In this special Halloween episode, The Problematic Gaze dives into Robert Hiltzik’s Sleepaway Camp (1983), a cult classic slasher that mixes lakeside gore with one of the most infamous twists in horror history. What begins as a standard teen body count film turns into a messy collision of gender anxiety, repression, and moral panic.

We unpack how Sleepaway Camp reflects (and distorts) early ’80s fears around gender nonconformity, the portrayal of trauma and queerness in horror, and how its shocking ending continues to haunt trans and queer representation decades later. Is Sleepaway Camp an accidental critique of heteronormative horror, or just another relic of exploitation cinema gone wrong?

Join us as we navigate the murky waters between camp and cruelty — with a few screams along the way.

Click here to watch Sleepaway Camp from 1983 on YouTube

To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here!

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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!

Fresh from winning 'Best History Podcast' at The Independent Podcast Awards, welcome Gazers to The Problematic Gazette, a bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments  and  discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week.

To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here!

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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you!

In this episode of The Problematic Gaze, we hop into the telly TARDIS back to January 8th, 1975 — and land smack in the middle of The Benny Hill Show at the height of its powers: ratings through the roof, international fame, and a cast of women who seemed contractually obligated to wear only lingerie and smiles.

Benny Hill was a comedy genius, no doubt — a master of physical timing, quick-cut gags, and musical parodies. But beneath the laughs (and above the hemlines) lies a cultural artifact full of questionable accents, endless ogling, and punchlines that raise more eyebrows than laughs today.

We break down the sketches, the innuendos, and the saxophone-fueled sprinting. Light-hearted but clear-eyed, this episode is a cheeky look at a show that made millions laugh — and now makes many ask, “Wait… did he just say that?!”

Click here to watch our chosen episode of 'The Benny Hill Show' from 1975

To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here!

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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you!

GAZER HOMEWORK: Next week our Halloween Special will feature the horror movie Sleepaway Camp from 1983. Click here to watch on YouTube

Fresh from winning 'Best History Podcast' at The Independent Podcast Awards, welcome Gazers to The Problematic Gazette, a bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments  and  discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week.

To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here!

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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you!

In this episode of The Problematic Gaze, we rewatch the very first episode of Game of Thrones with our eyes wide open — and the rose-colored glasses off. Once hailed as a gritty feminist epic, the show’s legacy now looks a lot messier. We dig into how Game of Thrones glorified sexual violence, punished ambitious women, and stripped its female leads of power and complexity. But it didn’t stop there: we also unpack the show’s troubling handling of race — from the white savior fantasy of Daenerys to the one-dimensional portrayal of the Dothraki and Unsullied — and how disability was reduced to metaphor or moral punishment. In the game of thrones, you win or you die… but some characters were never even given a fair shot.

We watched Game Of Thrones Season 1, Episode 1 'Winter Is Coming' on Sky Box Sets on the UK.

To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here!

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.

Welcome Gazers to The Problematic Gazette, a welcome bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments  and  discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week.

To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here!

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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you!

This week on The Problematic Gaze, we dive paws-first into the fur-covered chaos of Are You Being Served?’s infamous 1977 episode “Mrs. Slocombe Expects.” It’s pregnancy panic at Grace Brothers when Mrs. Slocombe’s feline-related misunderstanding leads to a scandalous stir—and some jaw-dropping innuendos that would never make it past the censors today.

We unpack:

• The smirking sexism behind the staff room banter
• The not-so-subtle class digs and gender politics
• And the complicated legacy of Mr. Humphries — allowed to mince, wink, and flounce across the screen, but never allowed to be gay. John Inman’s performance is iconic, but what does it mean when queerness is only palatable as long as it stays in the realm of innuendo?

Was it cheeky fun or a problematic time capsule? Hit play and find out why this episode is still raising eyebrows nearly 50 years later — and what it says about how far we've really come.

Click here to watch the episode of 'Are You Being Served" discussed in this podcast.

To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here!

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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you!

Welcome Gazers to The Problematic Gazette, a welcome bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments  and  discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week.

To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here!

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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you!

This week on The Problematic Gaze, we’re joined by the brilliantly opinionated Michael and Hilary Whitehall, hosts of The Wittering Whitehalls Podcast, for a dive into one of the more bizarre corners of 1960s British television: The Avengers episode “Quick-Quick Slow Death”  from 1966.

From first hand tales of Patrick Macnee, Diana Rigg and Honor Blackman, with a side swerve of Dame Peggy Ashcroft and Tony Hadley, Michael and Hilary are the perfect guests to explore the 1960's and all things 'The Avengers' with. 

Espionage meets ballroom dancing in a surreal swirl of murder, Cold War paranoia, and mid-century missteps. Together, we unpack:

• The camp and charm of Steed & Mrs. Peel
• Rationed emotions and outrageous plotlines
• And what this all tells us about post-war Britain on the small screen

With the Whitehalls bringing their signature dry humour, this episode is a witty waltz through nostalgia, nonsense, and necessary critique.

To find out about The Wittering Whitehall on tour and more click here!

You can watch the episode of The Avengers (S4 E19 - Quick-Quick Slow Death) discussed in this episode on Amazon Prime Video.

To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here!

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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you!

Welcome Gazers to The Problematic Gazette, a welcome bonus addition to our main show. Our Dave and Dr Lee chew the fat, read out Gazer comments  and  discuss things we've seen, read and heard this week.

In this episode, Dave is late to the Only Murders In The Building party and Dr Lee survives his post wedding blues to report on unfolding events in Morpeth!

To watch video versions of our full episodes check out The Problematic Gaze YouTube channel here!

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 [email protected]. We love hearing from you!