Racism in the Classroom: Revisiting 'Mind Your Language' from 1979

The Problematic Gaze

In this episode of The Problematic Gaze, we step back into 1979 with Series 3, Episode 1 of Mind Your Language — a British sitcom that turned cultural stereotypes into punchlines and classrooms into chaos. Once celebrated as lighthearted comedy, the show now raises serious questions about race, representation, and the politics of humor.

We unpack the episode’s jokes, characters, and reception — asking: What did 1979 find funny? How did the show reflect Britain’s uneasy relationship with multiculturalism? And what can today’s audiences learn from revisiting a sitcom that both entertained and offended in equal measure?

Join us as we explore how nostalgia meets discomfort in the world of Mind Your Language — and how comedy’s “classroom of errors” still echoes through pop culture today.

To watch the episode of Mind Your Language discussed in this podcast on YouTube Click here

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GAZER HOMEWORK: Next Week we dissect an episode of UK documentary Benefits Street from 2014. Click here to watch our chosen episode on YouTube