The Problematic Gaze

Dr Lee and Dave are having the week off! Before our next week's episode on 'Dirty Dancing', here's an episode from last year for our Gazers new and old to enjoy! Greetings from PG Towers! Join social historian Dr Lee Arnott and TV Producer Dave Moor for a lighthearted look at the world of TV,  Film and Popular Culture from yesteryear that has since been considered problematic....

Welcome to The Problematic Gazette, a bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments  and  discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week. To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here ! Click here to follow us on all our socials Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They rea...

In this episode of The Problematic Gaze , we revisit The Poseidon Adventure (1972), beginning with its iconic New Year’s Eve celebration that turns instantly catastrophic. Using the overturned ship as both spectacle and metaphor, we examine how the film reinforces—and occasionally challenges—traditional 1970s gender roles, particularly around masculinity, leadership, faith, and sacrifice. We also...

This festive episode of The Problematic Gaze Podcast decks the halls with sarcasm as we revisit Blackadder’s Christmas Carol (1988). Swapping Dickensian gloom for yuletide jokes, unexpected kindness, and plenty of seasonal silliness, we explore why this one-off special has become a cult Christmas favourite. From time-travelling spirits to Rowan Atkinson at peak comic charm, this is a warm, witty c...

Welcome to The Problematic Gazette, a bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments  and  discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week. To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here ! Click here to follow us on all our socials Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They rea...

For decades, the Morecambe & Wise Christmas specials were more than just television — they were a seasonal institution. In this episode of The Problematic Gaze , we take a joyful deep-dive into the 1971 Morecambe & Wise Christmas Special , fondly remembered as one of their most beloved festive showcases. Broadcast on Christmas Day 1971, this classic brought together Eric Morecambe , Ernie...

THIS EPISODE CONTAINS SOME BACKGROUND INTERFERENCE! WE BLAME OUR DAVE'S HANGOVER. APOLOGIES, MUST TRY HARDER (OR DRINK LESS) Welcome to The Problematic Gazette, a bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments  and  discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week. To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze Y...

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

Welcome to The Problematic Gazette, a bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments  and  discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week. To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here ! Click here to follow us on all our socials Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They rea...

In this festive deep dive, The Problematic Gaze visits the candlelit halls of Downton Abbey to dissect the beloved—and controversial— 2011 Christmas Special . From Mary and Matthew’s snow-dusted proposal to the unspoken emotional labor of the servants, we unwrap how the episode uses holiday warmth to soften the edges of Edwardian class hierarchy, gender expectations, and the romanticisation of ari...

Welcome to The Problematic Gazette, a bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments  and  discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week. To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here ! Click here to follow us on all our socials Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They rea...

In this episode of The Problematic Gaze , we’re joined by actor, writer, comedian, and classic TV chronicler Toby Hadoke for a deep dive into Series 3, Episode 10 of the enduring British cult sci-fi phenomenon Blake’s 7  from 1980.  Toby brings his insight, humour, and encyclopaedic genre knowledge to a conversation about what made the series daring, flawed, and unforgettable. We explore the show’...

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

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

Welcome to The Problematic Gazette, a bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments  and  discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week. To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here ! Click here to follow us on all our socials Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They rea...

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

Our Dave and Dr Lee  welcome Gazers to The Problematic Gazette, a bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments  and  discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week. To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here ! Click here to follow us on all our socials Please leave us a review wherever you...

Pack your wedding dress and your ABBA mixtape, darling — this week we’re heading to Porpoise Spit . Muriel’s Wedding made us laugh, cry, and secretly want to walk down the aisle to “I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do.” But beneath the sequins and self-tan lies a biting portrait of 1990s Australia — where success meant a white dress, a husband, and a ticket out of small-town obscurity. Dave and Dr. Lee t...

Fresh from winning 'Best History Podcast' at The Independent Podcast Awards, welcome Gazers to The Problematic Gazette, a bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments  and  discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week. To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here ! Click here to...

👻 To celebrate Spooky Season, here's an episode from the PG Vault for our new Gazers to enjoy! 🎃 Join Lee and Dave for a lighthearted look at the world of TV,  Film and Popular Culture from yesteryear that has since been considered problematic. This week we watch the supernatural BBC 1 drama 'Ghostwatch' from 1992. Find out why it had the nation in uproar and jammed the BBC switch...

👻 To celebrate Spooky Season, here's an episode from the PG Vault for our new Gazers to enjoy! 🎃 Join Lee and Dave for a lighthearted look at the world of TV,  Film and Popular Culture from yesteryear that has since been considered problematic. This week, in celebration of Halloween, we cast our gaze on the classic film An American Werewolf In London. From the Yorkshire Moors to Piccadilly...

👻 To celebrate Spooky Season, here's an episode from the PG Vault for our new Gazers to enjoy! 🎃 Greetings from PG Towers! Join social historian Dr Lee Arnott and TV Producer Dave Moor for a lighthearted look at the world of TV,  Film and Popular Culture from yesteryear.  This week  we jump in the telly TARDIS and cast our Gaze over the seminal horror classic 'The Wicker Man' from...

In this special Halloween episode, The Problematic Gaze dives into Robert Hiltzik’s Sleepaway Camp (1983), a cult classic slasher that mixes lakeside gore with one of the most infamous twists in horror history. What begins as a standard teen body count film turns into a messy collision of gender anxiety, repression, and moral panic. We unpack how Sleepaway Camp reflects (and distorts) early ’80s f...

Fresh from winning 'Best History Podcast' at The Independent Podcast Awards, welcome Gazers to The Problematic Gazette, a bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments  and  discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week. To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here ! Click here to...

In this episode of The Problematic Gaze , we hop into the telly TARDIS back to January 8th, 1975 — and land smack in the middle of The Benny Hill Show at the height of its powers: ratings through the roof, international fame, and a cast of women who seemed contractually obligated to wear only lingerie and smiles. Benny Hill was a comedy genius, no doubt — a master of physical timing, quick-cut gag...