He's a Professor of History, so is bound to take his subject seriously.
I like the way he links the residents of the house to national and world affairs of the day, as well as finding human interest stories. As with any of these things (eg Who Do You Think You Are?) much depends on what sort of documentation has been left behind. I often wonder what future historians will find out about us, now that so much is stored on social media and less in phot albums and diaries.