For decades, the Morecambe & Wise Christmas specials were more than just television — they were a seasonal institution. In this episode of The Problematic Gaze, we take a joyful deep-dive into the 1971 Morecambe & Wise Christmas Special, fondly remembered as one of their most beloved festive showcases. Broadcast on Christmas Day 1971, this classic brought together Eric Morecambe, Ernie Wise and an unforgettable lineup of guests — including showbiz legends like Shirley Bassey, André Pr...
THIS EPISODE CONTAINS SOME BACKGROUND INTERFERENCE! WE BLAME OUR DAVE'S HANGOVER. APOLOGIES, MUST TRY HARDER (OR DRINK LESS) Welcome to The Problematic Gazette, a bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments and discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week. To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here! Click here to follow us on all our socials Please leave us a review wherever...
In this episode of The Problematic Gaze, we take a smart yet light-hearted look at It’s a Wonderful Life from 1946, starring Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, the man whose shattered dreams somehow become the emotional glue holding Bedford Falls together. We explore how the film mirrors a nation rebuilding itself after WWII, balancing hope, anxiety, and the looming pressure of the corporate machine embodied by Mr. Potter. We dig into the film’s gender politics, especially the Madonna/Whor...
Welcome to The Problematic Gazette, a bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments and discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week. To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here! Click here to follow us on all our socials Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze. And if our fellow Gazers want to...
In this festive deep dive, The Problematic Gaze visits the candlelit halls of Downton Abbey to dissect the beloved—and controversial—2011 Christmas Special. From Mary and Matthew’s snow-dusted proposal to the unspoken emotional labor of the servants, we unwrap how the episode uses holiday warmth to soften the edges of Edwardian class hierarchy, gender expectations, and the romanticisation of aristocratic life. Through critical analysis and cultural context, we explore how period drama is ofte...
Welcome to The Problematic Gazette, a bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments and discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week. To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here! Click here to follow us on all our socials Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze. And if our fellow Gazers want to...
In this episode of The Problematic Gaze, we’re joined by actor, writer, comedian, and classic TV chronicler Toby Hadoke for a deep dive into Series 3, Episode 10 of the enduring British cult sci-fi phenomenon Blake’s 7 from 1980. Toby brings his insight, humour, and encyclopaedic genre knowledge to a conversation about what made the series daring, flawed, and unforgettable. We explore the show’s gender politics, performances, production challenges, and the fascinating contradictio...
Dear Gazers, As Our Dave and Dr Lee are off on holiday there’s no Problematic Gazette this weekend. So instead please enjoy this episode from the Gazer Vault. To ease you into the festive season we focus on the Christmas favourite ‘Love Actually’. But beware, it’s not all cutesy lovehearts and romantic festive fayre, anything but! Enjoy!! Join Lee and Dave for a lighthearted look at the world of TV, Film and Popular Culture from yesteryear that has since been considered problematic. Thi...
In this episode of The Problematic Gaze, we peel back the layers of the notorious 2014 documentary series Benefits Street, zeroing in on its explosive first episode. We explore how the show, the tabloids and even the government framed poverty, constructed narratives of the “deserving” versus “undeserving” poor, and used editing to transform real lives into sensationalist entertainment. And just how did a mortgage crisis in the USA contribute to austerity in the UK? Join us as we unpack ...
Welcome to The Problematic Gazette, a bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments and discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week. To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here! Click here to follow us on all our socials Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze. And if our fellow Gazers want to...
In this episode of The Problematic Gaze, we step back into 1979 with Series 3, Episode 1 of Mind Your Language — a British sitcom that turned cultural stereotypes into punchlines and classrooms into chaos. Once celebrated as lighthearted comedy, the show now raises serious questions about race, representation, and the politics of humor. We unpack the episode’s jokes, characters, and reception — asking: What did 1979 find funny? How did the show reflect Britain’s uneasy relationship with multi...
Our Dave and Dr Lee welcome Gazers to The Problematic Gazette, a bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments and discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week. To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here! Click here to follow us on all our socials Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze. ...
Pack your wedding dress and your ABBA mixtape, darling — this week we’re heading to Porpoise Spit. Muriel’s Wedding made us laugh, cry, and secretly want to walk down the aisle to “I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do.” But beneath the sequins and self-tan lies a biting portrait of 1990s Australia — where success meant a white dress, a husband, and a ticket out of small-town obscurity. Dave and Dr. Lee take a nostalgic (and occasionally uncomfortable) look at how female friendship, fat-shaming, and f...
Ever watch an old TV show or film and think, “Could you get away with that today?” Join TV writer Dave Moor and social historian Dr. Lee Arnott as they take a wry, thoughtful and lighthearted look back at six decades of television and film — from Sex and the City to Threads, The Golden Girls to Love Actually, Benny Hill to Only Fools and Horses. Each week we revisit the shows, news headlines, and pop culture moments that shaped their eras, asking the awkward questions with humour, heart, and ...
Fresh from winning 'Best History Podcast' at The Independent Podcast Awards, welcome Gazers to The Problematic Gazette, a bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments and discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week. To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here! Click here to follow us on all our socials Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help ...
In this special Halloween episode, The Problematic Gaze dives into Robert Hiltzik’s Sleepaway Camp (1983), a cult classic slasher that mixes lakeside gore with one of the most infamous twists in horror history. What begins as a standard teen body count film turns into a messy collision of gender anxiety, repression, and moral panic. We unpack how Sleepaway Camp reflects (and distorts) early ’80s fears around gender nonconformity, the portrayal of trauma and queerness in horror, and how its sh...
Fresh from winning 'Best History Podcast' at The Independent Podcast Awards, welcome Gazers to The Problematic Gazette, a bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments and discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week. To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here! Click here to follow us on all our socials Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help ...
In this episode of The Problematic Gaze, we hop into the telly TARDIS back to January 8th, 1975 — and land smack in the middle of The Benny Hill Show at the height of its powers: ratings through the roof, international fame, and a cast of women who seemed contractually obligated to wear only lingerie and smiles. Benny Hill was a comedy genius, no doubt — a master of physical timing, quick-cut gags, and musical parodies. But beneath the laughs (and above the hemlines) lies a cultural artifact ...
Fresh from winning 'Best History Podcast' at The Independent Podcast Awards, welcome Gazers to The Problematic Gazette, a bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments and discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week. To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here! Click here to follow us on all our socials Please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. They really help ...
In this episode of The Problematic Gaze, we rewatch the very first episode of Game of Thrones with our eyes wide open — and the rose-colored glasses off. Once hailed as a gritty feminist epic, the show’s legacy now looks a lot messier. We dig into how Game of Thrones glorified sexual violence, punished ambitious women, and stripped its female leads of power and complexity. But it didn’t stop there: we also unpack the show’s troubling handling of race — from the white savior fantasy of Daenery...
Torben Sangild
Halfway into the episode and they still haven't discussed the topic they were supposed to. They are just chatting.