Earlier podcasts are amazing! I cannot bear the newer episodes because of the voice of the narrator… it has changed! The cadence and lack of emotion are distracting and impossible to follow. Please return to your normal voice!!

OG fan occasionally checking in to see if he has gone back to his original voice. Listened for years and used to love this podcast but the inflection and cadence of the narrators new tone makes it so hard to listen to now. I can hardly focus on the story all I hear is the same down and up in each sentence. Please lower your pitch at the end of a sentence and offer an ad free version. If it weren’t for that, 5 stars. Love the music, great stories and production quality.

Host is the pet of a roasted scr01um of an 0range p1g

I used to listen to this podcast when it first came out. I loved it. Spooky, engaging, the music. And one of my favorites was the voice he read the story in. However, I noticed over the years his voice has changed. The undulating nature is not natural anymore. I literally can’t listen to it now. It’s made me so disappointed. Richard, it would be so loved if you returned to your original pitch, cadence, and rhythm of story telling.

Used to really enjoy this podcast, but the quality has gone way down this season. Uninteresting stories based on crackpot “Ufologists” self serving speculation and the like.

I used to listen to this podcast. But recently, I was surprised to find the speaker sympathizing with fascists. Wow. Didn’t hear him speak up on January 6th? Strange time to say something. Really sick of this “let’s come together” mentality… and from a white man… who doesn’t even live here? Unless you are a marginalized person who lives in the United States, I don’t expect you to understand. But I DO expect you to respect us enough to not gaslight us. Not much is lost, though. The ads were becoming insane and the narration is drowsy and robotic. Won’t be supporting

I cannot be the only one who listened to this as a wonderful send off to slumber, but now is jolted with 15 ads at 2x volume. Bring back and ad-free model, Richard, please!

Always something to make your hair stand on end. Love it

Richard’s storytelling is excellent, but the new ads are not just excessive in their amount, but also jarring in comparison to the atmosphere of the podcast. I used to love this podcast, but have turned off every recent episode to which I’ve attempted to listen.

Had a bit of a hiatus and first thing I noticed upon returning was all the ads. You’ve got to chill with them. I turned off the latest episode and maybe I’ll follow again in a few months to see if you’ve changed it up. There are many other podcasts out there that sprinkle in 1-2 and have it down. Follow their example.

Used to love winding down to these, but the ads are ridiculous and obnoxious now. Tried purchasing the audio book to enjoy Richard solo but his narration isn’t available in the US.

Richard MacLean (pause …………………………………………………………………………) Smith I didn’t care for the story for the Season 8 return. Worms. The podcast is enjoyable though.

Even though I’ve often already heard many of the stories covered in Unexplained on other podcasts, I’m always compelled to listen to Richard’s versions. He’s thorough and well-researched, often including details that are new to me. My only complaint is the use of sometimes heavy-handed analogies, but even those aren’t often enough to turn me away from the podcast. People complain about his narration style; in my opinion, he’s just chosen not to insert his personality into the narrative, and that’s a perfectly acceptable creative decision. Thanks for all the hard work in the production of this show!

Narrated in a strange distracting sing song manner.

I think the narrator is AI. Very unnatural sounding with bizarre pronunciations. I couldn’t stick with any show for more than a few minutes.

I did enjoy this show a lot, always looking for the next release, holding for weeks on multi part episodes so I can binge them. I really enjoyed the content with is well redacted and the narration of Richard that goes great with it…. But the amount of advertising interruptions is too much, the loud, fast paced adds really ruins the mood and breaks the story making it hard to continue. I understand that the creators like to male money of their work but there are much better and subtle ways to do it. Perhaps reading the adds him self, this way the adds continue with the tone of the narration which would be easier on the listener. Personally Im done with this podcast, I did really enjoy them before the deal was signed with whoever is putting all these adds in it.

End each sentence as if he’s asking a question. Once you hear it you can’t un-hear it. What a shame.

I’m a longtime listener, since around 2019. I absolutely love Richard’s storytelling and writing - he brings these incredible stories to life so beautifully. I enjoy every listen!

To hear the host earnestly go on about an attempted assassination of a convicted felon/rapist/racist/avowed dictator that literally tried to overthrow our government yet has remained silent on ALL the other times in where our democracy and rights have been attacked by this man was wild. If this is where the hosts values are I’m no longer interested.

I’ve been listening for YEARS now—since 2019—and I’ve only ever had praise for this podcast. I love the way Richard narrates these stories. The pacing, the suspense, the information revealed: the care and attention present in each episode and its production, start to finish, is discernibly resonant. I struggle to find the words to accurately describe the allure, but I think he’s always captured the essence of these stories, bottled them up, and delivered them to us with immaculate prose. I felt compelled to write a review following the conclusion to this latest season’s finale: it’s a brave thing, I think, to say what he said, although it shouldn’t be. It should be easier to share opinions, especially one that is decidedly more a kindness than anything else. But I truly appreciate his words and thoughtfulness, and it makes me all the more a fan of his works. Well done and thank you.

I could not find a way to contact thru the website, so I guess I’ll leave this here. As an American, I think you should keep your opinion about us to yourself. We are not online, telling the UK what to do. I understand, you see what is happening to our country, but you are not American, you do not understand the issues here. For a start, you do not live in a country where almost anyone can have an automatic weapon. And you do not live in a country that has rescinded a biological right for women, Until you do, I feel you have no concept of how we feel, here. I understand, you want to tell us to love one another, and you are horrified about what is happening here, and I agree with you, but I also feel you have no cause to tell us what to do, or how to solve our problems, which are specific to our nation. You would not tell any other nationalities how to think or feel, so why do you feel the urge or the need— to tell us?

Like others, I used to love RMS’s voice and the podcast. I have no idea what happened, but now he reads the story like it’s one long, run on sentence. So much about a narrated story is understood through the inflection of the speaker. Sadly, RMS has failed in that aspect so much so, that I can’t listen to what was once a great podcast.

Long time listener, short time add bearer. I simply cannot deal with how obnoxious the adds have become in every way possible. Unsubscribed from the show…it’s a shame

This podcast is incredible. There just isn’t anything like it. Listen to episode one, just give it a go, and see if you’re not totally fascinated. I know I’m hooked! UPDATE: Season 7, Episode 26 From one of your US listeners, That was beautiful. Thank you and God Bless You.

Brilliant renditions of strange historical tales brought to life in great detail, all delivered with the subtle deadpan of a spooky summer campfire story. Love this show. Grateful to have discovered it quite late so I have tons to binge. :-) Brill!

I absolutely adore this program, RMS’s voice and cadence, the subjects, the research, but the adverts have become profoundly erratic and distracting. They are so loud and comprise a seeming much greater proportion of each episode than before. 🥲

I know that even mentioning the word politics is tricky in a podcast that is meant to be unbiased, but your endnote on the most recent episode is perfect. A little messy, but it hits at exactly all the feelings. Also, I love the stories… (first time reviewer, long time listener)

I have been listening to Unexplained for years, and it was a long time favorite. Fell off for quite awhile and decided to jump back in. Upon listening, I simply could not bear the narration. I thought I was going insane so I went back to the first episode and heard a completely different style. It’s like the script was fed to an AI that’s reading for him. Genuinely appreciate RMS’s work but I do not understand what happened.

Meticulous research and brilliant writing bring both obscure and infamous subject matter to life in a way that is incredibly engaging. But I wanted to write this to defend RMS’s speaking voice and cadence (in light of the recent critical comments). I would be devastated if he changed anything. I’ve been listening since the Dyatlov Pass episodes were first aired and find the way he delivers the narration to be perfectly suited to the topics covered, being both soothing and mysterious. I don’t find it robotic and I think that anything more dramatic might detract from the incredible, often nuanced world building that goes into each story. I love all things spooky but even if I didn’t, I’d probably still listen just to hear him speak. There is an artistry to his delivery that is magical to me.

The cadence of the narrator is just so bizarre that it’s distracting. It’s as if he’s reading from a list or a dictionary. The stories seem enjoyable if only I could stand to listen to them.

Highly recommend for fans of the spooky and mysterious

This show is so well written and keeps me guessing until the very end of each story. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Fantastic podcast. I’ve listened to every episode for many years, but there are now so many ads it’s annoying. Particularly the long ad breaks in the middle of the content.

Every episode is so expertly written and composed. Detailed historical context with the clear allowance for mystery. Always enjoy every episode.

The subject matter is so interesting and his voice is soothing enough to be able to listen to the creepy parts without getting too freaked out! A great podcast.

I love listening to this before bed or while doing a quiet, meditative task. I personally find the narrator's voice soothing and fitting. The tales are always unexpected, ripe with detail, and keep me on the edge of my seat. Many thanks for many evenings filled with curiosity and intrigue!

Love this series. Can’t wait for the next episode. This podcast is my go to favorite. Great material. Great presentation

The topics of the stories and level of detail are right up my alley, something spooky, sometimes thrilling, always mysterious. I do wish the narrator wouldn’t up speak at the end of most sentences. I love his voice, but the upspeak and cadence can be a bit much to contend with and unfortunately prevents me from listening like I want to. I find that I need to be in “the mood” to deal with it, but normally with these types of topics I would be listening non-stop. Maybe consider just adjusting the upspeak and robotic cadence a little? I can’t be the only one who feels this way.

The cadence and inflection of the narrator’s voice as he speaks is really difficult to listen to. It’s unbelievably robotic and honestly awful. I stopped listening to this podcast for this reason. The episodes from 2021 and older have normal narration…please go back to speaking normally!

I eagerly wait for new episodes to come out because I love the way Richard, the host tells each story. These are my bedtime stories every night. Love his turn of phrase and his voice.

This has been one of my top five favorite podcasts since the first season. The multipart series on the Dyatlov Pass mystery was an absolute masterpiece. I’ve listened to it many times. The narrator’s cadence does make this good for helping me drift off to sleep, when insomnia hits (not the best pod for road trips), but don’t mistake that for criticism. I noticed the needlessly insensitive criticism in some negative reviews about this ~ let the haters miss out. The writing is masterful and Smith’s voice is perfect for the content. I wouldn’t change a thing. I’ve been loving this podcast for years and hope for many years more!

Honestly these stories are the kinds of tales I really enjoy but this narrator’s voice is pure torture. I kept thinking, Well surely this is going to get better… but then it just kept going. His voice with the gradual increase in pitch makes it sound like telling the story is a chore. He sounds so bored! Man, get a new narrator and I will for sure be here for these stories.

Narrator’s cadence makes this impossible to listen to. The inflection after the end of every sentence is unnatural and obnoxious. I lasted less than 2 minutes. It’s mind numbing and pure torture. I imagine this is the unassuming guy they release upon prisoners w his upseak cadence as a torture device ans mechanism. I’m picturing this podcast playing on repeat w this man’s atrocious cadence driving poor individuals clinically insane to the brink of their own self inflicted expiration. Surely, this podcast must be one of the torture instruments inflicted on prisoners. How anyone can survive a single episode is unimaginable and truly unthinkable. I’ve tried to listen to this podcast multiple times forgetting about the narrator’s cringey inflection until 10 seconds in and then it all comes flooding back like a painful nightmare. His cadence is triggering and trauma inducing. He should not be allowed to orate/narrate anything. I literally don’t know how anyone can listen to him speak for more than 5 seconds, enduring his inflection is like surviving an assault on not just your ears but your entire being. Make him stop. Many saved ears will be in your debt. What violence he commits to the oral tradition. Horrifying, truly!

15 minutes in and the monotone host just started talking about the Badlands. His voice is so un-engaging that it’s impossible to continue listening.

But the ‘up-speak’ on every single sentence/phrase is unbearable. How do you go through dozens/hundreds of hours of narration without realizing this?!

I have been listening for many years and it feels like the show has run its course. I hope I’m wrong and for someone just starting to listen you wouldn’t notice anything except great storytelling. I’m not going anywhere but my expectations are a little lower than they used to be.

The upward inflection at every pause makes the narrator sound so disinterested. New episodes are irritating to listen to but the early seasons are incredible.

The stories are entertaining without going into too much detail. Short and sweet!

Love the stories and the way they’ve been told is impeccable.

This used to be my favorite podcast. I highly recommend listening to the first 5 seasons. Episode 11 and it’s extra from season 6 seems to be the last episode narrated by the host. Episode 12 of season 6 and beyond are filled with monotone, awkwardly spaced, narration delivered in a bored cadence that leads into an awkward inflection that no real person speaks with. I hate to give up on the podcast, but the delivery is antithetical to the act of listening.