The Problematic Gaze

David Moor and Lee Arnott

Winner  -  ‘Best History Podcast’ - Independent Podcast Awards 2025   ‘Top 30 Podcasts To Listen To Right Now’ - The Radio Times 2025 Direct 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 of yesteryear that has since been considered problematic.  Each week we focus on a different piece of pop culture, and put it into context by looking at the news events and cultural landscape of the year it was released.  Out and proud, Dr Lee and Our Dave present a humorous take on life as LGBTQ+ men of a glorious age, and present a digestible mix of academic social commentary, unflinching life lessons, media analysis,  and hot takes on feminism, race, politics and cancel culture. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 2 days ago ·  Bonus

    THE GAZETTE: Heatwaves, Hero Beavers and World Cup Trump Chants

    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 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 your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.    And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    31 min

  2. 6 days ago

    Ugly Betty (2006): The Devil Wears Prada's Kinder, Stranger Cousin

    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 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 your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.    And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    40 min

  3. 13 Jun ·  Bonus

    THE GAZETTE: Doctor Who, Cult Leaders & Swimming for Survival

    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 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 your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.    And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    18 min

  4. 9 Jun

    Star Trek: TOS (1969): The Final Frontier of Gender Inequality

    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 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 your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.    And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    57 min

  5. 6 Jun ·  Bonus

    THE GAZETTE: Pride, Shame & Survival: Why We Still Need Pride in 2026

    Click here to listen to Dr Lee and Dave on the Everyone's A Little Queer Podcast Hello 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 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 your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.    And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    16 min

  6. 2 Jun

    100th Episode Special (2026): Mixtapes, Madness & Two Years of Problematic Gaze

    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 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 your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.    And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1hr 10min

  7. 30 May ·  Bonus

    THE GAZETTE: Hangovers, Caffeine Highs & Bunting Emergencies

    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 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 your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.    And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    25 min

  8. 26 May

    Basic Instinct (1992): Ice Picks, Erotic Thrillers & Sex Month Climax

    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 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 your podcasts. They really help to spread the word of The Problematic Gaze.    And if our fellow Gazers want to comment on what they've heard in our episodes, or to suggest future topics, please email us at theproblematicgaze@gmail.com. We love hearing from you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1hr 1min
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Trailer

4.8
out of 5
36 Ratings

About

Winner  -  ‘Best History Podcast’ - Independent Podcast Awards 2025   ‘Top 30 Podcasts To Listen To Right Now’ - The Radio Times 2025 Direct 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 of yesteryear that has since been considered problematic.  Each week we focus on a different piece of pop culture, and put it into context by looking at the news events and cultural landscape of the year it was released.  Out and proud, Dr Lee and Our Dave present a humorous take on life as LGBTQ+ men of a glorious age, and present a digestible mix of academic social commentary, unflinching life lessons, media analysis,  and hot takes on feminism, race, politics and cancel culture. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    David Moor and Lee Arnott
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    140
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Problematic Gaze
  • Show Website
    The Problematic Gaze

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