The Problematic Gaze

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...

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...

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 Deadloc...

Check out our YouTube Channel This 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 19...

Check out our YouTube Channel This 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 an...

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-w...

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 h...

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,&...

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 Ba...

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...

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 e...

Watch The Problematic Gaze on YouTube In 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...

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, an...

Watch 'Dempsey and Makepeace: Love You To Death' on YouTube Click here to watch The Problematic Gaze on YouTube In 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 Make...

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 yeste...

Click here to watch this episode on YouTube This 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—an...

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...

Click here to watch this episode on YouTube In 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 sna...

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...

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...

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 ou...

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...

This week on  The Problematic Gaze , we bravely press play on ' The Word  ', a UK live youth magazine show from  Friday 19th November 1993  — a time when TV was live, loud, and deeply unconcerned with tomorrow’s headlines. Featuring a young Dave Chapelle, Reeves and Mortimer, the death of River Phoenix and Pulp. Once hailed as edgy, anarchic brilliance,  The Word &nbs...

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. Click here to follow us on all our socials Don'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 you...

Dirty Dancing  (1987) is remembered as a feminist awakening, a sexual coming-of-age story, and one of the most beloved romances in pop culture history—but how does it hold up when we really look at it? In this episode of  The Problematic Gaze , we revisit the summer of ’63 through an ’87 lens, unpacking age gaps, power dynamics, class politics, reproductive rights, and the film’s complic...