The Problematic Gaze

David Moor and Lee Arnott
  • 5.0 (2)
  • HISTORY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

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. 4H AGO

    THE PROBLEMATIC GAZETTE: Wuthering Heights, Andrew's Arrest & Small Prophets!

    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, and made-up tabloid narratives. And we mark the death of songwriter Billy Steinberg writer of major hits including ‘Like a Virgin,’ ‘True Colors,’ ‘Eternal Flame,’ ‘So Emotional,’ ‘Alone,’ ‘I’ll Stand by You,’ and ‘I Touch Myself.’ We chat about being glued to the Winter Olympics (including curling and moguls), and touch on the Instagram dialect debate we accidentally ignited about Geordie vs Northumbrian accents, which drew hundreds of comments and even input from a linguistics academic! We also discuss Netflix’s America’s Next Top Model documentary and Tyra Banks’ lack of accountability, recommend the gentle comedy-drama Small Profits (with Michael Palin and others), and get into Doctor Who rumour-mill talk about Russell T Davies, possible new showrunners, and speculation around David Tennant and Billie Piper returning. We share listeners reaction to Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights film and preview our next main-show episode on Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! 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.

    34 min

  2. 4D AGO

    Dempsey and Makepeace (1985): Fast Cars, Choppy Bobs & Fatal Attractions

    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 Makepeace. “Love You to Death” trades on seduction, jealousy, and lethal obsession, but beneath its high-concept crime plot lies a fascinating web of gendered power dynamics. We explore how the episode frames female desire as dangerous, how male volatility is coded as charismatic rather than threatening, and how the camera lingers — inviting us to participate in a distinctly 1980s televisual gaze. What does this episode reveal about transatlantic masculinity? How does it negotiate Makepeace’s professional competence against Dempsey’s swaggering authority? And in a decade obsessed with glamour and excess, where does romance end and possession begin? Join us as we unpack the aesthetics, performances, and cultural assumptions embedded in this stylish slice of mid-80s prime-time drama — and ask whether “Love You to Death” is simply a product of its era, or a case study in how television taught audiences to look, desire, and judge. GAZER HOMEWORK: Before our next episode: Watch Faster Pussycat Kill Kill!!! 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.

    1h 3m

  3. FEB 14

    ANTM: FROM THE GAZER VAULT: Smize, Cry, Conform: The Messy Legacy of 'America’s Next Top Model'

    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 yesteryear. This week, we deep dive into 'America's Next Top Model', the US reality show launched in 2003. Now heavily criticised for its promotion of unhealthy body images and questionable racist undertones, this immensely popular show highlights how the modelling industry, and reality TV can age like a glass of fine milk!  Click her to watch 'Top 20 Outrageous America's Next Top Model Moments' discussed in this podcast. 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 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! Gazer Homework: In our next episode we focus on the US sitcom Will and Grace with the two-part "Lows in the Mid-Eighties" episodes (episodes 8 and 9 of season 3) 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.

    1h 13m

  4. FEB 10

    This Valentine’s Day, We’re Side-Eyeing 'Pillow Talk' (1959)... Hard!!

    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—and calls it charming. We unpack the gender politics, the fantasy of heterosexual warfare, and why mid-century romance keeps looking suspiciously familiar. Light a candle, pour a drink, and join us as we lovingly dismantle a Valentine’s classic that might be more red flag than rose. 💔🌹 GAZER HOMEWORK: Click here to watch crime drama Dempsey and Makepeace from 1985 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.

    1h 2m

  5. FEB 6 · BONUS

    THE PROBLEMATIC GAZETTE: Traitors, The Queens's Worms and Charlie Sheen!

    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 late Catherine O’Hara. We touch on the Irish edition of 'The Traitors,' Dr Lee's new job, Dave's YouTube tribulations, Claire Foy’s bout with parasites, upcoming Valentine’s Day plans, and a preview of our next show covering the classic 1959 film, 'Pillow Talk.' 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.

    30 min

  6. FEB 3

    'Geordie Shore' from 2011 Reality TV, Sexism, and the Birth of Influencer Culture

    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 snapshot of a pre-Instagram, pre-cancel-culture media landscape. We break down how Geordie Shore helped shape British reality TV, launched accidental influencers, and normalized behavior that now reads as wildly problematic, sexist, and chaotic. Is this show a guilty pleasure, a cultural artifact, or a cautionary tale? Probably all three. Click Here to watch the episode of Geordie Shore from 2011 discussed in this episode 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.

    51 min

  7. JAN 30 · BONUS

    THE PROBLEMATIC GAZETTE: Take That, ANTM Controversy and Victoria Beckham sings.

    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 for our YouTube channel! We also review Agatha Christie's 'Seven Dials' adaptation on Netflix and the gripping series 'Steel' on Prime Video. Additionally, we await with interest a new documentary on America's Next Top Model and discuss tell-all documentary about the British boy band 'Take That.' Dr. Lee shares his guest appearance on another podcast, discussing 1960s Doctor Who films. Join us for a lively chat blending nostalgia, contemporary critiques, and witty banter. 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.

    19 min

  8. JAN 27

    Dad’s Army (1973) 'Don’t Tell Him, Pike!’

    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 a modern lens, we also talk about what Dad’s Army gets right, why its characters and catchphrases — including the iconic “Don’t tell him, Pike!” — still resonate, and how its gentle satire, performances, and wartime humour helped make it a classic worth revisiting with affection and thoughtful context. 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.

    49 min
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Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
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
    109
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Problematic Gaze
  • Show Website
    The Problematic Gaze

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