This is the final episode in this "Season" (Smattering) of Spectacles and it features what must be our spookiest chat yet. Get under those covers and quiver with fear as we discuss horror affect, lock the windows and light a flickering candle a

#31 Song 'n Dance: A Musical Movie Medley

Aug 9th, 2020 2h 20m

The feed is alive with the sound of music today as the Spectacles ensemble put on the greatest show of their lives. With special guest P.T. Barnowl, Stephen and Eva explore the perceptions, history and analyse the mechanics of what makes a musi

#30 The Schmaltzification Of Nature: The Ecocide Behind Ecocinema

Jul 19th, 2020 2h 14m

Join us as we dig in to representations of animals and the natural world on screen. Fly through our dreams and personal relationships with nature. Chart the change in representations of the animal kingdom - has it become overly schmaltzified? A

#29 Head Space: A Foray Into Mental Illness In Film

Jun 28th, 2020 2h 18m

CW: Discussions of sexual abuse and mental illnesses.Mental Health, we all got it and leading politicians would like you to know that they are aware of mental health too. But what lies behind the buzz-phrase? Are all conditions born the same?

#28 Stay Alert And Carry On: Corona-Nationalism In Britain

Jun 7th, 2020 1h 28m

Sit back, relax and crack open a cold Corona as we recount our views on responses to the Covid outbreak in UK journalism and social media. In this slightly more relaxed approach to a Spectacles we vent, express and call out the power as we slow

#27 The State Of Poverty Porn

May 24th, 2020 2h 6m

Spec and her pals Tacles and A Woodpigeon are off on an increble adventure into the wilderness of deprived areas of society. Gasp in awe as they realise that a vocal elite tailor prevailaing narratives about a marginalised underclass to maintai

#26 Who Gets To Be A Millionaire?

May 13th, 2020 1h 48m

The Spectacles crew find themselves up against the clock in one of the oddest and most unlikely game-shows imaginable. In Who Gets to Be a Millionaire, hosted by Goose Tarrant they have to give long-winded answers to questions relating to game

#25 The Last Taboo: Fetishes, Kinks And Voyeurism, An Indecent Exploration

May 3rd, 2020 1h 55m

If its good enough for straight-to-streaming documentaries it's good enough for the Spectacles crew. Join us as we take a cheeky dive into the world of Fetishes, Kinks and Voyeurism on screen. Somebody's voice-recording app has a fetish for out

#24 How to Construct a Leader: Prime Ministers and Presidents On Screen

Apr 26th, 2020 2h 8m

Ever got that sneaky feeling? The feeling that your world leaders and politicians might not be entirely authentic? Well so have the Spectacles crew and we're going to be investigating our renowned leaders the best way we know how - by watching

#23 Celebrities in Our Circles: Meditations on the Public/Private Life Divide

Mar 22nd, 2020 2h 8m

What must it be like to be a celebrity? What must it be like to live life in the public eye? How can a person grapple with the cruel dichotomy of media narrated public persona and complex private individual?Take a listen to us, three people who

#22 The Anthropomorphic Misanthrope: The Inescapable Childhood of BoJack Horseman

Feb 16th, 2020 2h 27m

CW: This episode contains discussion about PTSD, alcohol abuse and traumatic domestic situations.Good ol' Uncle TV gathers the Spectacles crew together for a much needed introspective journey and therapy session. Listen to our heroes grapple

#21 Swallow This! A Veganuary Special

Jan 19th, 2020 1h 35m

In this special Spectacles sponsered (but not really) by the Greggs vegan sausage roll, we take a look at the media forming our opinios about diet. Specifically the vegan diet and why popular beliefs and attitudes are changing towards it. Join

#20 Remaking Childhood: A Nostalgic Christmas Special

Dec 31st, 2019 1h 51m

We are awash with remakes of childhood favourites, many of which are coming out more than two decades after the original. Who is this for? Adults who grew up with the franchise and enjoy the predictability? Children who watched the original two

#19 Stream On: Apple, Netflix And The Quality Illusion

Nov 3rd, 2019 1h 59m

Netflix, Apple, Amazon, Hulu, however you consume your copious amounts of audio-visual entertainment we've got your individual needs catered to in this episode of Spectacles: A Pop Culture Podcast.We discuss the origins of contemporary and up

#18 Joker (Not the IPA, the Angry White Man)

Oct 19th, 2019 1h 38m

Todd Phillips' magnum opus 'Joker' has gotten the Spectacles crew talking. So much so that they took what was supposed to be a review 'minisode' called Monocle and instead released it as the usual feature-length audio essay that fans have come

#17 Once Upon a Time in (Post #MeToo) Hollywood

Sep 29th, 2019 2h 12m

Two years after Hollywood ousted the evil toad king Harvey Weinstein and we all learned that non-consensual bedroom mischief is bad, we live in a world without problems, everyone is treated equally and being a woman is basically the same as bei

#16 High School On-Screen: Pedagogies, Institutions & Sexuality

Jun 30th, 2019 2h 6m

It goes without saying that school is a critical time for teenagers. We remember the teachers who helped us discover what we enjoyed... and the ones who did the opposite. We remember the bizarre rituals of the institution... and how they made u

#15 The Toxic Family Film: A Magical Christmas Special

Dec 28th, 2018 1h 49m

Take a break from fighting with your family this holiday period, because in this episode, we are talking about what makes family entertainment great (or diabolical) and the versatility of the genre. How do the dynamics within a family film chan

#14 The Commodification of Love

Sep 2nd, 2018 1h 59m

Are you a leftie who suffers from liberal guilt? Do you ever feel like corporations are manipulating your insecurities this way? Do you assuage this by sipping from a rainbow Costa Cup or eating from chains that claim to be 'organic' or 'ethica

#13 The Great British Aloo Gobi: Cookery Programmes and 'Appropriation'

Aug 19th, 2018 1h 31m

Britain has a complicated relationship with food. Just look at our simultaneous obsessions with multiculturalism in food, national pride/identity in food, and our obsession with ultra-processed supermarket snackables. Nowhere is this bastardisa

#12 The Socially Acceptable Freak Show: Body Image and Diets in Reality TV

Aug 5th, 2018 1h 43m

Why is it people will gladly go on national television to air health problems and weight problems that most of us would be hesitant to discuss with our doctor in private? How do (or did) programmes like You Are What You Eat, Supersize vs Supers

#11 Remix Culture in the New Mass Media

Jul 22nd, 2018 1h 7m

Our society has been awash with re-edits and remixes for decades (in what is commonly known as a remix culture), but total media democratisation via platforms like YouTube has taken us to uncharted territory. Now, hand a 13-year-old boy with de

#10 The Fame Factory: Aspiration and Youth Culture in TV Talent Shows

Jul 8th, 2018 1h 24m

What starts as a lighthearted reminisce about The X Factor in its heyday, the politics of Love Island, and analysis of Simon Cowell's uncanny ability to influence public opinion, evolves into a serious realisation (and subsequent rant) about wi

#9 Trailer Trash: Reflections on Movie Advertising

Jun 24th, 2018 1h 49m

In a world of deafening sound design, hackneyed editing and consumer oversaturation, three intellectuals gather together to work out what has gone wrong (and right, but mainly wrong) with movie trailers. What once impressed and excited moviegoe

#8 Disbelief by Default: The BBC Interview Technique

Jun 10th, 2018 1h 51m

As the political landscape of the UK has undergone radical change, its population have started to look at the BBC with a new pair of eyes. With allegations of bias flying from all political corners, we present the evidence for this bias, and lo