Medieval history with sharp elbows.
We're Not So Different is a medieval history conversation show with jokes still warm from the tangent that produced them. Recent episodes move through famine, livestock, fishing, irrigation, coppicing, Wolf Hall, and mailbag politics without pretending scholarship has to sit still.
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We're Not So Different is a medieval history conversation show with a high tolerance for tangents and a low tolerance for tidy myths. It often starts somewhere ridiculous. Then it finds the lesson. Recent episodes lean into medieval land management, which sounds narrow until the show turns it into a tour of hunger, water, wood, animals, fishing, rice, labor, and political economy. The famine discussion treats Malthusianism as both a useful limit and a dangerous excuse, separating material constraints from the uglier politics often attached to them. The livestock episode uses sheep to talk about England as a long-running wool economy, with shepherds, dogs, land pressure, and export logic all folded into the conversation. The fishing episode treats rivers, ports, stock ponds, and carp as part of a serious premodern food system rather than a quaint rural detail. Water and irrigation appear less as scenery than as infrastructure. Coppicing, rice, and sailorly weather sit in the same broad concern: how people kept bodies fed, landscapes useful, and communities functioning before modern assumptions took over. The show is also comfortable leaving the Middle Ages for politics, Star Wars, pop music, or a joke that briefly hijacks the room. That looseness matters. It makes the historical points feel argued into existence instead of delivered from a script. A Wolf Hall preview adds another lane, with Dr. Eleanor and Phoebe Roy talking through Tudor power, Cromwell, narrative seduction, and the figure of the adviser who shapes authority while remaining exposed to its collapse. The show can be irreverent, blunt, and chaotic. It can also be precise. The best stretches arrive when those two modes collide, as a casual question about sheep, fish, famine, or sleeves opens into a larger point about class, belief, and who gets blamed when systems fail. It is not polished classroom history. It is historically alert conversation with jokes, nerves, and sharp corners intact.
Made for: For listeners who like medieval history, political sidebars, practical material culture, and conversational comedy that does not sand off the rough edges. Best for people happy to follow a tangent if it eventually lands somewhere useful.
What sets it apart: The show makes medieval systems feel concrete by starting with ordinary materials: sheep, ponds, water, wood, grain, and hunger. Its edge is the mix of chaotic banter and serious historical correction, where the joke often clears space for the actual argument.
A mostly Medieval history podcast about how we've always been idiotspatreon.com/wnsdpodwelcometothecrusades.com
Based on 5 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Medieval systems, historical storytelling, and unruly humor meet in conversations that make the workings of past societies unusually tangible.
We're Not So Different turns medieval history into a loose, argumentative conversation between Luke and Dr. Eleanor, moving easily from technical explanation to jokes and cultural detours.
Medieval famine meets "keep it sloppy," giving you serious history with its good shirt untucked.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A medieval famine discussion that turns scarcity into a sharp argument about politics and blame.
The episode treats medieval famine as a way into scarcity, land, and power, and it starts with enough banter to keep the pace light. That looseness takes a moment to settle, though it feels more like the show finding its footing than losing control.
Power, patronage, and sleeve jokes make Wolf Hall feel sharp and unruly.
A free preview of the Wolf Hall limited series, this episode opens with preview framing and Patreon logistics, then settles into the discussion. From there, Dr.
A lively livestock discussion that keeps wool and horses at the center.
This episode makes medieval livestock far less dry than it sounds at first. Sheep, wool, horses, and the systems around them become the real story, and the hosts keep it moving with listener questions, corrections, and the occasional side road.
A funny, tangly look at how medieval water use actually worked.
The episode treats medieval water use as a messy working system, which is where it gets interesting. It moves from comic banter into a grounded look at inland fishing, stock ponds, carp, and the simple logic of keeping water productive in pre-modern Europe.
A lively dragon discussion that draws sharp cultural distinctions while leaving room for messier answers.
This bonus episode treats dragons as a lens on myth, folklore, religion, and pop culture, then draws a clear line between Eastern and Western dragons without pretending the divide explains everything.
Football talk with dirt under its nails.
The hosts open with a fresh farewell bit before drifting into medieval famine.
Luke opens by noting this is a free preview of the Wolf Hall limited series and points listeners to the full seven-episode run on the We're Not So Different Patreon.
The hosts begin with a long, messy banter run before settling on medieval livestock.
The hosts kick things off with Latin jokes, the "cum brothers," and bacon smell before settling into practical medieval fishing.
This episode humorously explores medieval water management and irrigation practices, with references to Mesopotamia and personal anecdotes.
The host discusses medieval land management techniques like coppicing while sharing personal anecdotes about a hangover from a castle visit and social plans.
A comedic podcast that blends medieval history with satirical commentary on current events, using humor to highlight human folly.
The hosts joke about Peter Mandelson's arrest and banter about pop culture references.
The host rambles about Mesopotamian ghost beliefs and the likelihood of becoming a ghost after death.
A medieval history podcast episode discussing farming and land management in the Middle Ages.
A medieval history podcast that humorously connects current events to historical patterns, starting with a discussion of UK Epstein fallout.
The hosts chat about their day, including a busy Discord group chat and holiday cookie decorating with family friends.
This episode humorously reviews the excessive and comical portrayal of zombie anatomy, particularly focusing on the absurdity of numerous large and problematic depictions in a zombie-themed context.
The host discusses recovering from the flu and reviews a book they found disappointing.
Luke opens with a bonus episode because Eleanor is out sick.
The hosts discuss the Rapture as a medieval religious concept, defining it for listeners and critiquing its absurdity.
The hosts rant about the new Star Wars movie trailer, criticizing its visual quality and comparing it to TV shows.
A medieval history podcast answering patron questions on topics from video games to parenting.
A medieval history podcast episode about the First Crusade, specifically Cairo, co-hosted with the American Prestige Boys.
The hosts engage in humorous banter about phrenology, Lovecraft, and Neanderthals before presumably discussing medieval history.
Two hosts discuss the start of the soccer season for Darby County FC, including losses, new pitch, and fan experiences.
The host rambles humorously from an echoey Amsterdam hotel room, joking about her boyfriend's job as a sex educator trainer.
The host introduces a bonus episode on the Decameron, apologizing for a weak voice due to illness, and promotes the Patreon for access to the full series.
A comedic discussion about UK politics, focusing on Chancellor Rachel Reeves' austerity policies and a plagiarized book.
Two hosts discuss their upcoming series on the Crusades and how current events make it relevant.
This episode introduces a limited series collaboration about the First Crusade, covering its historical context and major players.
This episode is part of a series on the First Crusade, specifically covering the events at Taranto.
The host humorously discusses public reactions to recent political events, including Joe Biden dropping out and the Trump assassination attempt.
The hosts humorously riff on the 1995 film Showgirls, discussing its cultural impact and absurdity.
The host discusses a neighbor being forced to move out after 17 years due to her landlord selling the flat, highlighting generational differences in reactions to housing issues in the UK.
The hosts discuss the historical topic of Al-Andalus and Umayyad victory while humorously lamenting missed opportunities for Chicago-style jokes about the newly elected pope.