Legacy - Podcast Rankings and reviews

I found this podcast through the Wondery+ subscription and I am floored by this podcast! I’ve always had an aversion to history (yawn) but the hosts bring such humanity and perspective to these historical figures! The hosts add parables, historical facts and their own thoughts and opinions in a fair and even keeled way. I am finding myself utterly glued to this pod and learning about people I never cared to learn about previously merely because I enjoy listening to these hosts. Much appreciation to Afua Hirsch and Peter Frankopan for bringing life to history and giving this listener a new appreciation to the people who came before her :)

I’m going to start by saying - Afua, I love you. You are the voice missing in so many history podcasts!! I was hooked from Season 1 Episode 1. Afua is such a great voice of BIPOC peoples perspectives - thank you, as a fellow POC. The way Peter and Afua converse feels like you are at some intimate dinner amongst academics and they begin to discuss a favorite figure and go down the rabbit hole offering multiple perspectives. Just listen - believe me - even Gorbachev! - immediately hooked. Day 2 of listening and I’m starting Nina Simone - Episode 2 - and she is so relevant to today, I had no idea, I am ashamed to say! Keep this up! 👍

My new favorite podcast! Every episode is so well researched and really entertaining. The hosts are engaging as well. It’s like they took the time to watch all of the stuffy documentaries for me and turn it into something much more fun to digest.

As a physician who did not get time to take nearly enough history classes in college, I love podcasts for learning about how fascinating the characters of our past really are. There are many great podcasts for that purpose (1865 is amazing), and this one is an interesting take on the genre. I do think the content focused on one person is of value, as most history is taught as a story with many characters. This is worth a listen for that unique perspective.

One pet peeve is the host’s pronunciation of “nuclear” as if it is spelled “nucular”. I asked a few Brit friends and they report this is not a dialectical variation (aluminum vs aluminium being an example), rather just a person making a lexical error—repeatedly. Unfortunately some seasons (Gorbachev) have the host saying it often. Not a deal breaker but would love a producer to help correct that, which can damage credibility.

I struggle to find these hosts credible because their arguments seem biased and reductive. They make sweeping generalizations that oversimplify complex issues, which undermines the validity of their perspectives.

Suggesting Marilyn Monroe dyed her hair blonde due to an aryan fixation in America and that Taylor Swift’s popularity is based on the fact that she “resembles the American flag” diminishes these women’s achievements and comes off as sexist. I started listening to the Hoover one but couldn’t get through it, these hosts seem so untrustworthy, especially when you hear them talk glowingly about Thatcher.

It seems to be a reoccurring theme in British podcasting that they tend to avoid any self reflection instead often pushing strange, hateful claims on the US and its citizens without citing any sources.

Having been a fan of Nina Simone, for many years, I was interested in finding out more about her life and career. However, the hosts were difficult to understand., not only because of their accents but the gentleman spoke very fast. This was my first time listening to Legacy and there are others that I’m interested in hearing. I hope there will be different narrators for future episodes.