Rephonic
Artwork for The Tolkien Professor
Pride and Prejudice
Tolkien
Rings Of Power
Jane Austen
Sauron
Signum University
J.R.R. Tolkien
Morgoth
War Of the Rohirrim
The Lord Of the Rings
Galadriel
Easterlings
Gondolin
The Rings Of Power
Middle-Earth
Silmarillion Film Project
Adaptation
Kickstarter
Húrin
Gwyndor

The Tolkien Professor podcast is a series of lectures, discussions, and seminars on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien by Corey Olsen, President of Signum University. All are welcome to enter – even those without any party business!

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes671Founded8 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
BooksArtsEducation

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for The Tolkien Professor

Latest Episodes

The SilmFilm team is ready to start with real episodes! Today we discuss the Episode 1 script, written by Ilana Mushin.

Join us on the Signum University Discord server: / discord

Support The Tolkien Professor

After a discussion of the recently released Narnia images (which reveal a lot!), Corey and Maggie return to think about what we expect in S3 of Rings of Power.

Other Minds and Hands: An Open and Friendly Discussion of Tolkien Adaptation, Episode 135... more

Corey and Maggie are back, and thinking through Rings of Power Season 3 stuff, and the Road Ahead.

Other Minds and Hands: An Open and Friendly Discussion of Tolkien Adaptation, Episode 134, recorded on September 14, 2026.

Join us on the Signum Univ... more

The SilmFilm writer's room is joined our resident composer, Phil Menzies, for some discussion of the musical themes and passages that we will want to include in Season 8. Join us on the Signum University Discord server: / discord

Support The Tolk... more

Key Facts

Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

Recent Guests

Philip Menzies
Resident composer for SilmFilm, involved in music development and integration
SilmFilm / independent composer
Episode: 670: SilmFilm 8-16: Music Commissioning
Marie Prosser
Writer joining from Still Summertime
Episode: 668: SilmFilm 8-15: Casting Criteria
Ilana Mushen
Writer joining from Brisbane
Episode: 668: SilmFilm 8-15: Casting Criteria
Nick Poazzo
Writer joining from Virginia
Episode: 668: SilmFilm 8-15: Casting Criteria
Olana Mushen
Writer in the Silmarillion Film Project writer's room
writer's room, Signum University
Episode: 662: SilmFilm 8-12: The Season Outline
Una McCormack
A published author known for her works in science fiction and fantasy, including novels in the Star Trek universe.
Author
Episode: 643: Other Minds and Hands, Episode 122
Una McCormick
Author of several TV and film novelizations
Episode: 642: Other Minds and Hands, Episode 121
Miriam Ellis
Artist and author of 'The Art of Mercy in Middle-Earth'
Solid Books
Episode: 635: Other Minds and Hands, Episode 114
Bradley Bethel
Director of the film 'Ranger of the North'
Signum University
Episode: 633: Other Minds and Hands, Episode 112

Hosts

Corey Olsen
Host of The Tolkien Professor; educator affiliated with Signum University; long-running Tolkien-focused lecturer and project lead.
Maggie Parke
Co-host and educator involved in project planning; frequent collaborator on Tolkien-adjacent media discussions.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 747 ratings
  • Long overdue

    I’ve been listening to The Tolkien Professor for over 10 years now and have always appreciated his love for my favorite author and his careful analysis of his works and adaptations. Other Minds and Hands is no exception and I’ve enjoyed listening to these companion episodes alongside watching Rings of Power. Thanks for opening up Tolkien in a new way!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    SButing
    United States9 months ago
  • Excellent in-depth analysis. If you're looking for opinions, go somewhere else, but if you want expert insight you're in the right place.

    Podcast Addict
    5
    ArtTheArt
    a year ago
  • So much content!

    My all-time favorite podcast. There are several shows here, all of them fantastic. I especially love the SilmFilm Project as well as Other Minds and Hands. I wasn’t a fan of Rings of Power but I have thoroughly enjoyed the thoughtful discourse on the show.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    pricegouging
    United Statesa year ago
  • 100 stars

    Five stars is too few. His lectures on Tolkien are beyond awesome. How does this only have 200 ratings on iTunes?

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    skarwer
    United States2 years ago
  • Surprisingly entertaining

    “Other Minds and Hands” should be so boring. Can’t quite figure out why it isn’t.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Man of Cambridgeshire
    United States3 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Mixed reception; some listeners find episodes overly dense or slow but many praise scholarly depth and clarity.
Valuable for fans who enjoy in-depth worldbuilding and adaptation planning.
Engaging, rigorous Tolkien analysis with thoughtful, long-form discussions.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#152
United States/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#52
Finland/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#123
Norway/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#128
New Zealand/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#143
Finland/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#189
Philippines/Arts/Books

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

607: Other Minds and Hands, Episode 94
Q: Are there stories in The Legendarium that would be really good in anime?
The Discovery of Gondolin stands out as an excellent candidate for an anime adaptation.
607: Other Minds and Hands, Episode 94
Q: Anni, what are some of the differences between an anime audience and a Western anime audience?
There's a greater expectation of fantastical elements and similarities to live-action films in Western audiences.
559: Other Minds and Hands, Episode 63
Q: What role does audience perception play in the adaptations?
Adaptations target different audience reactions, with modern interpretations often broadening the audience and expectations compared to the original works.
559: Other Minds and Hands, Episode 63
Q: How do the adaptations of Alice's Adventures differ from the originals?
The adaptations combine elements from both Alice books, often leading to a blending of characters and themes that can significantly alter the original narrative structure and intent.
579: Other Minds and Hands, Episode 75
Q: How different is an opera adaptation from other mediums?
Unlike film, operas rely predominantly on music to convey narrative, rather than visuals, requiring more emphasis on singing and choreography to keep audiences engaged.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About The Tolkien Professor

What is The Tolkien Professor about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A rigorous, lore-forward analysis show focused on Tolkien's works, adaptations, and related media projects. Episodes center on worldbuilding, narrative framing, and long-range planning for multi-season explorations (including Silmarillion-era projects and adaptation theory). The hosts trade in deep literary analysis, design discussions for frame stories, and meta-commentary on adaptation, production logistics, and community collaborations with Signum University. The format often features collaborative planning sessions, theoretical brainstorming, and consideration of audience engagement and education, making it attractive for academically inclined listeners and fans who enjoy detailed, concept-heavy discourse and long-form planning rather t... more

Where can I find podcast stats for The Tolkien Professor?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for The Tolkien Professor. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to The Tolkien Professor and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does The Tolkien Professor get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for The Tolkien Professor, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for The Tolkien Professor?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for The Tolkien Professor, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does The Tolkien Professor have?

To see how many followers or subscribers The Tolkien Professor has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to The Tolkien Professor?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Tolkien Professor:

1. The Prancing Pony Podcast
2. Mythgard Academy
3. Mythgard's Exploring The Lord of the Rings
4. Today's Tolkien Times
5. Lord of the Rings Lorecast - J.R.R. Tolkien's World & Writings Explained

How many episodes of The Tolkien Professor are there?

The Tolkien Professor launched 8 years ago and published 671 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact The Tolkien Professor?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for The Tolkien Professor?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for The Tolkien Professor from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for The Tolkien Professor?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of The Tolkien Professor. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on The Tolkien Professor?

Recent guests on The Tolkien Professor include:

1. Philip Menzies
2. Marie Prosser
3. Ilana Mushen
4. Nick Poazzo
5. Olana Mushen
6. Una McCormack
7. Una McCormick
8. Miriam Ellis

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days