The Problematic Gaze

This week we're heading back to Canal Street in 1999 to revisit one of the most influential British television dramas ever made: Queer as Folk.Created by Russell T Davies, the groundbreaking Channel 4 series exploded onto British television with an honesty and confidence rarely seen before. Funny, provocative, explicit and unapologetically gay, it introduced millions of viewers to a world that had seldom been portrayed so openly on mainstream television.We focus on the unforgettable first episode, meeting the confident and charismatic Stuart, his best friend Vince, and fifteen-year-old Nathan, whose arrival on Manchester's Canal Street sets the story in motion. Along the way we revisit the moments that made headlines—from explicit sex scenes and frank discussions of gay relationships to Stuart fathering a child through sperm donation, Vince's endearing Doctor Who obsession, and some wonderfully memorable comic moments that remind us why the series became such a phenomenon.In our Pride Corner, we step back into Britain at the end of the 1990s to explore just how much the country was changing. We discuss shifting public attitudes towards LGBTQ+ people, media representation, advertising, the growing visibility of trans people, and how newspapers such as The Sun gradually changed their approach to outing and reporting on LGBTQ+ lives. We also revisit the television, music and popular culture that formed the backdrop to one of the most talked-about dramas of the decade.Of course, we also examine the controversies that surrounded Queer as Folk. Was the reaction driven by genuine concerns or by lingering prejudice? How does the series look through modern eyes? We discuss its handling of age, sex and consent, while also considering criticisms of its relatively narrow portrayal of gay life, including its overwhelmingly white cast, limited representation of lesbians, and the notable absence of HIV and AIDS from a story set at the end of the twentieth century.More than twenty-five years later, Queer as Folk remains funny, moving, controversial and hugely influential. This episode asks not simply what has aged well, but what the series tells us about Britain in 1999—and how far we've travelled since.Join us as we revisit the drama that changed the conversation about LGBTQ+ lives on British television forever.GAZER HOMEWORK: Next week we turn our focus to the 1986 movie: Crocodile DundeeClick here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To watch the episode of 'Tales Of The City" discussed in this episode on YouTube: Click herePack your bags because this week we're moving to 28 Barbary Lane as our Pride series takes us to one of television's most beloved LGBTQ+ classics: Tales of the City.First broadcast in the UK on Channel 4 in 1993 and adapted from Armistead Maupin's novels, the series transports us back to San Francisco in 1976—a city of sexual liberation, social change and people arriving from across America hoping to reinvent themselves.At the centre of it all is Mary Ann Singleton, a wonderfully naïve newcomer from Cleveland who visits San Francisco on holiday and promptly decides never to leave. She finds a home at the gloriously bohemian 28 Barbary Lane, presided over by the mysterious and endlessly fabulous Anna Madrigal, and meets a new chosen family including Mona, Mouse and Brian.Meanwhile, across town, the wealthy Halcyon family introduces us to a very different San Francisco, complete with money, marriage, infidelity and enough secrets to keep several soap operas running for years.But this episode is about much more than what happens at Barbary Lane.In our Pride Corner, we explore how San Francisco became one of the world's great LGBTQ+ centres—from the impact of the Second World War and the growth of queer communities to the rise of the Castro and the political breakthrough of Harvey Milk. We also look at the very different world into which the television adaptation arrived in 1993, when LGBTQ+ visibility was growing even as the AIDS crisis continued to cast an enormous shadow.We discuss why the idea of found family sits at the heart of Tales of the City and why that message resonated so powerfully with generations of LGBTQ+ viewers. We also revisit Anna Madrigal's groundbreaking trans identity and ask how remarkably progressive her portrayal was for mainstream television in the early 1990s, while examining elements that feel more complicated through modern eyes—including casting choices, the framing of secrecy and "deception," and the limited racial diversity that Armistead Maupin himself later acknowledged.Plus, we revisit the television and music of 1993, explore the characters and stories that made the series so addictive, and ask the big question: more than 30 years later, how much of Tales of the City still holds up?Warm, funny, sexy, occasionally messy and filled with unforgettable characters, Tales of the City is ultimately about something beautifully simple: finding the people and the place where you can finally be yourself.Welcome to Barbary Lane, Gazers. We may be staying for a while.Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Watch the '40 Minutes: Rent Boys' documentary on YouTube hereThis week, as our Pride series continues, we're discussing one of the most powerful—and perhaps least remembered—BBC documentaries ever broadcast Rent Boys, first shown as part of BBC2's acclaimed 40 Minutes strand in December 1984.Unlike many of the films we've covered, this isn't entertainment. It's an unflinching documentary that quietly observes the lives of vulnerable young male sex workers without narration, judgement or sensationalism, allowing their own voices to tell a story that remains as shocking today as it was forty years ago.Before exploring the documentary itself, we return to 1984 in our Culture Corner, looking at the music, television and major events shaping Britain during one of the country's most turbulent decades. Against the backdrop of Thatcher's Britain, high unemployment, industrial decline and the emerging AIDS crisis, we consider what life was like for LGBTQ+ people at a time when fear, prejudice and misunderstanding were becoming increasingly widespread.The documentary introduces us to teenagers and young men whose lives have been shaped by abuse, family rejection, poverty, time spent in care, homelessness and the struggle simply to survive. It also explores the complex realities of selling sex, including questions of identity, shame, survival, and the blurred lines between sexuality and circumstance. Alongside the young men themselves, we hear from a conflicted client wrestling with guilt and secrecy, and from one mother whose compassion offers a rare glimpse of hope.Throughout the episode we reflect on why Rent Boys remains such an extraordinary piece of documentary filmmaking. Rather than exploiting its subjects, it asks viewers to confront the human stories behind the headlines and to consider how society failed so many vulnerable young people.It's a difficult watch, but also a deeply compassionate one—an essential document of a forgotten chapter in British LGBTQ+ history and a powerful reminder of why Pride is about far more than celebration. Sometimes it's about remembering the people and stories that history almost left behind.GAZER HOMEWORK: Next week we focus on 'Tales Of The City" Watch the pilot episode on YouTube hereClick here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we kick off our Pride Month curation. OK, OK so we thought Pride Month was in July instead of June. Be we are taking ownership of our clanger and calling this 'Milking Pride Month'!!!We start by revisiting one of the most controversial LGBTQ+ films ever released: The Killing of Sister George (1968). Part psychological drama, part soap-industry satire, and part time capsule of queer Britain, it's a film that was groundbreaking, provocative, and deeply problematic all at once.Click here to watch the film on YouTubeWe explore the remarkable journey from Frank Marcus's hit stage play to Robert Aldrich's uncompromising film adaptation, starring the incomparable Beryl Reid alongside Susannah York. At its heart is June "George" Buckridge, the hard-drinking star of a popular BBC soap whose personal life begins to unravel as rumours spread that her character is about to be written out. As her career collapses, so too does her volatile relationship with her much younger partner, Childie, while television executive Mercy Croft quietly orchestrates events from the sidelines.But this episode is about much more than the film itself.In our Pride Corner, we travel back to Britain in the late 1960s to explore what life was really like for LGBTQ+ people. We discuss the limited and often stereotyped representation of lesbians on screen, the social and legal landscape following the partial decriminalisation of sex between men in 1967, and the extraordinary importance of London's legendary Gateways Club, one of the few places where lesbian women could meet openly. The film's scenes inside the club now serve as a rare and fascinating record of a community that was seldom seen on screen.We also ask whether The Killing of Sister George deserves its reputation. Does it simply recycle harmful stereotypes of predatory, unhappy lesbians, or was it reflecting the harsh realities and prejudices of its time? We unpack the film's voyeuristic additions, controversial seduction scene, complicated power dynamics, and why many LGBTQ+ audiences have had such divided reactions over the decades.Along the way we celebrate the outstanding performances, uncover behind-the-scenes stories, and consider why, despite its flaws, The Killing of Sister George remains an important piece of British queer cinema and an invaluable snapshot of LGBTQ+ history.It's funny, uncomfortable, heartbreaking, occasionally infuriating—and one of the most fascinating films we've covered for Pride.GAZER HOMEWORK: Next week we focus on the 40 Minutes documentary 'Rent Boys" from 1984. Click here to watch. Please be aware the programme covers very sensitive topics!Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pour yourself a Gin and Tonic, grab the olives, and dust off your Demis Roussos LP', because this week we're stepping inside one of the most gloriously awkward evenings in British television history: Abigail's Party.Originally broadcast as part of the BBC's Play for Today in 1977, Mike Leigh's masterpiece of social discomfort has become one of Britain's defining television dramas. But what makes a play about drinks, small talk and endless passive aggression so endlessly watchable nearly fifty years later?We explore the remarkable improvisational process that created the production, the unforgettable performances—especially Alison Steadman's iconic Beverly—and the fascinating story behind the music, including why some of the original songs had to be replaced from the original stage production.We revisit Beverly and Lawrence's disastrous drinks evening, where every refill of gin, every cigarette, and every painfully polite conversation nudges the guests closer to complete emotional collapse. Along the way we ask whether the play's attitudes to class, gender, race, smoking, drinking and marriage feel dated today—or whether Mike Leigh was cleverly exposing these behaviours rather than celebrating them.As always, we also travel back to the year itself. Our Culture Corner revisits Britain in 1977, from the Silver Jubilee and the rise of punk to disco, Northern Soul, inflation, trade unions, televisions with three channels, and a time when having a telephone at home was still something of a luxury. We also look back at the biggest chart hits, the programmes everyone was watching, and the events shaping everyday British life.It's funny, painfully recognisable, occasionally tragic, and proof that sometimes the most gripping drama comes from simply putting five people in a suburban living room and letting them slowly destroy one another with cheese and pineapple sticks.Just don't mention Abigail... she's having a much better party than this one.GAZER HOMEWORK: Next week we focus on the 1968 cult classic UK film 'The Killing Of Sister George' from 1968. Click here to watch on YouTubeClick here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello Gazers!We're recording this week's Gazette bright and early this week because the UK has once again transformed into a country completely unprepared for temperatures above "pleasant." If you hear the occasional background noise, blame the open windows—we're choosing fresh air over melting.With everyone reminiscing about the legendary summer of 1976, we decide to put nostalgia under the microscope. Was it really Britain's golden summer, or have we collectively edited out the hosepipe bans, wildfires, crop failures, water shortages and thousands of heat-related deaths? We take a look at the facts, chat about why every generation thinks theirweather was different, and ask whether climate change has made "once-in-a-lifetime" summers far more common than we'd like.There's also plenty of postbag to get through as we read your thoughts on our recent Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?episode and reveal what's coming next: the gloriously awkward world of Abigail's Party.Elsewhere, we swap television and film recommendations—including The Boys in the Band, Galaxy Quest, and Silkwood—pay tribute to legendary music executive Clive Davis and the extraordinary artists whose careers he helped shape, and catch up with the latest news from The Fizz.As always, the conversation wanders delightfully off course, taking in politics, skincare, Madonna ticket plans, and the sort of random tangents that seem to happen whenever two middle-aged gay men start with the weather and refuse to stop talking.Grab something cold to drink, find the nearest fan, and join us for another week of nostalgia, news, pop culture and mildly overheated opinions.Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Click here to watch Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf on YouTubeHello Gazers!Pour yourself something strong because this week we're spending an evening with cinema's most gloriously dysfunctional couple: George and Martha in 1966's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?Fresh from a faculty party, the pair invite younger couple Nick and Honey back for what should be a quiet nightcap. Instead, everyone embarks on a marathon session of drinking, bickering, psychological warfare, emotional oversharing, and the sort of relationship dynamics that would have a modern therapist quietly reaching for the emergency exit.Before diving into the chaos, we take a trip back to 1966 with a Culture Corner packed with the news stories, television, music, and cultural moments that surrounded the film's release. We also explore the remarkable production itself: Mike Nichols' directorial debut, its astonishing 13 Oscar nominations, five wins, and its lasting place in film history.Naturally, we can't discuss the movie without talking about Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, whose famously turbulent real-life romance was almost as dramatic as anything happening on screen. The result is a pair of performances so convincing you'll occasionally forget they're acting and wonder whether the cameras simply happened to capture a real domestic argument.As the evening unfolds, we unpack George and Martha's increasingly cruel "games," the mystery surrounding their invented child, and the collateral damage inflicted upon poor Nick and Honey, who really should have left after the first drink. We discuss gender roles, ambition, academic snobbery, middle-class anxieties, and whether anyone in this film has ever experienced a healthy conversation.Surprisingly, despite all the emotional carnage, we find the film far less problematic than many of the titles we've covered. Instead, it's a sharp, uncomfortable, often funny examination of marriage, illusion, and the stories people tell themselves to get through life.Plus: Oscar trivia, admiration for Sandy Dennis, a look at how the film helped push Hollywood towards a more adult era, and plenty of appreciation for a movie that proves you don't need explosions when you've got Elizabeth Taylor armed with a martini and a devastating one-liner.It's funny, heartbreaking and exhausting: All words that have been used by critics to describe The Problematic Gaze at one point or another!Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello Gazers!This week we're recording remotely because Britain has once again entered its annual tradition of becoming completely incapable of coping with weather. As temperatures soar, we compare heatwave survival strategies, including tinfoil-covered windows, strategic fan placement, and the increasingly tempting idea of simply lying on a cold kitchen floor until September.The conversation quickly drifts from sweaty complaints into climate change, extreme weather, and the surprising possibility that Britain's future may depend on one unlikely hero: the beaver. Yes, beavers. We discover how these industrious little rodents have helped reduce flooding in Scotland and discuss the possibility that they could one day be hard at work around Greater London. Frankly, they've got a better public-relations team than most politicians.Elsewhere, we celebrate 75 years of The Archers, discuss one particularly dramatic storyline, and wander into a conversation about BBC budget cuts, public broadcasting, and why everyone seems to have very strong opinions about the licence fee.There's also the usual collection of things that caught our attention during the week, including political nonsense, social media surprises, and the unexpected success of a nostalgic Generation Game clip that clearly struck a chord with viewers. Meanwhile, Lee Dr Lee prepares a second date at The Black Cap, proving that not everything in modern life is doom and gloom.Plus: recommendations for Young Offenders, the podcast Empathy for the Devil, Apple TV's Your Friends and Neighbors, and a preview of next week's episode on Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?—a film featuring almost as much shouting as a British social media comment section.Stay cool, stay hydrated, and remember: if the beavers can keep working through a heatwave, so can we.Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello Gazers! This week we're heading back to 2006, a magical time when low-rise jeans were a public menace, reality television ruled the schedules, and everyone seemed to have very strong opinions about eyebrows. Our destination is the pilot episode of Ugly Betty, the comedy-drama that asked an important question: what happens when a genuinely decent person wanders into one of the worlds most ruthless industries?Before entering the glossy chaos of Mode magazine, we stop off for a Fashion Corner packed with 2006 nostalgia, revisiting the television shows, headlines, and chart hits that shaped the world into which Betty Suarez first appeared.We then dive into the pilot itself, following Betty, an intelligent and ambitious young woman from Queens whose lack of conventional fashion-magazine glamour unexpectedly lands her a job assisting Daniel Meade. Officially she's hired for her skills. Unofficially she's hired because Daniel's father believes she's the one woman in New York his notoriously distracted son won't try to seduce.As the episode unfolds, we explore how Ugly Betty simultaneously challenges and reinforces beauty standards. The series deserves credit for questioning superficial ideas of attractiveness, yet it also relies heavily on jokes about Betty's appearance, braces, clothes, and supposed "ugliness." Nearly twenty years later, we ask whether the show's approach still works and whether audiences would embrace it in quite the same way today.Along the way we discuss the contrast between Betty's loving, working-class Latina family and the cold, competitive world of high fashion, examine the sexism and nepotism surrounding Wilhelmina's treatment at Mode, and look at how the series intersected with emerging conversations around body positivity and campaigns such as Dove's Real Beauty initiative.Plus: comparisons with The Devil Wears Prada, memories of 2006 pop culture, workplace politics, impossible beauty expectations, and a reminder that fashion may change every season, but human insecurity remains stubbornly timeless.Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello Gazers! In this week's Gazette we're checking in from the worlds of fitness, fandom, and television uncertainty as Dave embarks on a new health journey involving a gym membership, swimming, and the shocking revelation that exercise may actually be good for you. Whether his back agrees remains an ongoing investigation.Elsewhere, we discuss our recent Star Trek social media clips and uncover some fascinating audience preferences. It turns out that Leonard Nimoy and Nichelle Nichols can still command attention across the internet, while poor William Shatner discovers that not every captain can win every battle.On the viewing front, Lee recommends Traitors India, while Dave takes us into the strange and unsettling world of Bring Me The Beauties, the HBO/Sky documentary exploring former male model Hoyt Richards, the mysterious Eternal Values movement, and the kind of cult story that leaves you repeatedly asking, "How did this happen?"Our listener mailbag is also overflowing. We hear from Bill in San Francisco about an AI-generated Karen Carpenter-style song, while Rocky in Australia continues our ongoing voyage through Star Trek and Doctor Who history, touching on Galaxy Quest, and the joys of classic science fiction. Another listener shares memories of the moon landing and thoughts Ugly Betty, proving once again that Problematic Gays listeners have collectively experienced absolutely everything.And then there's Doctor Who. With news that there will be no Christmas special, that Russell T Davies and Bad Wolf are stepping away from the BBC partnership, and that the series is heading out to tender, we discuss what might come next for Britain's most famous Time Lord. Could a new format breathe fresh life into the show? Should the series reinvent itself? And is fandom ever truly prepared for change?Plus: cults, swimming, science fiction, AI music, and the usual amount of completely unqualified television commissioning advice. Just another week at PG Towers.Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello Gazers! This week we're boldly going where we've occasionally gone before: into the wonderfully strange universe of Star Trek. Following a recommendation from listener Fiona, we beam aboard the final episode of the original series, 1969's Turnabout Intruder, a story featuring body-swapping technology, interstellar jealousy, and gender politics that have aged about as well as a pint of milk left on the bridge of the Enterprise.Before tackling the episode itself, we explore Star Trek's fascinating journey from ratings disappointment to cultural phenomenon. Cancelled after just three seasons, the series found new life through syndication, conventions, devoted fandom, and enough influence to inspire everything from mobile phones to space exploration dreams.We then dive into Turnabout Intruder, in which Captain Kirk and former lover Dr. Janice Lester exchange bodies through a mysterious "life energy transfer." Janice's motivation? Her bitterness at being excluded from command opportunities in Starfleet because she is a woman. What follows is part science-fiction thriller, part gender commentary, and part accidental time capsule of late-1960s attitudes.Along the way, we discuss the episode's portrayal of female ambition, the persistence of the "hysterical woman" stereotype, echoes of the "mad woman in the attic" trope, and William Shatner's memorable performance choices once Kirk finds himself inhabiting Janice's body. We also ask whether the episode is critiquing sexism or simply reproducing it, sometimes in the very same scene.Thankfully, the conversation also celebrates Star Trek's wider legacy: its diverse casting, progressive social allegories, technological predictions, and enduring ability to inspire generations of fans. Because for every baffling decision made in Turnabout Intruder, there are a million reasons why Star Trek remains one of the most influential and beloved television franchises ever created.Set phasers to analysis. This one's a fascinating, frustrating, and very problematic journey into the final frontier.Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Click here to listen to Dr Lee and Dave on the Everyone's A Little Queer PodcastHello Gazers! This week’s Problematic Gazette begins in the traditional fashion: with unexpected background noise, minor technical chaos, and the startling discovery that we had somehow planned our Pride Month content for July!!After owning our spectacular scheduling error, we discuss why Pride still matters in 2025. From rising homophobia and online "straight pride" arguments to the quieter burdens of shame that many LGBTQ+ people continue to carry, we reflect on why visibility, community and celebration remain as important as ever. Along the way, Lee shares a moving diary entry from Kenneth Williams written in 1966, whose observations about loneliness, identity and being reduced to a joke still feel painfully relevant today.Elsewhere, we discuss Russell T Davies' increasingly unsettling drama Tip Toe and explain why it feels less like fiction and more like a warning siren with a production budget. We also chat about our recent appearance on the Everyone's a Little Queer podcast and the conversations that followed.There are listener messages, fascinating chart trivia involving Abba Gold's seemingly immortal presence in the UK Top 100, and considerable excitement over Madonna launching Pride Month with a free Times Square performance and new music. Plus: more love for Rivals, an unexpected It's a Royal Knockout reference, and yet more evidence that popular culture is far stranger than either of us remembers.Happy Pride Month, everyone. Even if it took us a little longer than expected to realise it had already started.Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Click here to watch along to our YouTube Party Playlist featured in this episode!Hello Gazers! Break out the bunting, inflate the balloons, and check the expiry date on the party snacks — The Problematic Gaze has officially reached its second birthday and 100th episode of our main show!Broadcasting live from the grand ballroom of PG Manor (capacity: two hosts and a worrying number of themed playlists), we celebrate the milestone with listener questions, musical memories, and a journey through a YouTube mixtape that quickly reminds us just how strange popular culture used to be. Along the way we revisit songs that somehow made it onto the radio despite lyrics about underage romance, obsessive surveillance masquerading as love, and enough cultural appropriation to keep a university seminar busy for a fortnight.The celebrations continue with a deep dive into controversial adverts from decades past, including chocolate campaigns that definitely wouldn't survive today's focus groups, aftershave commercials fuelled entirely by misplaced confidence, and drinks adverts that somehow became embedded in the national consciousness. As ever, nostalgia proves to be a dangerous place.We also answer Gazers questions about how we choose topics, our favourite and least favourite episodes, standout performers from the films and television we've covered, dream movie-night selections, and what our lives look like away from the microphones. There are quick-fire dilemmas, unexpected revelations, reflections on coming out across different generations, and a heartfelt discussion about why we started the podcast and the wonderful community that has grown around it.Plus: laughter, memories, occasional emotional sincerity, and enough birthday chaos to power us through the next hundred episodes. Thank you for listening, thank you for your support, and thank you for proving that being problematic is always better together.Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello Gazers! With our 100th main episode and second birthday approaching faster than Dave can buy unnecessary items in Soho, this week’s Problematic Gazette is a gloriously unedited soundcheck special from PG Manor.As bunting plans reach critical levels, we dive into Netflix’s three-part Kylie Minogue documentary, covering everything from her Neighbours beginnings and chart domination to health battles, heartbreaks, reinventions, and the ongoing Tension Tour. Naturally, this leads to the sort of intense cultural analysis you’ve come to expect from two men who could happily spend an hour discussing Kylie’s catalogue.Elsewhere, we recount a lovely Soho catch-up with Matt Baume and an LGBT history tour, while Dave reports from the front lines of retail confusion and Dr Lee shares details of a late-night date followed by the inevitable consequences of being no longer twenty-five. We also reflect on the passing of Michael Keating and Judith Chalmers, discuss the indignities of approaching fifty, and compare notes on surviving a British heatwave armed only with caffeine and misplaced confidence.Plus: upcoming viewing plans including Star City, Ponies and SNL UK, praise for Race Across the World champions Joe and Kush, frustration at reports surrounding the Southport riots, and increasingly frantic preparations for the centenary celebrations. Will there be cake? Will there be bunting? Will either of us remember what happened in episode one? Tune in and find out.Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello Gazers! As a heatwave hits the UK, we're getting HOT HOT HOT! We conclude Sex Month by sliding dramatically across the interrogation-room floor into 1992’s Basic Instinct — a film containing ice picks, cigarette smoke, deeply suspicious therapy ethics, and more uncrossed legs than Brighton Pride!This week we unpack Paul Verhoeven’s gloriously trashy erotic thriller, from its Hitchcock and noir inspirations to the infamous Sharon Stone interrogation scene that launched a thousand paused VHS tapes and at least three decades of cultural arguments. Along the way we discuss Michael Douglas once again playing a man who absolutely should not be trusted with police authority, the spectacularly chaotic sexual politics of the early 90s, GLAAD protests, and whether the film is genuinely subversive or simply what happens when several powerful men are left unsupervised with cocaine and studio money. There’s also a nostalgic Culture Corner dive into 1992 Britain, chart hits, and the end-of-series exhaustion that comes from spending four weeks analysing the male gaze while slowly becoming victims of it ourselves. Plus: ratings, disagreements, existential dread, and a tease for our upcoming 100th-episode birthday spectacular.Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We return from the luxurious broadcasting hubs of PG Towers and PG Manor to survive a British heatwave that has left us sweaty, confused, and emotionally fragile. Dr. Lee has a spiritual encounter with a dragonfly in the garden, while Dave nearly proposes marriage to a dishy car-wash attendant after a deeply awkward tipping incident. We revisit the national trauma caused by our Porky’s episode, discuss Britain’s endless obsession with class after a Guardian survey revealed everyone now identifies as “polyclass,” and somehow connect it all back to our episode on Keeping Up Appearances because of course we do. There’s also talk of our upcoming collaboration with Bernard from Everyone’s A Little Queer Podcast, including a surprisingly thoughtful debate about reclaiming the word “queer”. Plus: Rivals is peak 80's perfection, murder-marriage documentaries, Strictly gossip involving Josh Widdicombe, listener letters, Kylie Minogue praise bordering on religious devotion, and ominous teasing of next week’s Basic Instinct episode. Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we revisit Porky’s (1981), the hugely successful teen sex comedy set in 1954 Florida, to ask the important question: was this ever actually funny, and could it possibly be made today? Alongside the film, we take a trip through 1981 in our Culture Corner, covering everything from Charles and Diana’s wedding and the UK inner-city riots to the Scarman Report, the devastating tornado outbreak, and a year packed with cultural milestones including “Ghost Town,” “Don’t You Want Me,” Bucks Fizz, Cats, Only Fools and Horses, Brideshead Revisited, Chariots of Fire, and the first London Marathon. We break down the Porky's obsession with sex, voyeurism, revenge plots, and locker-room humour while unpacking its male gaze, racism, antisemitic subplot, fat jokes, and deeply juvenile tone—ultimately finding it far duller, and strangely tamer, than its scandalous reputation suggests.To watch Porkies on YouTube Click HereClick here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are back after a week away and apparently the world survived without our opinions on Eurovision, AI, and 1970s sex comedies — though only just. This week we answer listener letters, discuss Cilla Black’s fifty-seven emotional interpretations of “Alfie,”, defend Confessions of a Window Cleaner as the cinematic equivalent of finding chips on the floor and still eating them, and prepare emotionally for Eurovision. Our Dave (AKA Judith Chalmers) reports from Dubrovnik with urgent passport warnings for the middle-aged and disorganised, while Dr. Lee worries that AI will destroy the planet, steal everyone’s jobs, and probably start writing this podcast description. Plus: George Michael, Freddie Mercury, Rocky Horror memories, Emma Willis rumours, Star Trek teasing, and preview our next Sex Month episode with Porky’s looming on the horizon like a grubby cultural comet.Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the second week of our Sex Season, we pull on our nylon overalls and climb the ladders of 1970s British cinema to revisit Confessions of a Window Cleaner — the cheeky box-office phenomenon that somehow became the biggest British hit of 1974. We unpack Timmy Lea’s endlessly episodic adventures in window cleaning, accidental voyeurism, and improbable seduction while asking: what exactly made these “saucy” comedies so wildly popular before home video and internet porn?Along the way we discuss Robin Askwith, censorship, class aspiration, sexism, consent, the male gaze, and why the film is simultaneously tame, uncomfortable, ridiculous, and fascinating as a cultural time capsule. In Culture Corner: the three-day week, Lord Lucan’s disappearance, IRA bombings, ABBA winning Eurovision, Britain’s biggest singles, children’s TV landmarks, Tom Baker becoming Doctor Who, Princess Anne’s kidnapping attempt, publishing highlights, and the Miss World scandal that shook the crown.To watch Confessions Of A Window Cleaner on YouTube: Click HereClick here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We kick off Sex Month on The Problematic Gaze by diving headfirst into Alfie, the swaggering, unsettling snapshot of 1960s masculinity that still raises eyebrows today. We explore how Michael Caine’s charismatic performance—paired with that infamous fourth-wall-breaking narration—pulls us into Alfie’s world, even as his misogyny and emotional detachment push us away. We unpack the film’s origins in Bill Naughton’s play and Lewis Gilbert’s direction, while confronting its most jarring elements: the casual disposability of women, the cutting language, and the harrowing illegal abortion sequence that still lands with force.But we don’t stop at the screen. We place Alfie squarely in the contradictions of 1966 Britain—Swinging London’s promise of liberation colliding with the realities of Harold Wilson’s Britain, economic uncertainty, the shadow of the Aberfan disaster, and the ongoing shifts of decolonization. Against a backdrop of chart-topping music and cultural change, we ask whether Alfie reflects this moment in time—or critiques it.By the end, we’re left wrestling with a film that is as compelling as it is uncomfortable: bold, bleak, and still deeply problematic.You can watch Alfie on YouTube. Click hereGAZER HOMEWORK: Next week we turn our lens to 1974's sec comedy 'Confessions Of A Window Cleaner'. Click here to watch on YouTubeClick here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We record a live, unedited “Problematic Gazette” update from PG Manor while planning upcoming episodes that launch our “sex season,” starting with Alfie and continuing with films from later decades. We swap stories about accidentally overhearing loud sex through an open bungalow window, along with past experiences of disruptive noise in shared spaces.We also dive into what we’ve been watching lately, including Hacks, The Comeback (and its AI-written sitcom plotline), Netflix’s The Unchosen (a cult thriller), and ITV’s Secret Service (a modern spy drama). Along the way, we share our interest in The Devil Wears Prada sequel, unpack the origin and meaning of “jumping the shark,” and read listeners E-Mails.Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the first time ever, we visit 1991 on The Problematic Gaze to focus on class comedy caper Keeping Up Appearances. Hyacinth’s number is mistaken for a Chinese takeaway, she prepares for a church concert, Richard fears early retirement, Rose considers becoming a nun, and the farce culminates with Hyacinth fainting after discovering Rose and the vicar in a cupboard.We place the sitcom within its wider historical and cultural moment, reflecting on 1991’s defining events—from the Gulf War and recession to rising unemployment, the death of Freddie Mercury, an IRA mortar attack on Downing Street, the birth of the World Wide Web, early steps toward the Premier League, the Maxwell scandal, and the launch of The Big Issue, alongside charts and TV ratings of the time.Our discussion centers on British class anxiety, accents, and aspiration, exploring how the show both mocks and reinforces class stereotypes. We also highlight the standout performance of Patricia Routledge as Hyacinth and delve into trivia surrounding the rest of the cast too!Watch our chosen episode of Keeping Up Appearances on YoutubeGAZER HOMEWORK: Next week we kick off our SEX season with Alfie from 1966Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The Gazette, we banter about a new haircut and Vin Diesel’s twin brother before one of us shares a story about accidentally "having tea and scones" with both members of an identical twin pair—who, thanks to different hair and facial hair, didn’t look identical at all. We get into how Sweet Transvestite has become a full-blown earworm, and talk through generational gaps and Madonna at Coachella, where audiences seem more focused on filming than watching.That spirals into a broader chat about “two-screen” viewing and whether streaming TV is being simplified for increasingly distracted audiences. We also put out a call for your ideas and messages ahead of our 100th main episode and second birthday, and catch up on Hacks season five.Elsewhere, we touch on a new Netflix gender-role comedy, the questionable quality of Carry On Emmanuelle, a Daily Mail piece about “tacky” watches, and our outrage that Karen Carpenter’s 1979–80 solo album was shelved—with the cost unfairly deducted from her royalties.Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we return—after a battle with some truly on-brand technical “gremlins”—to tackle The Rocky Horror Picture Show, separating the film from its 1973 stage origins and digging into what makes it endure. We share our own very different relationships with Rocky Horror, unpack its production history, and explore how it evolved into a midnight-movie phenomenon with a fiercely devoted cult following, eventually earning preservation in the National Film Registry.We walk through the plot—from Brad and Janet’s ill-fated car trouble to their surreal encounter with Dr. Frank-N-Furterand the unforgettable Time Warp—while placing the film in the context of early-1970s UK theatre, glam rock aesthetics, and a moment of shifting queer visibility. Along the way, we touch on 1975’s pop landscape and how it intersects with the film’s sound and sensibility.We also grapple with the more complicated aspects of Rocky Horror: questions of language, consent, and the “queer villain” trope, balancing critique with an appreciation of its lasting impact. Ultimately, we explore why this strange, campy, audience-participation spectacle continues to resonate as a story about freedom, identity, and the joy of not fitting neatly into any category.GAZER HOMEWORK: Next week we cast our Gaze on the classic UK TV sitcom Keeping Up Appearances. Click here to watch our chosen episode on YouTubeClick here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re back in the Problematic Gazette saddle — no plan, no structure, just vibes (and mild chaos). This week, we kick off by comparing ailments like it’s an Olympic sport: one of us is fresh off a greatest hits run of gastroenteritis, a colitis flare, and recent COVID (thriving!), while the other is living vicariously through a husband who’s just attended a very hush-hush celebrity wedding 👀From there, we spiral — naturally — into TV chat. We debrief the The Apprentice UK final, confess our soft spot for Race Across the World, and get genuinely giddy over Madonna teasing Confessions 2 (Coachella rumors! a possible sample! we’re unwell).There’s also pre-holiday anxiety as we eye our upcoming Dubrovnik trip while nervously refreshing headlines about a looming jet fuel shortage — what could possibly go wrong?On the telly front, we’re dipping into Things You Should Have Done, celebrating the return of Taskmaster, checking in on Rivals season two, and gently mourning Only Murders in the Building losing its way a bit.Elsewhere, we get unexpectedly academic about the decline of late-era Carry On films, name-drop the diaries of Kenneth Williams, and issue a heartfelt apology for out lost episode (Riverside, we will never forgive you).We round things off with a quick dip into the exhausting whirlpool of MAGA/Donald Trump-adjacent chaos, reflect on our collective doomscrolling fatigue and — as ever — plug where you can find us next.Come for the chat, stay for the spirals.Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we are taking a break from our regular scheduling this week, we're giving Gazer new and old a treat from the past. This was the episode that won us Best History Podcast at the 2025 Independent Podcast Awards. Normal service will resume next week with The Rocky Horror Picture Show!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. February marks LGBT+ History month in the UK. To celebrate we focus our Gaze on the landmark film 'The Naked Civil Servant' from 1975. Starring John Hurt in his BAFTA winning title role, this was a pioneering film, charting the life of the bold, courageous and unapologetic LGBT trailblazer Quentin Crisp. We also chart the progression of gay rights throughout the 1970's in Britain. Click here to watch 'The Naked Civil Servant' on YouTube and join in with our conversation!Click here to follow us on all our socialsPlease 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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you!Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on The Gazette, we kick things off with a cozy chat about UK gardening and wildlife—blue tits nesting in the eaves, wasps causing chaos, and the latest updates from our bee hotel—before diving into listener emails about our Tootsie episode, reactions to America’s Next Top Model, and some Star Trek recommendations.We talk about nearing the end of a full Carry On film watch (and the disappointing drop in quality), plus a new 2026 satirical series about organizing the FIFA World Cup, and what we’ve been watching lately, including The Studio. Then things take a turn into the unexpected with YouTube reaction videos praising Cilla Black.From there, we get into heavier territory: concerns about Trump, shifting narratives among right-wing pundits and grifters, and the wave of online misogyny targeting Artemis 2 astronaut Christina Koch—plus bizarre flat-earther conspiracy reactions.We wrap up with highlights from an interview with former Bananarama member Jacquie O’Sullivan and a look at the Paley Center reunion celebrating the 50th anniversary of Charlie’s Angels.Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The Problematic Gaze podcast we dive into the 1982 cross dressing classic Tootsie, and we're thrilled to be joined by our Down Under correspondent, TV historian, host of TV Gold Podcast, and former TV VJ Andrew Mercado! Andrew joins us in “Culture Corner,” where we unpack what 1982 looked like in both the US and Australia.We cover key cultural moments and trends—from Brisbane’s Commonwealth Games and political repression under Joh Bjelke-Petersen to E.T., the rise of MTV, early home computing, teen sex comedies, the Lindy Chamberlain case, Men at Work, and Cold War nuclear anxiety.Andrew breaks down the golden age of US daytime soap operas, highlighting major shows and some of the more bonkers storylines, and we connect that directly to Tootsie’s soap setting.We also critically analyse the film’s satire of sexism, Michael’s toxic behaviour, the ethics of deception, its relatively non-homophobic approach for the time, underdeveloped supporting characters, and its romantic comedy ending—asking whether Tootsie still holds up today.Find Andrew on his own podcast TV Gold hereClick here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This weekend on the Gazette, we chat through an Easter bank holiday weekend filled with solo parenting, noisy dogs, and even planting tomatoes and cucumbers—alongside deep dives into culture past and present.We recap our latest main episode on Bo’ Selecta! and Britney Spears, correct the truth about Fergie’s one-handed cartwheel, and explore Madonna’s resurgence as Into the Groove trends again on TikTok. We also discuss reports of Madonna filming in London and a possible cameo with Seth Rogen and Julia Garner.Plus: Jane McDonald topping the charts, Denise Welch’s viral tweet, Last One Laughing, Daily Mail headlines, looksmaxxing discourse, a preview with Andrew Mercado, and excitement over newly discovered Doctor Who episodes.If you love pop culture commentary, TV history, music throwbacks, and sharp but funny conversation, this is for you.Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The Problematic Gaze, we’re diving headfirst into the messy, hilarious, and sometimes uncomfortable world of early 2000s pop culture.This time, we head back to 2003 to unpack Bo’ Selecta! (Series 2, Episode 2), a chaotic snapshot of pre-social media celebrity culture. From exaggerated caricatures to shock-value humour, we explore how this episode acts as a time capsule of what audiences once laughed at—and what might not fly today.We watched this episode of Bo Selecta from 2003 : Check It Out here!In our Culture Corner, we set the scene: the era of Tony Blair and the Iraq War protests, the rise of early platforms like MySpace and Bebo, low-rise fashion, and the explosion of UK TV hits like Little Britain, Peep Show, and Pop Idol. We also revisit the sound of the year—from Girls Aloud to Dizzee Rascal and The Darkness.We break down the episode’s sketches and get into the bigger conversation around its humour—looking at how it leans on “punching down,” sexism, homophobic jokes, and racial caricature, including the controversial portrayal of Craig David. We also reflect on how the show was later removed by Channel 4 in 2020, and the apology from creator Leigh Francis.Funny, reflective, and at times uncomfortable, we ask:was this just the humour of its time—or something we should have questioned all along?Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this edition of our bonus episode, we dive into listener emails, TV comebacks, midlife mishaps, and the relentless pace of modern life. Picking up from last week’s Fight Club debate, we unpack Louis Theroux: The Manosphere and the rise of influencer culture—asking whether it’s all just a phone-fuelled grift.New listener Fiona writes in with a recommendation for Deadloch and a nudge toward Star Trek—so we ask: where should we even start?We celebrate the reopening of Camden’s iconic LGBTQ+ venue The Black Cap (now with a Lily Savage tribute), swap our own “getting older” injury stories, and talk honestly about exercising after 50.Along the way, we take aim at absurd headlines, reflect on how news used to travel slower, and discuss what social media and endless scrolling are doing to all of us. Plus: TV chat on The Comeback, Last One Laughing, and The Apprentice—including one painfully awkward shopping task.Got thoughts on your own scrolling habits? We’d love to hear from you.GAZER HOMEWORK: Next week we dissect comedy sketch show Bo Selecta from 2003 : Check It Out here!Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Check out our YouTube ChannelThis week on The Problematic Gaze we revisit Fight Club (1999)—soap, anarchy, and all. We unpack the plot, cast, and reception, and take on the enduring question: is this a razor-sharp critique of toxic masculinity, or a film that accidentally glamorises it?We place Fight Club back in its late-’90s moment, with a detour through 1999 Britain—Y2K jitters, New Labour optimism, Cool Britannia swagger, Spice Girls-era pop, club culture, and the early days of dial-up and brick-like mobile phones. It’s a “lads, lads, lads” landscape shaped by football and magazines like Loaded and FHM, and we explore how that cultural backdrop speaks to the film’s anxieties.From male malaise and the lure of support groups to violence as a search for meaning, we dig into Project Mayhem’s cult logic and, yes, that twist. We also consider the film’s afterlife—how Fight Club has been reinterpreted (and often misinterpreted) online, especially within incel and manosphere spaces.GAZER HOMEWORK: Next week we dissect comedy sketch show Bo Selecta from 2003 : Check It Out here!Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Check out our YouTube ChannelThis week on The Problematic Gazette, we’re back for a chaotic spring equinox catch-up—sharing garden mishaps, recovery updates, and what’s next after our Psycho episode.We get into what we’ve been watching, from the return of This Life on iPlayer to Channel 4’s A Woman of Substance, a twisty ITVX thriller with David Morrissey and Eve Myles, and Last One Laughing season two on Prime.Listener messages take us everywhere—from The Two Ronnies nostalgia to pushback on a Daily Mail hair-length article. We chat about post-COVID work-from-home life, the UK coal industry now employing around 350 people, forgotten phrases like “carbon copy,” and the removal of Torchwood’s Ianto shrine.And yes… we end on a genuinely graphic story involving a dog and a rabbit—before teasing next week’s Fight Clubepisode.Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Don't forget to visit our YouTube Channel.We’re checking into the Bates Motel this week on The Problematic Gaze Podcast as we dive deep into Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960)—the horror classic that changed movie history one shocking shower scene at a time.First up, our Culture Corner spins the dial back to Britain in 1960—a world of lingering post-war austerity, buttoned-up social conservatism, emerging youth culture, and a time when homosexuality was still illegal. We set the scene with the films, music, and social climate of the era before turning our gaze to Hitchcock’s most infamous thriller.We unpack the production history of Psycho, its box-office smash success, awards buzz, and how it pushed the boundaries of screen violence, laying the groundwork for the modern slasher genre. Then we walk through the film itself—from Marion Crane’s desperate theft and flight, to the eerie roadside stop at the Bates Motel, to the unforgettable shower murder, and the investigation by Lila Crane and Sam Loomis that leads to one of cinema’s most legendary twists: Norman Bates and Mother.Along the way we debate Hitchcock’s reputation, the film’s portrayal of mental illness, and the complicated ways Psycho has been interpreted through gender and trans-adjacent readings.GAZER HOMEWORK: Next week get out toxic masculinity heads on and take a look at Fight Club (1999).Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on The Problematic Gazette, apparently two days in the office is now enough to completely wipe us out. When did that happen? We talk about how ageing sneaks up on you, why work feels different than it did in our twenties, and we ask listeners to weigh in on the eternal struggle of work–life balance.Then we stumble across a brilliant showbiz connection that sends us down a disco rabbit hole. Legendary producer Biddu wrote Tina Charles’ smash hit I Love to Love — and the track also features Trevor Horn before he became one of the most influential producers of the 1980s. We talk about Tina’s meteoric success and her Streatham roots.Next up: huge Doctor Who news. Two missing episodes from 1965 have just been recovered, meaning the number of lost episodes drops from 95 to 93 — and they’re heading to iPlayer at Easter. We also celebrate Maximum Power, the documentary about Blake’s 7 icon Jacqueline Pearce, which has just landed an RTS award nomination and lands on Apple TV.From there we get stuck into a ridiculous Daily Mail headline policing women’s hair over 45 (because apparently that’s still a thing), catch up on the latest chaos in The Apprentice, and dive into the debate around Ryan Murphy’s portrayals of real people — including the controversy surrounding his upcoming series about JFK Jr and Carolyn Bessette.Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

IN A CHANGE TO OUR ADVERTISED SCHEDULE (The Day Jobs Have Swamped Us This Week! Tune in next week for our take take on 1960's Psycho!) HERE'S ANOTHER CHANCE TO HEAR OUR MOTHER'S DAY TAKE ON 'MOMMIE DEAREST' FROM LAST YEAR. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!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 cast our Gaze over the 1981 film 'Mommie Dearest' starring Faye Dunaway. Much derided by critics and viewers alike upon its release, it has since become a cult camp classic, deeply embedded in gay culture. But do the harrowing scenes of abuse lie easily alongside the fantastically colourful scenes of Hollywood glamour? Just how true is this story? And why you would NEVER want to get into a fight, scripted or not, with Faye Dunaway.Click here to follow us on all our socialsPlease 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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you!Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this relaxed Saturday chat, we talk about Britain’s obsession with the weather and the struggle of “wrong jacket season,” before drifting into existential reflections on old student films and Dr Lee’s memories of watching — and later working with — the legendary Siân Phillips.Dave brings up Dubai influencers facing government crackdowns over missile-related posts, which leads to memories of Bahrain during the 1990 Gulf crisis and a discussion about the limits of influencer freedom.Along the way we note Shakin’ Stevens turning 78, discover Disney dating site Mouse Mingle, laugh about a long-misheard lyric in “One Way Ticket to the Blues,” and react to Richard Osman leaving House of Games. We also plug our socials and preview Tuesday’s Mother’s Day episode on Psycho.Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In celebration of International Women’s Day, we begin by digging into gender inequality statistics before turning to one of British television’s strangest dystopias: The Worm That Turned, the 1980 eight-part serial from The Two Ronnies.Set in a nightmare vision of 2012 Britain, the serial imagines a world where women rule, men are domesticated and forced into women’s clothing, and law and order is enforced by a PVC-clad female Gestapo led by screen siren Diana Dors. We follow the unlikely heroes Janet and Betty (Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett) as they flee the regime, seek out the resistance, and attempt to escape to Wales.We place the serial in the political and cultural context of 1980 Britain — early Thatcherism, unrest, and rapidly shifting TV and music trends — and ask whether the comedy is mocking women’s power or exposing male fear of it. Along the way, we note the male-gaze elements and fascist aesthetics, but also the moments that highlight just how “shit” women’s lives are under patriarchy.Click here to watch 'The Worm That Turned' on YouTubeGAZER HOMEWORK: Next week for Mother's Day we focus on the Hitchcock classic: PSYCHO from 1960.Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to The Problematic Gazette — The Saturday spin off to our main show - The Problematic Gaze- the queer pop culture podcast where nothing is off limits.This week:🏋️ Why we’re suddenly obsessed with Gladiators (and yes… it’s homoerotic)📺 The reckoning of America’s Next Top Model and toxic 2000s reality TV culture🎭 Celebrating Kenneth Williams at 100 and the genius of the Carry On era📱 TikTok conspiracy rabbit holes — can social media rewrite history?🐩 A poodle haircut that channels Auntie Peggy💌 Listener emails & Pride Month film planningFrom noughties body-shaming to modern media literacy, from gladiatorial thighs to archive-based history, we cover it all — with laughs, nostalgia, and just a touch of feverish delirium.If you love:✔️ Queer cinema✔️ British comedy history✔️ 80s & 90s TV nostalgia✔️ Reality TV deep dives✔️ Smart cultural debate with chaos energyYou’re in the right place.🎧 New episodes every Tuesday & SaturdayClick here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Watch The Problematic Gaze on YouTubeIn this episode of The Problematic Gaze, we revisit Russ Meyer’s cult classic Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965) and ask: could it get away with it today?We explore its violent, quotable tale of three go-go dancers tearing through the California desert—drag racing, fighting, kidnapping, and flipping gender roles on their head. Is it pure exploitation, accidental feminism, or both?In our Culture Corner, we set the film against 1965 Britain: post-austerity optimism, Swinging London, strict gender expectations, censorship, racism, and a society on the brink of change. We look at what life was really like for women at the time—limited rights, rigid roles, and growing feminist unrest.We unpack the film’s kinky boots, hyper-feminine styling, and female rage; Russ Meyer’s provocative worldview; and the movie’s journey from box-office flop to cult touchstone. Along the way, we consider its influence on everyone from Quentin Tarantino to riot grrrl culture and pop icons like Madonna and Beyoncé.Can a film objectify women while also celebrating their power? We debate, we rate it, and we leave you to decide.Watch Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! on YouTubeGAZER HOMEWORK: Next week we watch The Worm That Turned from The Two Ronnies. Watch it here on YouTubeClick here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We return to the Problematic Gazette on our new Saturday slot and quickly tackle the Prince Andrew revelations, including the iconic photo of him being taken away. We recall the UK ‘Rear of the Year’ celebrity award, from Barbara Windsor as the first winner (1976) through Amanda Holden as the last (2019) We recap our recent Dempsey and Makepeace episode and talk about paparazzi, media scrutiny, and made-up tabloid narratives. And we mark the death of songwriter Billy Steinberg writer of major hits including ‘Like a Virgin,’ ‘True Colors,’ ‘Eternal Flame,’ ‘So Emotional,’ ‘Alone,’ ‘I’ll Stand by You,’ and ‘I Touch Myself.’ We chat about being glued to the Winter Olympics (including curling and moguls), and touch on the Instagram dialect debate we accidentally ignited about Geordie vs Northumbrian accents, which drew hundreds of comments and even input from a linguistics academic! We also discuss Netflix’s America’s Next Top Model documentary and Tyra Banks’ lack of accountability, recommend the gentle comedy-drama Small Profits (with Michael Palin and others), and get into Doctor Who rumour-mill talk about Russell T Davies, possible new showrunners, and speculation around David Tennant and Billie Piper returning. We share listeners reaction to Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights film and preview our next main-show episode on Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Watch 'Dempsey and Makepeace: Love You To Death' on YouTubeClick here to watch The Problematic Gaze on YouTubeIn this episode of The Problematic Gaze, we turn our attention to “Love You to Death” (TX 1985) from Dempsey and Makepeace — the glossy Anglo-American crime drama that paired hard-boiled NYPD import James Dempsey with aristocratic British detective Harriet Makepeace.“Love You to Death” trades on seduction, jealousy, and lethal obsession, but beneath its high-concept crime plot lies a fascinating web of gendered power dynamics. We explore how the episode frames female desire as dangerous, how male volatility is coded as charismatic rather than threatening, and how the camera lingers — inviting us to participate in a distinctly 1980s televisual gaze.What does this episode reveal about transatlantic masculinity? How does it negotiate Makepeace’s professional competence against Dempsey’s swaggering authority? And in a decade obsessed with glamour and excess, where does romance end and possession begin?Join us as we unpack the aesthetics, performances, and cultural assumptions embedded in this stylish slice of mid-80s prime-time drama — and ask whether “Love You to Death” is simply a product of its era, or a case study in how television taught audiences to look, desire, and judge.GAZER HOMEWORK: Before our next episode: Watch Faster Pussycat Kill Kill!!! on YouTubeClick here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

POP CULTURE EMERGENCY!! New documentary “Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model” drops on Netflix on the 16th February. In anticipation of this, here’s another chance to hear our take on this iconic reality milestone. 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 socialsPlease 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 [email protected]. 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)Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Click here to watch this episode on YouTubeThis Valentine’s Day,The  Problematic Gaze takes aim at Pillow Talk (1959), the pastel-perfect rom-com that taught generations of viewers to confuse deception with desire. 💋With sparkling dialogue, immaculate interiors, and a romance built on lies, this film asks us to root for a man who gaslights a woman into falling in love—and calls it charming. We unpack the gender politics, the fantasy of heterosexual warfare, and why mid-century romance keeps looking suspiciously familiar.Light a candle, pour a drink, and join us as we lovingly dismantle a Valentine’s classic that might be more red flag than rose. 💔🌹GAZER HOMEWORK: Click here to watch crime drama Dempsey and Makepeace from 1985Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You can make Dave a happy boy and subscribe to our YouTube Channel here!In the 21st episode of the Problematic Gazette, we hosts dive into a jam-packed schedule discussing high fashion knitwear, a fun Geordie Shore retrospective, and tales of celebrity encounters and family links. We also talk about the recent portrayal of Charlie Sheen’s tumultuous life in a Netflix documentary and remember the late Catherine O’Hara. We touch on the Irish edition of 'The Traitors,' Dr Lee's new job, Dave's YouTube tribulations, Claire Foy’s bout with parasites, upcoming Valentine’s Day plans, and a preview of our next show covering the classic 1959 film, 'Pillow Talk.'Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Click here to watch this episode on YouTubeIn this episode of The Problematic Gaze, we dive headfirst into a 2011 episode of Geordie Shore to unpack everything early-2010s MTV reality TV thought was normal. From lad culture and binge drinking to sexual politics, gender performance, and working-class stereotypes, this episode is a perfect snapshot of a pre-Instagram, pre-cancel-culture media landscape.We break down how Geordie Shore helped shape British reality TV, launched accidental influencers, and normalized behavior that now reads as wildly problematic, sexist, and chaotic. Is this show a guilty pleasure, a cultural artifact, or a cautionary tale? Probably all three.Click Here to watch the episode of Geordie Shore from 2011 discussed in this episodeClick here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Click here to visit our YouTube channel where you can see our beautiful faces and subscribe and leave comments!In this episode of 'The Problematic Gazette,' we discuss an array of topics ranging from Victoria Beckham and a secret affair to letters from our Gazers on fashion, TV shows, and more. We delve into the cultural impact and casual racism of the sitcom 'Dad's Army' and issue a call to arms for our YouTube channel! We also review Agatha Christie's 'Seven Dials' adaptation on Netflix and the gripping series 'Steel' on Prime Video. Additionally, we await with interest a new documentary on America's Next Top Model and discuss tell-all documentary about the British boy band 'Take That.' Dr. Lee shares his guest appearance on another podcast, discussing 1960s Doctor Who films. Join us for a lively chat blending nostalgia, contemporary critiques, and witty banter.Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Few British sitcoms are as warmly remembered as Dad’s Army, and “The Deadly Attachment” — originally transmitted in 1973 — remains one of its most beloved episodes. In this episode of The Problematic Gaze, we return to Walmington-on-Sea as the Home Guard are tasked with guarding a German U-boat crew.While we do explore some problematic elements through a modern lens, we also talk about what Dad’s Army gets right, why its characters and catchphrases — including the iconic “Don’t tell him, Pike!” — still resonate, and how its gentle satire, performances, and wartime humour helped make it a classic worth revisiting with affection and thoughtful context.Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.In this week's Gazette we dive head first into the Beckham's feud scandal, get excited for the Traitors final, and recount tales of wildlife massacres in the countryside!Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Problematic Gaze! We're Dave and Dr Lee. Find out more about who we are and what we're about. If you love TV and Film and want to find out more about what life was like when they were released, then we're the podcast for you! A blend of critique, history and culture. We're lighthearted, fun, and never take ourselves too seriously! We hope you enjoy our show!Click here to follow us on all our socialsDon't forget to hit that FOLLOW button to get every episode of The Problematic Gaze downloaded and ready to listen!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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.