We're Not So Different - Podcast Rankings and reviews

Luke and Eleanor’s great conversational vibe in this podcast feels like friends in a pub nerding out about medieval history and it’s fantastic. Eleanor’s expertise is enlightening and endlessly inspiring. For any fans of medieval/fantasy stories and games look no further than this podcast if you want to discover and demystify the Middle Ages. We are truly not so different.

Favorite Episode/Series: London and Paris

I searched for Eleanor Janega podcasts because I enjoy when she’s a guest on other ones talking about medieval sex. Been binging this one, which is nicely very broad in scope in medieval topics and world regions. Only things I would critique is Eleanor overuse of the word “basically” in her transitions and that Luke slow down reading his write-ups so it doesn’t sound like rote reading. I gravitate to history podcasts that are more dialogue driven by persons/experts that have fully absorbed their subject matter rather than persons that just read from a script.

I love the content and I think the hosts have a good style and dynamic. Really interesting topics.

My three critiques are:

Eleanor and Luke deliver at different volumes and it must not be adjusted during editing. So if you’re in a car you have to turn it up and down a lot, and so sometimes you get blasts of loud sound. Eleanor’s sound in particular is quite uneven.

Eleanor relies too heavily on AAVE and general slang. I get that it’s a common tactic with professors to try and make the content relatable, but it needs to be reeled back a bit

Personally I don’t need 15 minutes of irrelevant chatter before the episode kicks off. Let’s get to the content

Luke Waters and Dr. Eleanor Janega are a blast. Listening to them is like listening to your nerdiest friends talking medieval history over drinks. I have been binging this podcast for days.

The expert host has the speech pattern and abundant sarcasm of a 15 year old. I hung on for 3 episodes hoping it would get better, but it never did. She also states with great authority incorrect information. The final straw was during the episode on hygiene when she said toothpaste did not work until the 1950s when they put fluoride in it. If she’s wrong about that, what else is she wrong about?

The dude rattling off the facts and dates in his boring tone is exactly why people think history is boring.
I do not expect historians be charismatic speakers, but I do expect that of my podcasters.

If I wanted a dry recitation of history, I would take a college lecture, not listen to a podcast