The Problematic Gaze

We are back after a week away and apparently the world survived without our opinions on Eurovision, AI, and 1970s sex comedies — though only just. This week we answer listener letters, discuss Cilla Black’s fifty-seven emotional interpretations of “Alfie,”, defend Confessions of a Window Cleaner as the cinematic equivalent of finding chips on the floor and still eating them, and prepare emotionally for Eurovision. Our Dave (AKA Judith Chalmers) reports from Dubrovnik with urgent passport warnings for the middle-aged and disorganised, while Dr. Lee worries that AI will destroy the planet, steal everyone’s jobs, and probably start writing this podcast description. Plus: George Michael, Freddie Mercury, Rocky Horror memories, Emma Willis rumours, Star Trek teasing, and preview our next Sex Month episode with Porky’s looming on the horizon like a grubby cultural comet.

In the second week of our Sex Season, we pull on our nylon overalls and climb the ladders of 1970s British cinema to revisit Confessions of a Window Cleaner — the cheeky box-office phenomenon that somehow became the biggest British hit of 1974. We unpack Timmy Lea’s endlessly episodic adventures in window cleaning, accidental voyeurism, and improbable seduction while asking: what exactly made these “saucy” comedies so wildly popular before home video and internet porn?Along the way we discuss Robin Askwith, censorship, class aspiration, sexism, consent, the male gaze, and why the film is simultaneously tame, uncomfortable, ridiculous, and fascinating as a cultural time capsule. In Culture Corner: the three-day week, Lord Lucan’s disappearance, IRA bombings, ABBA winning Eurovision, Britain’s biggest singles, children’s TV landmarks, Tom Baker becoming Doctor Who, Princess Anne’s kidnapping attempt, publishing highlights, and the Miss World scandal that shook the crown.To watch Confessions Of A Window Cleaner on YouTube: Click Here

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 hereGAZER HOMEWORK: Next week we turn our lens to 1974's sec comedy 'Confessions Of A Window Cleaner'. Click here to watch on YouTube

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.

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 YoutubeGAZER HOMEWORK: Next week we kick off our SEX season with Alfie from 1966

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.