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. 22h ago ·  Bonus

    THE GAZETTE: Widow's Bay, Ann Droid and Gazer E-Mails

    We're back! After a short summer break, our bonus episode, The Problematic Gazette returns with plenty to catch up on, including holidays, television recommendations, listener emails, and a sneak peek at the gloriously gothic world we'll be exploring next week. We start by looking back at our recent recording with special guest Andrew Mercado, where we revisited Crocodile Dundee, before swapping holiday stories. Dave headed to the South of France, where a blocked ear became an unexpected travelling companion, while Lee escaped London's heat with a trip to Northumberland in search of cooler weather—and found it! Naturally, the Great British Weather makes an appearance. We chat about the latest heatwave, hosepipe bans, and the strange moment when you've become so desperate for rain that you find yourself listening to a YouTube thunderstorm just to remember what it sounds like. We've also got plenty of television recommendations. From Apple TV's eerie Widow's Bay and ITV's atmospheric Highlands mystery The Dark to Prime's Ride or Die with Hannah Waddingham, plus the wonderfully bittersweet comedy Ann Droid, starring Diane Morgan and Sue Johnson, we share the shows that have kept us entertained over the summer—and a few that might deserve a place on your watchlist. Elsewhere, we welcome new listeners who discovered us through our posts about the remarkable Rent Boys documentary, give an update on our new website and recent photoshoot, and open the postbag to read your emails, corrections and recommendations. And finally, we look ahead to next week's deep dive into one of Hammer Horror's most influential—and controversial—films: The Vampire Lovers. Expect gothic castles, vampires, and plenty to sink our teeth into. So grab a cold drink, settle in, and join us for another relaxed catch-up packed with pop culture, recommendations, and the usual amount of delightful nonsense. Summer may be ending... but we're just getting warmed up. 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.

  2. 4d ago

    Crocodile Dundee (1986): Paul Hogan & the Movie That Changed Australia (with Andrew Mercado)

    This week we're heading into the Australian Outback—and the streets of New York—to revisit one of the biggest global movie sensations of the 1980s: Crocodile Dundee. Joining us is Australian author and co-host of the TV Gold Podcast Andrew Mercado, who brings first-hand insight into the remarkable phenomenon that turned Paul Hogan from a household name in Australia into one of the world's biggest movie stars almost overnight. Together we explore how Crocodile Dundee became an international box-office sensation, the story behind its production, its different theatrical cuts, its enduring popularity, and why, nearly forty years later, it's still one of Australia's most recognisable cultural exports. We also discuss the 40th anniversary 4K restoration and the film's lasting place in cinema history. Andrew explains Paul Hogan's extraordinary television career before Dundee, Australia's famous tourism campaigns, and how one low-budget comedy helped reshape the world's image of Australia for an entire generation. As always, we also step back into 1986 in our Culture Corner, revisiting the television, music and headlines that surrounded the film's release. From Wham! calling it a day and Madonna's True Blue era to chart hits from EastEnders, Grange Hill, The Young Ones, Spitting Image, and more, it's a nostalgic return to one of pop culture's most memorable years. Finally, we ask how Crocodile Dundee looks through modern eyes. We discuss its ideas about masculinity, its affectionate send-up of New York culture, Linda Kozlowski's role, the film's portrayal of First Nations Australians, and the removal of one scene in later releases that has become increasingly controversial. Funny, charming and packed with behind-the-scenes stories, this episode revisits a film that became far more than a box-office hit—it became part of Australia's national identity and one of the defining movies of the 1980s. So grab your hat, watch out for crocodiles... and remember, that's not a knife... To watch the TV Show Australian Story: Paul Hogan mentioned in this podcast click the YouTube Link Here To watch the trailer for Love Of An Icon: The Legend of Crocodile Dundee. Click here 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.

  3. Jul 28

    Queer as Folk (1999): The TV Series That Changed Britain

    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 Dundee 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.

  4. Jul 21

    Tales of the City (1993): The Queer Classic That Changed Television

    To watch the episode of 'Tales Of The City" discussed in this episode on YouTube: Click here Pack 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 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.

  5. Jul 14

    Rent Boys (1984): Britain's Forgotten LGBTQ Documentary

    Watch the '40 Minutes: Rent Boys' documentary on YouTube here This 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 here 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.

  6. Jul 7

    The Killing of Sister George (1968): Pride, Censorship & Britain's Forgotten LGBTQ Classic

    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 YouTube We 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 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.

  7. Jun 30

    Abigail's Party (1977): Britain's Most Awkward Dinner Party Ever?

    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 YouTube 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.

  8. Jun 27 ·  Bonus

    THE GAZETTE: Heatwave sweats, Farage and The Fizz

    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 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.

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2 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
    149
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Problematic Gaze
  • Show Website
    The Problematic Gaze