The Problematic Gaze

We kick off Sex Month on The Problematic Gaze by diving headfirst into Alfie, the swaggering, unsettling snapshot of 1960s masculinity that still raises eyebrows today.

We explore how Michael Caine’s charismatic performance—paired with that infamous fourth-wall-breaking narration—pulls us into Alfie’s world, even as his misogyny and emotional detachment push us away. We unpack the film’s origins in Bill Naughton’s play and Lewis Gilbert’s direction, while confronting its most jarring elements: the casual disposability of women, the cutting language, and the harrowing illegal abortion sequence that still lands with force.

But we don’t stop at the screen. We place Alfie squarely in the contradictions of 1966 Britain—Swinging London’s promise of liberation colliding with the realities of Harold Wilson’s Britain, economic uncertainty, the shadow of the Aberfan disaster, and the ongoing shifts of decolonization. Against a backdrop of chart-topping music and cultural change, we ask whether Alfie reflects this moment in time—or critiques it.

By the end, we’re left wrestling with a film that is as compelling as it is uncomfortable: bold, bleak, and still deeply problematic.

You can watch Alfie on YouTube. Click here

GAZER HOMEWORK: Next week we turn our lens to 1974's sec comedy 'Confessions Of A Window Cleaner'. 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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We record a live, unedited “Problematic Gazette” update from PG Manor while planning upcoming episodes that launch our “sex season,” starting with Alfie and continuing with films from later decades. We swap stories about accidentally overhearing loud sex through an open bungalow window, along with past experiences of disruptive noise in shared spaces.

We also dive into what we’ve been watching lately, including Hacks, The Comeback (and its AI-written sitcom plotline), Netflix’s The Unchosen (a cult thriller), and ITV’s Secret Service (a modern spy drama). Along the way, we share our interest in The Devil Wears Prada sequel, unpack the origin and meaning of “jumping the shark,” and read listeners E-Mails.
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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the first time ever, we visit 1991 on The Problematic Gaze to focus on class comedy caper Keeping Up Appearances. Hyacinth’s number is mistaken for a Chinese takeaway, she prepares for a church concert, Richard fears early retirement, Rose considers becoming a nun, and the farce culminates with Hyacinth fainting after discovering Rose and the vicar in a cupboard.

We place the sitcom within its wider historical and cultural moment, reflecting on 1991’s defining events—from the Gulf War and recession to rising unemployment, the death of Freddie Mercury, an IRA mortar attack on Downing Street, the birth of the World Wide Web, early steps toward the Premier League, the Maxwell scandal, and the launch of The Big Issue, alongside charts and TV ratings of the time.

Our discussion centers on British class anxiety, accents, and aspiration, exploring how the show both mocks and reinforces class stereotypes. We also highlight the standout performance of Patricia Routledge as Hyacinth and delve into trivia surrounding the rest of the cast too!

Watch our chosen episode of Keeping Up Appearances on Youtube

GAZER HOMEWORK: Next week we kick off our SEX season with Alfie from 1966
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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The Gazette, we banter about a new haircut and Vin Diesel’s twin brother before one of us shares a story about accidentally "having tea and scones" with both members of an identical twin pair—who, thanks to different hair and facial hair, didn’t look identical at all. We get into how Sweet Transvestite has become a full-blown earworm, and talk through generational gaps and Madonna at Coachella, where audiences seem more focused on filming than watching.

That spirals into a broader chat about “two-screen” viewing and whether streaming TV is being simplified for increasingly distracted audiences. We also put out a call for your ideas and messages ahead of our 100th main episode and second birthday, and catch up on Hacks season five.

Elsewhere, we touch on a new Netflix gender-role comedy, the questionable quality of Carry On Emmanuelle, a Daily Mail piece about “tacky” watches, and our outrage that Karen Carpenter’s 1979–80 solo album was shelved—with the cost unfairly deducted from her royalties.
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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we return—after a battle with some truly on-brand technical “gremlins”—to tackle The Rocky Horror Picture Show, separating the film from its 1973 stage origins and digging into what makes it endure. We share our own very different relationships with Rocky Horror, unpack its production history, and explore how it evolved into a midnight-movie phenomenon with a fiercely devoted cult following, eventually earning preservation in the National Film Registry.

We walk through the plot—from Brad and Janet’s ill-fated car trouble to their surreal encounter with Dr. Frank-N-Furterand the unforgettable Time Warp—while placing the film in the context of early-1970s UK theatre, glam rock aesthetics, and a moment of shifting queer visibility. Along the way, we touch on 1975’s pop landscape and how it intersects with the film’s sound and sensibility.

We also grapple with the more complicated aspects of Rocky Horror: questions of language, consent, and the “queer villain” trope, balancing critique with an appreciation of its lasting impact. Ultimately, we explore why this strange, campy, audience-participation spectacle continues to resonate as a story about freedom, identity, and the joy of not fitting neatly into any category.

GAZER HOMEWORK: Next week we cast our Gaze on the classic UK TV sitcom Keeping Up Appearances. Click here to watch our chosen episode 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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.