bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments  and  discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week.

To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here!

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

In this festive deep dive, The Problematic Gaze visits the candlelit halls of Downton Abbey to dissect the beloved—and controversial—2011 Christmas Special. From Mary and Matthew’s snow-dusted proposal to the unspoken emotional labor of the servants, we unwrap how the episode uses holiday warmth to soften the edges of Edwardian class hierarchy, gender expectations, and the romanticisation of aristocratic life. Through critical analysis and cultural context, we explore how period drama is often used to remind us of the good old days, when everyone knew their place, Britannia ruled the waves and even the poorest could be happy (unless you're Daisy the kitchen maid, and then life was actually shit!)

Watch the episode of international hit drama Downton Abbey from Christmas Day 2011.  Click here to watch on itvX in the UK

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

GAZER HOMEWORK: Next Week we dissect the beloved US Christmas film (or is it?) It's A Wonderful Life from 1946

Welcome to The Problematic Gazette, a bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments  and  discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week.

To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here!

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

In this episode of The Problematic Gaze, we’re joined by actor, writer, comedian, and classic TV chronicler Toby Hadoke for a deep dive into Series 3, Episode 10 of the enduring British cult sci-fi phenomenon Blake’s 7  from 1980.  Toby brings his insight, humour, and encyclopaedic genre knowledge to a conversation about what made the series daring, flawed, and unforgettable. We explore the show’s gender politics, performances, production challenges, and the fascinating contradictions that helped cement Blake’s 7 as one of British sci-fi’s most compelling—and complicated—television landmarks.

To watch the episode of Blakes 7, Harvest of Kairos, discussed in this podcast  Click here

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

GAZER HOMEWORK: Next Week we dissect we kickstart our Christmas curation with an episode of international hit drama Downton Abbey from Christmas Day 2011.  Click here to watch on itvX in the UK

Dear Gazers, As Our Dave and Dr Lee are off on holiday there’s no Problematic Gazette this weekend. So instead please enjoy this episode from the Gazer Vault. To ease you into the festive season we focus on the Christmas favourite ‘Love Actually’. But beware, it’s not all cutesy lovehearts and romantic festive fayre, anything but! Enjoy!!

Join Lee and Dave for a lighthearted look at the world of TV,  Film and Popular Culture from yesteryear that has since been considered problematic. This week we break out the mince pies and sherry to watch the British Christmas movie 'Love Actually' from 2003. A word of warning! If this film fills you with festive cheer, prepare to have your nostalgia vibes well and truly violated! This film is what The Problematic Gaze was invented for. Buckle up! Our peace and goodwill runneth on empty!

Also, Lee knows his onions when it comes to cold remedies. And Dave brushes up on his extremely rusty customer service skills.

We watched Love Actually on Sky Movies.

Click here to follow us on our socials

And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

In this episode of The Problematic Gaze, we peel back the layers of the notorious 2014 documentary series Benefits Street, zeroing in on its explosive first episode. We explore how the show, the tabloids and even the government framed poverty, constructed narratives of the  “deserving” versus “undeserving” poor, and used editing to transform real lives into sensationalist entertainment. And just how did a mortgage crisis in the USA contribute to austerity in the UK?

Join us as we unpack how a single episode became a national talking point—and a case study in the power (and danger) of televised storytelling.

To watch the first episode of Benefits Street discussed in this podcast on YouTube Click here

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

GAZER HOMEWORK: Next Week we dissect an episode of UK cult sci-fi drama Blakes 7 from 1980. Click here to watch

Welcome to The Problematic Gazette, a bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments  and  discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week.

To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here!

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

In this episode of The Problematic Gaze, we step back into 1979 with Series 3, Episode 1 of Mind Your Language — a British sitcom that turned cultural stereotypes into punchlines and classrooms into chaos. Once celebrated as lighthearted comedy, the show now raises serious questions about race, representation, and the politics of humor.

We unpack the episode’s jokes, characters, and reception — asking: What did 1979 find funny? How did the show reflect Britain’s uneasy relationship with multiculturalism? And what can today’s audiences learn from revisiting a sitcom that both entertained and offended in equal measure?

Join us as we explore how nostalgia meets discomfort in the world of Mind Your Language — and how comedy’s “classroom of errors” still echoes through pop culture today.

To watch the episode of Mind Your Language discussed in this podcast on YouTube Click here

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

GAZER HOMEWORK: Next Week we dissect an episode of UK documentary Benefits Street from 2014. Click here to watch our chosen episode on YouTube

Our Dave and Dr Lee  welcome Gazers to The Problematic Gazette, a bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments  and  discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week.

To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here!

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

Pack your wedding dress and your ABBA mixtape, darling — this week we’re heading to Porpoise Spit.

Muriel’s Wedding made us laugh, cry, and secretly want to walk down the aisle to “I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do.” But beneath the sequins and self-tan lies a biting portrait of 1990s Australia — where success meant a white dress, a husband, and a ticket out of small-town obscurity.

Dave and Dr. Lee take a nostalgic (and occasionally uncomfortable) look at how female friendship, fat-shaming, and fame fantasies play out in this cult classic. And what does this film tell us about the LGBT small town experience?

To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here!

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

GAZER HOMEWORK: Next Week we dissect an episode of notorious sitcom Mind Your Language. Click here to watch our chosen episode on YouTube

Ever watch an old TV show or film and think, “Could you get away with that today?”

Join TV writer Dave Moor and social historian Dr. Lee Arnott as they take a wry, thoughtful and lighthearted look back at six decades of television and film — from Sex and the City to Threads, The Golden Girls to Love Actually, Benny Hill to Only Fools and Horses.

Each week we revisit the shows, news headlines, and pop culture moments that shaped their eras, asking the awkward questions with humour, heart, and a splash of nostalgia. Think Top of the Pops meets Trevor McDonald.

Winner of 'Best History Podcast' at the UK Independent Podcast Awards 2025 and named by Radio Times as one of the Top 30 Podcasts to Listen to Right Now, The Problematic Gaze doesn’t cancel — it celebrates, questions, and laughs along the way.

So, pour yourself a glass, pull up a chair, and take off those nostalgia-tinted specs.
This is The Problematic Gaze!

To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here!

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

Fresh from winning 'Best History Podcast' at The Independent Podcast Awards, welcome Gazers to The Problematic Gazette, a bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments  and  discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week.

To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here!

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

dvSZvYixgffIYCq25eOV

👻 To celebrate Spooky Season, here's an episode from the PG Vault for our new Gazers to enjoy! 🎃

Join Lee and Dave for a lighthearted look at the world of TV,  Film and Popular Culture from yesteryear that has since been considered problematic. This week we watch the supernatural BBC 1 drama 'Ghostwatch' from 1992. Find out why it had the nation in uproar and jammed the BBC switchboard. Just who is Pipes? And dare you enter the Glory Hole?

Sadly the version of Ghostwatch we watched on YouTube has been taken down. But click here to watch a fab documentary about the Ghostwatch controversy by Shrouded Hand.

Click here to follow us on our socials

And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

👻 To celebrate Spooky Season, here's an episode from the PG Vault for our new Gazers to enjoy! 🎃

Join Lee and Dave for a lighthearted look at the world of TV,  Film and Popular Culture from yesteryear that has since been considered problematic. This week, in celebration of Halloween, we cast our gaze on the classic film An American Werewolf In London. From the Yorkshire Moors to Piccadilly Circus, this film caused a stir upon its release in 1981. Is it a horror or a comedy? Is Jenny Agutter the poshest nurse ever? Let's take a visit to the most unwelcoming pub in England. And have you ever woken up in a wolf enclosure? Easily done.

Also, did Lee and Dave first meet on a donkey in 1981? And the side plate going for a song at £155.00!!

You can watch An American Werewolf in London on Amazon Prime in the UK.

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.

And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

Click here to follow us on our socials

👻 To celebrate Spooky Season, here's an episode from the PG Vault for our new Gazers to enjoy! 🎃

Greetings from PG Towers! Join social historian Dr Lee Arnott and TV Producer Dave Moor for a lighthearted look at the world of TV,  Film and Popular Culture from yesteryear.  This week  we jump in the telly TARDIS and cast our Gaze over the seminal horror classic 'The Wicker Man' from 1973. Join Edward Woodward on a trip to the verdant Scottish island of Summerisle where all is not what it seems. Paganism, sacrifice and turquoise beans. It's all here.

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.

And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

In this special Halloween episode, The Problematic Gaze dives into Robert Hiltzik’s Sleepaway Camp (1983), a cult classic slasher that mixes lakeside gore with one of the most infamous twists in horror history. What begins as a standard teen body count film turns into a messy collision of gender anxiety, repression, and moral panic.

We unpack how Sleepaway Camp reflects (and distorts) early ’80s fears around gender nonconformity, the portrayal of trauma and queerness in horror, and how its shocking ending continues to haunt trans and queer representation decades later. Is Sleepaway Camp an accidental critique of heteronormative horror, or just another relic of exploitation cinema gone wrong?

Join us as we navigate the murky waters between camp and cruelty — with a few screams along the way.

Click here to watch Sleepaway Camp from 1983 on YouTube

To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here!

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

Fresh from winning 'Best History Podcast' at The Independent Podcast Awards, welcome Gazers to The Problematic Gazette, a bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments  and  discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week.

To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here!

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

In this episode of The Problematic Gaze, we hop into the telly TARDIS back to January 8th, 1975 — and land smack in the middle of The Benny Hill Show at the height of its powers: ratings through the roof, international fame, and a cast of women who seemed contractually obligated to wear only lingerie and smiles.

Benny Hill was a comedy genius, no doubt — a master of physical timing, quick-cut gags, and musical parodies. But beneath the laughs (and above the hemlines) lies a cultural artifact full of questionable accents, endless ogling, and punchlines that raise more eyebrows than laughs today.

We break down the sketches, the innuendos, and the saxophone-fueled sprinting. Light-hearted but clear-eyed, this episode is a cheeky look at a show that made millions laugh — and now makes many ask, “Wait… did he just say that?!”

Click here to watch our chosen episode of 'The Benny Hill Show' from 1975

To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here!

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

GAZER HOMEWORK: Next week our Halloween Special will feature the horror movie Sleepaway Camp from 1983. Click here to watch on YouTube

Fresh from winning 'Best History Podcast' at The Independent Podcast Awards, welcome Gazers to The Problematic Gazette, a bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments  and  discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week.

To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here!

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

In this episode of The Problematic Gaze, we rewatch the very first episode of Game of Thrones with our eyes wide open — and the rose-colored glasses off. Once hailed as a gritty feminist epic, the show’s legacy now looks a lot messier. We dig into how Game of Thrones glorified sexual violence, punished ambitious women, and stripped its female leads of power and complexity. But it didn’t stop there: we also unpack the show’s troubling handling of race — from the white savior fantasy of Daenerys to the one-dimensional portrayal of the Dothraki and Unsullied — and how disability was reduced to metaphor or moral punishment. In the game of thrones, you win or you die… but some characters were never even given a fair shot.

We watched Game Of Thrones Season 1, Episode 1 'Winter Is Coming' on Sky Box Sets on the UK.

To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here!

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.

Welcome Gazers to The Problematic Gazette, a welcome bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments  and  discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week.

To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here!

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

This week on The Problematic Gaze, we dive paws-first into the fur-covered chaos of Are You Being Served?’s infamous 1977 episode “Mrs. Slocombe Expects.” It’s pregnancy panic at Grace Brothers when Mrs. Slocombe’s feline-related misunderstanding leads to a scandalous stir—and some jaw-dropping innuendos that would never make it past the censors today.

We unpack:

• The smirking sexism behind the staff room banter
• The not-so-subtle class digs and gender politics
• And the complicated legacy of Mr. Humphries — allowed to mince, wink, and flounce across the screen, but never allowed to be gay. John Inman’s performance is iconic, but what does it mean when queerness is only palatable as long as it stays in the realm of innuendo?

Was it cheeky fun or a problematic time capsule? Hit play and find out why this episode is still raising eyebrows nearly 50 years later — and what it says about how far we've really come.

Click here to watch the episode of 'Are You Being Served" discussed in this podcast.

To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here!

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

Welcome Gazers to The Problematic Gazette, a welcome bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments  and  discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week.

To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here!

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

This week on The Problematic Gaze, we’re joined by the brilliantly opinionated Michael and Hilary Whitehall, hosts of The Wittering Whitehalls Podcast, for a dive into one of the more bizarre corners of 1960s British television: The Avengers episode “Quick-Quick Slow Death”  from 1966.

From first hand tales of Patrick Macnee, Diana Rigg and Honor Blackman, with a side swerve of Dame Peggy Ashcroft and Tony Hadley, Michael and Hilary are the perfect guests to explore the 1960's and all things 'The Avengers' with. 

Espionage meets ballroom dancing in a surreal swirl of murder, Cold War paranoia, and mid-century missteps. Together, we unpack:

• The camp and charm of Steed & Mrs. Peel
• Rationed emotions and outrageous plotlines
• And what this all tells us about post-war Britain on the small screen

With the Whitehalls bringing their signature dry humour, this episode is a witty waltz through nostalgia, nonsense, and necessary critique.

To find out about The Wittering Whitehall on tour and more click here!

You can watch the episode of The Avengers (S4 E19 - Quick-Quick Slow Death) discussed in this episode on Amazon Prime Video.

To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here!

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

Welcome Gazers to The Problematic Gazette, a welcome bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments  and  discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week.

In this episode, Dave is late to the Only Murders In The Building party and Dr Lee survives his post wedding blues to report on unfolding events in Morpeth!

To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here!

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

In this episode of The Problematic Gaze, we dive headfirst into the controversial Cagney and Lacey episode titled "The Gimp." Aired in the gritty 1980s heyday of network TV, this installment tackled disability, desire, and the thin blue line — but did it break ground or just break bad? Join us as we unpack the ableist tropes, dated language, and surprisingly progressive moments that still spark debate today. Was The Gimp a bold move toward inclusivity or just another case of good intentions gone cringe? Let’s get into it.

To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here!

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

Welcome Gazers to The Problematic Gazette, a welcome bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments  and  discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week.

In this mini-episode we announce our future special guests, Michael and Hilary Whitehall from The Wittering Whitehalls podcast. We're giddy kippers as we've been nominated for 3 awards at The Independent Podcast Awards!! And we chat about our short film about Molly Houses which is up on our YouTube Channel!

To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here!

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

In this episode of The Problematic Gaze, we take a closer look at one of The Office (UK)’s most painfully awkward episodes: “Training.”

From David Brent’s relentless need to perform authority to the complete breakdown of professionalism, “Training” is a masterclass in how power, ego, and insecurity collide in everyday workplaces.

We break down how the episode uses discomfort as comedy, what it reveals about early 2000s office culture, and whether the cringe still lands—or just feels exhausting.

Is Brent a mirror of real-life managers... or something much darker?

And who doesn't love Tim and Dawn's romantic rollercoaster?

The Office 'Training'  Click here to watch our chosen episode on IPlayer

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

Gazer Homework: Next week we discuss classic US crime Drama 'Cagney and Lacey  Click here to watch our chosen episode on IPlayer

Welcome Gazers to The Problematic Gazette, a welcome bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments  and  discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week.

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

Secret Diary of a Call Girl wants you to think it's in control — sexy, smart, subversive. But is it really? In this episode of The Problematic Gaze, we peel back the glossy layers of the pilot episode to expose the contradictions hiding beneath the lingerie. Who’s really being seduced here?

We break down how Secret Diary plays with fantasy, flirts with feminism, and whether its bold aesthetic is actually reinforcing the very gaze it claims to subvert. With its playful fourth-wall breaks and picture-perfect escort life, is this just empowerment wrapped in a high-gloss package... or something more complicated?

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

Gazer Homework: Next week we discuss UK comedy classic The Office. Click here to watch our chosen episode on IPlayer

Welcome Gazers to The Problematic Gazette, a welcome bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments  and  discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week.

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

Buckle up Gazers this ain't gonna be pretty! In 1965, the BBC made a film so terrifying, so brutally honest about nuclear war, they banned it before it ever aired. The War Game wasn’t a horror movie—it was a government-funded drama-documentary about a nuclear attack on the UK that hit too close to home.

Why did the BBC pull the plug? What did Peter Watkins show the public that authorities didn’t want seen? And how did this “lost” film become one of the most chilling—and prophetic—anti-war statements of the 20th century?

This week on The Problematic Gaze, we uncover the shocking story behind The War Game, the politics of censorship, and why this forgotten film might be more relevant today than ever.

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

Welcome Gazers to The Problematic Gazette, a welcome bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments  and  discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week.

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

Gazer Homework: Watch excerpts from The War Game, from 1965 on YouTube By Clicking here. 

In this episode of The Problematic Gaze, we revisit Only Fools and Horses' classic 1989 outing The Unlucky Winner Is—the one where Del enters Rodney’s teenage artwork into a kids’ competition and wins a family holiday to Spain… with a few strings attached.

We explore how this sun-soaked farce touches on the cultural landscape of late-80s Britain—from the rise of the yuppie dream to the era’s growing emphasis on safe sex messaging, and how these ideas filter through the show’s humour and character dynamics.

As Rodney is forced to play the role of a 14-year-old while grappling with his adult identity, we look at how Only Fools balances its sharp wit with emotional moments, and what the episode tells us about masculinity, aspiration, and brotherly loyalty in Thatcher’s Britain.

It’s a nostalgic package holiday of laughs, awkward moments, and cultural insight—bucket and spade not required.

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

Gazer Homework: Watch excerpts from The War Game, from 1965 on YouTube By Clicking here. 

In this episode of The Problematic Gaze, Dr. Lee and Our Dave dive deep into the glossy paranoia of The Stepford Wives (1975) — a chilling suburban satire that’s part sci-fi horror, part feminist nightmare.

What does this cult classic really say about gender roles, domesticity, and the backlash to second-wave feminism? 

We explore the film’s historical context, its uncanny aesthetic, and its lasting influence on how society frames women, perfection, control, and conformity. 

Whether you’re into feminist film analysis, horror tropes, or just love unpacking problematic classics — this one’s for you.

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

Gazer Homework: Series 6, Episode 4 of Only Fools and Horses, titled “The Unlucky Winner Is…”

This week on The Problematic Gaze, we hop in our Telly Tardis and jump between the year 2000 and 1985 — courtesy of Will & Grace’s infamous two-parter, Lows in the Mid-Eighties. It’s the big bang of the Will & Grace universe, where we witness the origin stories of our favorite neurotic New Yorkers: Will's awkward coming out, Grace's wedding-that-wasn’t, Jack’s dramatic entrance (obviously), and Karen… just being Karen, with fewer highlights, even less shame and Martina Navratilova!

In this episode we focus on the US sitcom Will and Grace with the two-part "Lows in the Mid-Eighties" episodes (episodes 8 and 9 of season 3)

We break down the fashion crimes, the emotional chaos, and the surprisingly heartfelt moments buried under layers of hairspray and shoulder pads. Was this a nostalgic masterpiece, or a chaotic retcon with a laugh track? 

So slip into your acid-wash denim, crank up the Eurythmics, and join us for a walk down memory lane — one that’s paved with drama, denial, and deeply questionable hair choices.

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

Gazer Homework: Click here to watch 'The Stepford Wives' from 1975 on YouTube

Greetings from PG Towers! Join social historian Dr Lee Arnott and TV Producer Dave Moor for a lighthearted look at the world of TV,  Film and Popular Culture from yesteryear.  This week, we deep dive into 'America's Next Top Model', the US reality show launched in 2003. Now heavily criticised for its promotion of unhealthy body images and questionable racist undertones, this immensely popular show highlights how the modelling industry, and reality TV can age like a glass of fine milk! 

Click her to watch 'Top 20 Outrageous America's Next Top Model Moments' discussed in this podcast.

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
 And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

Gazer Homework: In our next episode we focus on the US sitcom Will and Grace with the two-part "Lows in the Mid-Eighties" episodes (episodes 8 and 9 of season 3)

Greetings from PG Towers! Join social historian Dr Lee Arnott and TV Producer Dave Moor for a lighthearted look at the world of TV,  Film and Popular Culture from yesteryear.  This week, we deep dive into the one off TV event 'It's A Royal Knockout' from 1987. It's a time when Princess Diana had the world in her thrall and the rest of the Royal family fumed in her shadow. Prince Edward decided it would be a great idea to plunge Princess Anne, Fergie and (ahem) Prince Andrew into the world of celebrity, with a special version of It's A Knockout. Cue a series of silly games, pomp and pageantry. Celebrities of all ilk appeared. Where else would you get Su Pollard and John Travolta on the same billing? The result is a mix of fever dream and LSD trip. Not for the faint hearted, pour yourself a stiff drink and buckle up! What could possibly go wrong? Quite a lot it seems!!

Click here to watch on YouTube  'It's A Royal Knockout'

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
 And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

Gazer Homework: In our next episode we focus on the US reality show 'Americas Next Top Model'  Click here to watch the 'Top 20 Outrageous Moments.' clip we will focus on.

Greetings from PG Towers! Join social historian Dr Lee Arnott and TV Producer Dave Moor for a lighthearted look at the world of TV,  Film and Popular Culture from yesteryear.  This week, we step back to into the world of high glam, high fashion and crime busting women with an episode of hit US crime drama 'Charlie's Angels' from 1976. What can these plucky females tell us about the representation of women on the television in the mid seventies? Feminist statement or yet more female exploitation? All is discussed. And just what is Dave's beef with Dr Lee concerning Double Deckers?

 Click here to watch on YouTube our chosen episode of 'Charlie's Angels'

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.
 
 And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

Gazer Homework: In our next episode we focus on the British gameshow featuring the royal family, It's A Royal Knockout from 1987. Click here to watch on YouTube 

Greetings from PG Towers! Join social historian Dr Lee Arnott and TV Producer Dave Moor for a lighthearted look at the world of TV,  Film and Popular Culture from yesteryear.  This week, we step back into the world of the grotty student flatshare with an episode of the anarchic cult sitcom 'The Young Ones' from 1984.

Click here to watch our chosen episode of 'The Young Ones' from 1984.

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.

And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

Gazer Homework: In our next episode we focus on the US drama 'Charlies Angels' from 1976. Click here to watch on YouTube

Greetings from PG Towers! Join social historian Dr Lee Arnott and TV Producer Dave Moor for a lighthearted look at the world of TV,  Film and Popular Culture from yesteryear.  This week, as we attempt to record ourselves for YouTube (watch this space!) we cast out Gaze back to the year 2000 and join spirit animals Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha for a dissecting of the international smash hit comedy series Sex And The City. What can this show teach us about the advance (or demise) of female sexual emancipation in the 21st Century? Do the sexual and romantic antics of our heroines hold up in 2025? Pour yourself a cosmopolitan, kick off your Manolos and listen to how this show changed the TV landscape.

We watched Season 3 Episode 1 of Sex And The City entitled 'Where There's Smoke'

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.

And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

Gazer Homework: In our next episode we focus on the UK sitcom 'The Young Ones' from 1984. Click here to watch on YouTube

Greetings from PG Towers! Join social historian Dr Lee Arnott and TV Producer Dave Moor for a lighthearted look at the world of TV,  Film and Popular Culture from yesteryear.  This week, as the UK swelters in a heatwave, we turn up the heat and cast our gaze on 80's blockbuster action film Top Gun. There's aerial dogfights, a plucky but tortured hero, shiny Hollywood masculinity, power ballads and THAT volleyball scene. If we weren't already hot under the collar we discuss those famous shower scenes. 

Click here to follow us on all our socials

Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.

And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you!

Gazer Homework: In our next episode we focus on Sex And The City. Season 3 Episode 1 'Where There's Smoke...'