The Problematic Gaze – Details, episodes & analysis

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

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!