The Problematic Gaze

Afleveringen

1. Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962): Bette Davis, Joan Crawford & the Feud That Became Legend

   3 november 2026 · 56 min

   Afspelen
   Click here to visit our YouTube Channel Lees meer

   This week, we're heading into the wonderfully unsettling world of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), the psychological thriller that brought two of Hollywood's greatest stars together for a spectacularly uncomfortable family reunion.

   With Bette Davis as the grotesquely theatrical former child star Baby Jane Hudson and Joan Crawford as her wheelchair-using sister Blanche, it's a film packed with jealousy, resentment, faded glamour and some truly extraordinary performances.

   But is it really a story about two sisters who hate each other, or does it reveal something much more troubling about Hollywood's treatment of ageing women?

   And, naturally, could you get away with it today?

   First, we're travelling back to Britain in 1963 for our regular Culture Corner.

   It's a year of scandal, satire and enormous social change.

   The Profumo affair exposes the secrets of Britain's political establishment, the Duke and Duchess of Argyll's divorceprovides sensational headlines, and a new generation of satirists begins challenging the country's traditional deference to authority.

   Meanwhile, Beatlemania is sweeping the nation, Dr Beeching's railway proposals threaten the future of Britain's branch lines, National Service is coming to an end, and nuclear anxieties continue to fuel the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

   At the cinema, James Bond returns in From Russia with Love, while television prepares to introduce a mysterious traveller called Doctor Who.

   And, of course, we'll be taking a look at what Britain was listening to as the pop revolution gathered pace.

   Then it's time to enter the Hudson household.

   We revisit the making of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, its extraordinary success, its Academy Award recognition and the performances that transformed two established Hollywood stars into icons of psychological horror.

   But behind the famous make-up, costumes and deliciously theatrical dialogue lies a rather uncomfortable ques…

2. 'Ghostwatch' REWATCHED! (1992): The Halloween TV Show That Terrified Britain

   31 oktober 2026 · 52 min

   Afspelen
   Channel 5 is bringing Ghostwatch back into the spotlight this Halloween with a brand-new documentary, Ghostwatch: The Night That Terrified Britain, airing on Saturday 31 October at 9.15pm — exactly 34 years after the original BBC broadcast. Lees meer

   To mark the occasion, we're reopening the archives at The Problematic Gaze and revisiting our own deep dive into one of the most extraordinary and controversial moments in British television history.

   On Halloween night in 1992, millions of viewers settled down to watch what appeared to be a live BBC investigation into a haunted suburban home.

   With Michael Parkinson in the studio, Sarah Greene inside the house, Craig Charles reporting from outside and Mike Smith taking viewers' calls, everything looked reassuringly familiar.

   But something wasn't quite right.

   There were strange noises, unexplained disturbances and a mysterious presence known only as Pipes.

   And as the evening progressed, things became increasingly unsettling.

   The problem? Many viewers believed it was all real.

   In fact, Ghostwatch was an elaborately staged television drama, written by Stephen Volk and directed by Lesley Manning, which blurred the boundaries between fiction and reality with extraordinary results.

   The broadcast prompted thousands of complaints, made national headlines and became so controversial that the BBC never repeated it on British television.

   But was Ghostwatch a brilliantly innovative piece of television horror, or had the BBC taken its Halloween trick a little too far?

   In this special Halloween reissue, Dr Lee Arnott and Dave Moor revisit the programme that frightened a generation.

   We explore the familiar television faces that made the deception so convincing, the ingenious techniques used to create an atmosphere of mounting dread, the mystery of Pipes and the extraordinary public reaction.

   We also consider the programme's lasting influence on horror, its transformation into a cult classic and why, more than three decades later, p…

3. Carrie (1976): Prom Night, Periods & the Horror of Being a Teenage Girl

   27 oktober 2026 · 1 uur 9 min

   Afspelen
   Periods, pig's blood, religious repression and quite possibly the worst school prom in cinema history. Welcome to Carrie! Lees meer

   Hello Gazers!

   This week we're going back to 1976 for Brian De Palma's horror classic Carrie, starring Sissy Spacek as the painfully shy teenager whose schooldays are about to take a rather spectacular turn for the worse.

   But is Carrie simply a terrifying tale of supernatural revenge, or is it really about the horrors of being a teenage girl?

   And, more importantly, could you get away with it today?

   We begin with one of cinema's most uncomfortable opening sequences, as Carrie's first period becomes a source of humiliation in the school changing rooms.

   It's a scene that raises some interesting questions about the male gaze, the representation of teenage girls and why De Palma chooses to introduce his heroine in quite such an intimate way.

   From there, we explore the relentless bullying Carrie endures, her emerging telekinetic powers and her deeply troubled relationship with her fanatically religious mother, Margaret White, played with extraordinary intensity by Piper Laurie.

   Then, of course, there's the prom.

   The dress. The date. The bucket. And one of the most memorable sequences in horror-film history.

   We discuss how Carrie turns teenage cruelty into something genuinely disturbing, whether its portrayal of female anger can be read as empowering, and why the film seems determined to punish its heroine just as she begins to find a little happiness.

   Is Carrie a monster, a victim, or simply an outsider pushed beyond her limits?

   Along the way, we revisit the making of the film, Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie's Oscar-nominated performances, its box-office success and its extraordinary influence on popular culture.

   We also look at the various attempts to revisit Stephen King's story, including the remakes and the forthcoming television adaptation.

   And then it's time for Culture Corner!

   Although Carrie was released in America in 1976, Britis…

4. Casino Royale (2006): Daniel Craig, Bond Girls & a Very Gay 007 Ranking

   20 oktober 2026 · 1 uur 4 min

   Afspelen
   Daniel Craig in tiny swimming trunks, a very dangerous poker game, and the important question: which James Bond is actually the sexiest? Lees meer

   Hello Gazers!

   This week we're dusting off our tuxedos, ordering something shaken rather than stirred, and heading back to 2006 for Casino Royale, the film that reinvented James Bond for a new generation.

   But was Daniel Craig's tougher, moodier and considerably more muscular 007 really a step forward? Or was he simply the same old Bond with a gym membership and a slightly more troubled expression?

   First, we're revisiting the film itself, from Le Chiffre's high-stakes poker tournament and Bond's increasingly complicated relationship with Vesper Lynd, to some particularly uncomfortable encounters, spectacular action sequences and a memorable finale in Venice.

   We explore how Casino Royale revitalised the franchise, the controversy surrounding Craig's casting, the film's critical and commercial success, and whether its grittier approach borrowed a little too enthusiastically from the Bourne films.

   Then it's time for Culture Corner, where we're heading back to Britain in 2006.

   It was the era of metrosexual men, lads' magazines, Top Gear and an increasingly confused national conversation about masculinity.

   As traditional ideas about manhood collided with changing attitudes towards gender, class and sexuality, we ask whether Daniel Craig's more physically imposing but emotionally vulnerable Bond reflected a wider cultural shift.

   And what better way to explore changing masculinity than by examining every James Bond?

   From Sean Connery's unapologetic swagger and Roger Moore's raised eyebrow to Timothy Dalton's intensity, Pierce Brosnan's polished charm and Daniel Craig's brooding physicality, we're examining how each incarnation of 007 treated women, expressed masculinity and reflected the attitudes of his era.

   Naturally, this leads to the most academically rigorous segment in the history of The Problematic Gays:

   Our ranking of t…

5. THE GAZETTE: Carrie, Reform Exposed, Celebrity Traitors vs Big Brother & Listener Mail

   16 oktober 2026 · 33 min

   Afspelen
   Click here to visit our YouTube Channel! Lees meer

   We're back! After a week off, we're reunited in the cellar at PG Towers, accompanied by Fontaine the dog, a little background building noise and the usual complete inability to stay on one subject for more than five minutes.

   And what a lot we've got to catch up on.

   First, we're opening the mailbag for your reactions to The League of Gentlemen, including a surprising connection to Roy Chubby Brown and some excellent suggestions for future episodes.

   Could The Mighty Boosh be heading for The Problematic Gaze? And have we been overlooking the deeply questionable world of Mr Men and Little Miss?

   Then it's time for a little reality television.

   We're discussing The Celebrity Traitors, which doesn't seem quite itself this year, and Big Brother, which might finally have rediscovered its mojo. There's also the small matter of housemate Rob, who apparently cannot stop singing.

   But the week's most extraordinary controversy comes courtesy of Doctor Who.

   Yes, apparently even a preschool cartoon can provoke an internet meltdown.

   We examine the outrage surrounding the BBC's The TARDIS Crew, where some online commentators have managed to discover a supposed “bisexual agenda” lurking in the programme's colour palette.

   Because obviously that's what children are thinking about when they see a brightly coloured cartoon spaceship.

   Back in the mailbag, we're talking about the wonderfully unsettling In Fabric, revisiting Tales of the Unexpected and its particularly disturbing episode The Flypaper, and returning to two subjects that simply refuse to go away: Britain's rudest place names and the controversial merits of rum and raisin ice cream.

   We also clear up a little Dynasty trivia involving Catherine Oxenberg and Princess Diana, before checking in with The Great British Bake Off and looking ahead to Mike Flanagan's forthcoming adaptation of Carrie.

   There's also a brief detour into an ITV investigation involving Reform UK, because app…

6. Dynasty: The Moldavian Massacre (1985) Joan Collins & 80s Excess

   13 oktober 2026 · 1 uur 11 min

   Afspelen
   Watch our 'Dynasty and the 80's' YouTube playlist! Click here Lees meer

   Shoulder pads, champagne, catfights and a royal wedding that ends in a bloodbath.

   Hello Gazers!

   This week we're heading back to the gloriously excessive 1980s for Dynasty, the American primetime soap that gave us Joan Collins, spectacular wealth, magnificent bitchiness and one of the most outrageous cliffhangers in television history.

   And naturally, we're asking: Could you get away with it today?

   Created by Richard and Esther Shapiro and produced by Aaron Spelling, Dynasty ran from 1981 to 1989, turning the fabulously wealthy Carrington family into an international television phenomenon.

   We revisit John Forsythe as Blake Carrington, Linda Evans as Krystle and the incomparable Joan Collins as Alexis, whose arrival helped transform the show's fortunes and made shoulder pads practically compulsory.

   We also share our own memories of watching Dynasty, its extraordinary appeal to gay audiences and why all that glamour, melodrama and barely disguised hostility became such irresistible camp entertainment.

   Over in Culture Corner, it's time to get rich.

   We're exploring the world of Ronald Reagan's America, the rise of the yuppie, conspicuous consumption and the fascination with money, status and designer everything.

   Was Dynasty celebrating the excesses of 1980s capitalism, or quietly revealing the greed, misery and dysfunction beneath all that fabulous wealth?

   We also revisit the show's extraordinary commercial success, from merchandise and spin-offs to The Colbys.

   Then it's time for our main event.

   The Moldavian Massacre.

   We're concentrating on the infamous 1985 royal wedding cliffhanger, when a celebration in the fictional kingdom of Moldavia takes a rather unexpected turn.

   It's one of the most memorable endings in soap history — but does the episode itself live up to its reputation?

   Along the way, we're discussing:

   Alexis versus Krystle: the catfights, rivalries and changing expectations of wom…

7. The League of Gentlemen (2000): Could Royston Vasey Exist Today?

   6 oktober 2026 · 56 min

   Afspelen
   Watch our YouTube playlist to find out more aboutThe League of Gentlemen and life in 2000 Lees meer

   Click here to watch our chosen episode of The League Of Gentlemen on I-Player

   Hello, Dave? You're our wife now.

   This week we're taking a local trip for local people as The Problematic Gays head to Royston Vasey for The League of Gentlemen.

   We're focusing on Series 2, Episode 2 — “Lust for Royston Vasey,” first broadcast on 21 January 2000 — and asking how one of Britain's darkest, strangest and most grotesque comedies looks more than 25 years later.

   We go back to the beginnings of Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton, Reece Shearsmith and Jeremy Dyson's creation, from Bretton Hall and the Perrier Award to BBC Radio 4 and television, and explore the influences behind Royston Vasey's peculiar mixture of Hammer Horror, The Wicker Man, British sitcom and pitch-black comedy.

   Then it's time to meet the locals.

   There's Herr Lipp and his deeply uncomfortable interest in Justin; Tubbs and Edward facing the horrors of the outside world; Alvin attempting to escape Sunny's increasingly elaborate sexual appetites; Pauline and Mickey at the Burger Me takeaway; the deeply unpleasant Pop and his sons; Mr Chinnery doing terrible things to another unfortunate animal; and Val and Harvey's spectacularly dysfunctional household.

   And then there are two characters who have become particularly complicated.

   We revisit Papa Lazarou, the grotesque circus master whose appearance became central to the controversy that saw episodes removed from Netflix in 2020, and ask what the character was intended to represent versus how that imagery reads today.

   We also discuss Babs, Royston Vasey's transgender taxi driver, and how a character that could once be defended as being in on the joke becomes considerably harder to defend when the programme returned in 2017.

   Over in Culture Corner, we're heading back to Britain in 2000: the Millennium Dome, New Labour optimism, devolution, changing ideas of Englishness and…

8. THE GAZETTE: Celebrity Traitors is back!!

   2 oktober 2026 · 26 min

   Afspelen
   Hello Gazers! Welcome to our weekly Gazette! Lees meer

   We're still circling Jaws (1975) this week — although apparently the most contentious part of our entire discussion isn't the shark. It's coffee ice cream.

   After our latest Jaws episode, we're debating whether Spielberg's classic really counts as a horror film and tackling the important culinary questions nobody else was brave enough to ask: is coffee a legitimate ice cream flavour? Does anyone still eat rum and raisin? And whatever happened to tutti frutti?

   Our Jaws adventures also lead us into the glamorous world of copyright takedowns. We reminisce about previous encounters with the social-media copyright police and discover that apparently even 50-year-old mechanical sharks have lawyers.

   Then it's time for a tour of Britain's rudest place names and the surprisingly innocent history behind some extremely unfortunate-sounding villages, roads and landmarks.

   There's also a glorious Les Dennis story involving someone mistaking him for Amanda Holden's father before we get thoroughly overexcited about Celebrity Traitors. Richard E. Grant accidentally announces that he's a traitor, Ross Kemp reaches previously unexplored levels of suspicion, and we pick through the latest treachery, paranoia and questionable detective work.

   We also check in on Big Brother and its latest eviction drama before taking time to remember Esther Rantzen and an extraordinary broadcasting career that stretched far beyond That's Life!. We reflect on her campaigning work and the lasting importance of Childline and The Silver Line.

   Plus, listener mail takes us all the way to Australia for a brilliant Jaws memory.

   And next week, we're going somewhere that makes Amity Island look positively welcoming...

   Welcome to Royston Vasey.

   Yes, The League of Gentlemen is coming to The Problematic Gaze.

   Click here to visit our YouTube site, The Gaze Channel, where you can watch video versions of our podcast.

   Our YouTube site also contains playlists for ea…

9. Jaws (1975): The Blockbuster That Made Us Afraid of Sharks

   29 september 2026 · 53 min

   Afspelen
   Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water… Lees meer

   This week we're heading to Amity Island for Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1975) — the film that terrified a generation, transformed the Hollywood blockbuster and did absolutely nothing for the shark's public image.

   We revisit Spielberg's troubled ocean shoot, the notoriously temperamental mechanical shark and John Williams' iconic Oscar-winning score, before diving into the moments that made Jaws one of the most effective thrillers ever made: Chrissie's terrifying opening swim, severed body parts, Ben Gardner's surprise appearance, a doomed dog, a horrifying attack on a child and, eventually, three men heading out to sea to hunt a very big fish.

   But underneath the shark movie is something rather interesting.

   We look at Mayor Vaughn's determination to keep Amity's beaches open, asking what Jaws has to say about money, tourism, political denial and managing a crisis when acknowledging the problem might be bad for business.

   Then there's the men.

   Brody, Hooper and Quint offer three very different versions of 1970s masculinity, culminating in Robert Shaw's extraordinary USS Indianapolis monologue and the increasingly claustrophobic battle aboard the Orca.

   Over in Culture Corner, we cross the Atlantic to Britain in 1975, where inflation was running at extraordinary levels and everyday prices were soaring. What did the world outside the cinema look like when audiences first heard those two ominous notes?

   We also examine the uncomfortable legacy of Jaws. Did Hollywood's most famous shark help turn a vulnerable animal into a monster in the public imagination? We discuss shark hunting, changing attitudes towards the species and the later reflections of author Peter Benchley and Spielberg himself.

   And next week, we're off to Royston Vasey as we tackle The League of Gentlemen.

   You're our wife now.

   Click here to visit our YouTube site, The Gaze Channel, where you can watch video versions of our podcast.

   Our YouTu…

10. THE GAZETTE: Furious, Last Seen, Strictly Shake-Ups & Streaming Annoyances

    25 september 2026 · 28 min

    Afspelen
    Hello Gazers! Lees meer

    The postbag is open and A Taste of Honey has got you talking.

    Listener John Bishop—not that one—gives the film a whopping 9/10, remembers a Welsh stage production that relocated the story to Cardiff after the Manchester accent proved something of a stumbling block, and somehow takes us on a detour to seeing Jaws at the IMAX.

    Then Johannes joins us from Norway with his thoughts on why A Taste of Honey still feels so remarkable: a British New Wave film centred on a young woman while giving unusual prominence for the period to a Black character and a gay man.

    From kitchen-sink realism, we make the entirely natural transition to sequins as we discuss Strictly Come Dancing's new three-presenter line-up—and a newspaper's rather enthusiastic attempt to turn the show's ratings into a "flop" narrative.

    We're also mourning the loss of Ride or Die, the Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham series cancelled by Prime, before diving into our latest television recommendations.

    Dr Lee's been watching Furious, the new crime thriller starring Emmy Rossum as an FBI agent hunting a female serial killer, while we also get stuck into Last Seen.

    Elsewhere, apparently iPods are becoming desirable again, which is excellent news for anybody with a drawer full of obsolete Apple products and the patience to find the correct cable.

    We also have a moan about the increasingly peculiar experience of paying for streaming services and then being shown adverts anyway, discuss a new version of The War Game involving politicians, and disappear down a nostalgic Blue Peter rabbit hole involving Peter Duncan, terrifying stunts and that unforgettable green-and-white checked suit.

    Listener mail, television recommendations, streaming grumbles, nostalgia and several subjects that really shouldn't fit together in the same podcast.

    In other words, a fairly standard week at PG Manor.

    Click here to visit our YouTube site, The Gaze Channel, where you can watch video versions of our podcas…

Alle 171 afleveringen →