From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine’s expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal since its relaunch as online news source in September 2020.
On this episode:
Misleading propaganda from 'Care Not Killing' is designed to poison the well on assisted dying, by Brian Eggo from September 2021
Everything you ever wanted to know about astrology – for free, by Chris French from November 2024
A historical Dutch UFO hunt - How one phone call roused all Amsterdam, by Marcel Hulspas from September 1988
Nikola Tesla and the Cult of the Mysterious Genius, by Mark Horne from June 2022
Find more from The Skeptic at skeptic.org.uk, or to support the show, take out a small voluntary donation at patreon.com/theskeptic
From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine’s expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal since its relaunch as online news source in September 2020. On this episode:
Natural" health influencers will tell you sunscreen is bad for you - are they right? (No), by Alice Howarth from June 2023
When shows like Pod Save America run psuedoscience ads, they undermine their credibility, by Michael Marshall from February 2021
Are there hidden messages in the Bible? Revisiting the claims of the Bible Code, by Klash Schmeh from October 2011
Blackpool's 'Chariots of the Gods' park is built on racist assumptions about the past, by Mark Horne from February 2021
Find more from The Skeptic at skeptic.org.uk, or to support the show, take out a small voluntary donation at patreon.com/theskeptic
From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine’s expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal since its relaunch as online news source in September 2020.
On this episode:
David Icke’s 2018 live tour sowed the seeds for his move back to the mainstream, by Michael Marshall from April 2018
10 persistent HIV myths we need to move past to break the stigma of the disease, by Alice Howarth from February 2021
Technophobia: Facebook and computers cause cancer; typewriters apparently don’t, by Mark Williams from January 2011
(35:59) 2019’s ‘The Mandela Effect’ is a stylish, shallow exploration of a rather silly conspiracy theory, by Mark Horne from April 2021
Find more from The Skeptic at skeptic.org.uk, or to support the show, take out a small voluntary donation at patreon.com/theskeptic
From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine’s expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal since its relaunch as online news source in September 2020.
On this episode:
Climate change deniers set Net Zero as the new target for their misinformation, by Michael Marshall from January 2022
Science can be a candle in the dark, as long as you're not actively trying to avoid the light, by David Weinberg from June 2022
When The Skeptic came of age: a 2011 reflection on the first 21 years of the magazine, by Wendy Grossman from January 2011
The real story behind those crystal skulls Indiana Jones went looking for, by Sean Slater from July 2023
Find more from The Skeptic at skeptic.org.uk, or to support the show, take out a small voluntary donation at patreon.com/theskeptic
From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine’s expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal. In this special episode, our editor Michael Marshall announces the winners of the 2025 Ockham awards.
From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine’s expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal since its relaunch as online news source in September 2020.
On this episode:
One small step at a time, the alternative medicine industry is radicalising people... with disastrous consequences, by Michael Marshall from November 2020
The Canary Islands’ Black Pyramids: history doesn’t have to be mysterious to be interesting, by Mark Horne from December 2021
From the archives: Jacques Benoit's (failed) experiments with telepathic snails, by Toby Howard from November 1988
Why Inaccuracies in Bill Cooper's influential conspiracy theory book serve as its strength, by Thiago Vahia from September 2023
Find more from The Skeptic at skeptic.org.uk, or to support the show, take out a small voluntary donation at patreon.com/theskeptic
From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine’s expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal since its relaunch as online news source in September 2020.
On this episode:
What William Radam's "Microbe Killer" can teach us about modern stem cell quackery, by David Weinberg from May 2021
Is the ultra processed food fear simply the next big nutritional moral panic?, by Alice Howarth from July 2024
Despite what Jordan Peterson believes, medical error is not the ‘third leading cause of death’ by Michael Marshall from May 2021
Find more from The Skeptic at skeptic.org.uk, or to support the show, take out a small voluntary donation at patreon.com/theskeptic
From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine’s expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal since its relaunch as online news source in September 2020.
On this episode:
Spending time outdoors is healthy and great - we don't need to sell it as "forest bathing"!, by Brian Eggo from August 2022
Cognitive dissonance - the mental gymnastics that help us rationalise our sloppy thinking', by Lee Traynor from April 2006
From the archives: Hear our prayers - the Northern Irish prayer efficacy study, by Wendy Grossman from October 1989
The "purebloods": how the unvaccinated came to see themselves as superior, by Thiago Vahia from March 2023
Find more from The Skeptic at skeptic.org.uk, or to support the show, take out a small voluntary donation at patreon.com/theskeptic
From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine’s expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal since its relaunch as online news source in September 2020.
On this episode:
If anal sex injuries really are on the rise, it's not a question of anatomy, but of education, by Kat Ford from March 2023
From the archives: The Demise of Parapsychology, 1850-2009, by Ray Hyman from April 2012
How and why to set up and run your own Skeptics in the Pub group: top 10 tips, by Brian Eggo from September 2022
Why I now believe parapsychology is a science not a pseudoscience, by Chris French from September 2021
Find more from The Skeptic at skeptic.org.uk, or to support the show, take out a small voluntary donation at patreon.com/theskeptic
From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine’s expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal since its relaunch as online news source in September 2020.
On this episode:
In modern-day Scotland, there should be no mandatory acts of worship in schools, by Brian Eggo from May 2022
From the archives: Going to great lengths - long-hair pseudoscience, by Wendy Grossman from January 2011
January 8th, and the insurrectionist riot provoked by Bolsonaro and the Brazilian army, by Thiago Vahia from February 2023
The writing’s been on the wall for decades, but still the graphology persists, by Mark Horne from September 2023
Find more from The Skeptic at skeptic.org.uk, or to support the show, take out a small voluntary donation at patreon.com/theskeptic
From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine’s expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal since its relaunch as online news source in September 2020.
On this episode:
Does a prohibition-based approach to drugs and disposable vaping make sense?, by Clio Bellenis from March 2024
Walking the alt-med tightrope when a loved one has a terminal diagnosis, by Brian Eggo from January 2024
From the archives: The day I met w orld renowned psychic, Shirley Ghostman, by Chris French from April 2012
From the archives: Mrs Gaskell’s Elephant - the true story of a hoax, by Chris Willis from January 2002
Find more from The Skeptic at skeptic.org.uk, or to support the show, take out a small voluntary donation at patreon.com/theskeptic
From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine’s expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal since its relaunch as online news source in September 2020.
On this episode:
In Search of Monsters? A defence of cryptozoology, by Charles Paxton from July 2002
Huge social media accounts glorify ancient architecture, while whitewashing the past, by Mark Horne from December 2024
While Artemis was heading to the moon, moon landing deniers were busy doubling down, by Brian Eggo from January 2023
Eurabia, the Kalergi Plan, and the Great Replacement, by Thiago Vahia from September 2021
Find more from The Skeptic at skeptic.org.uk, or to support the show, take out a small voluntary donation at patreon.com/theskeptic
From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine’s expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal since its relaunch as online news source in September 2020.
On this episode:
The menopause can be painful, uncomfortable, and debilitating - so why is it under-researched?, by Clio Bellenis, from July 2023
The Oceangate tragedy has brought some of society's ghouls to the surface, by Brian Eggo, from June 2023
Free Will? The role of remorse and rehabilitation within the justice system, by Mike Heap, from January 2011
The continuation of QAnon: the Eternal Sunshine of an Election That Never Ended, by Thiago Vahia, from June 2021
Find more from The Skeptic at skeptic.org.uk, or to support the show, take out a small voluntary donation at patreon.com/theskeptic
From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine’s expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal since its relaunch as online news source in September 2020.
On this episode:
Questionable accusations over 'woke' climate change solutions empower white genocide conspiracies, by Aaron Rabinowitz, from January 2022
Whatever happened to crop circles?, by Steve Donnelly, from July 2008
Stuff you should know: the dog suicide bridge is just a myth, by Brian Eggo, from April 2021
Making UFOlogy History: the Roswell Incident, and the story of Betty and Barney Hill, by David Clarke from July 2008
Find more from The Skeptic at skeptic.org.uk, or to support the show, take out a small voluntary donation at patreon.com/theskeptic
From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine’s expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal since its relaunch as online news source in September 2020.
On this episode:
The top 10 most infuriating climate change memes, and how to debunk them, by Mark Horne from September 2023
From the archives: Urban legends - a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend, by Toby Howard, from May 1990
A skeptical perspective on the Scottish UFO and Paranormal Conference 2023, by Brian Eggo, from December 2023
On not being wrong: Personal reflections from a lifetime of skepticism, by Chris French, from December 2020
Find more from The Skeptic at skeptic.org.uk, or to support the show, take out a small voluntary donation at patreon.com/theskeptic
From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine’s expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal since its relaunch as online news source in September 2020.
On this episode:
To Know You More Clearly’ what the new catholic school syllabus means one year in , by Abi Kennedy, from April 2024
The Great Reset: political pipe dream, or sinister New World Order plot?, by Thiago Vahia, from May 2021
From the archives: Heaven and Earth - Is the ‘curse of Tutankhamen’ a curse at all?, by Michael Hutchinson, from November 1988
The recent Glasgow Low Emission Zone protest turned out to be more of a 'low information zone', by Brian Eggo, from October 2023
Find more from The Skeptic at skeptic.org.uk, or to support the show, take out a small voluntary donation at patreon.com/theskeptic
From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine’s expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal since its relaunch as online news source in September 2020.
On this episode:
IQ tests continue to flourish, in spite of inherent biases, because we so badly want to feel special, by Wendy Grossman, from December 1989
A double-edge sword: should we be labeling kids?, by Clio Bellenis, from May 2023
Hugo Talks - a lot: the prominent conspiracy theorist channel that recently found religion, by Mark Horne, from March 2023
I called Scottish Water to solve my supply issue - I never expected them to bring dowsing rods, by Brian Eggo, from September 2023
Find more from The Skeptic at skeptic.org.uk, or to support the show, take out a small voluntary donation at patreon.com/theskeptic
From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine’s expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal since its relaunch as online news source in September 2020.
On this episode:
Behind the slick production values of "The Reason I Jump", lies Facilitated Communication, by Janyce Boynton from August 2021
Ten times the unexpected appearance of pseudoscience ruined entertainment, by Brian Eggo from July 2023
Is there really a recent spike in cases of spiking by injection?, by Chris French, from December 2021
The carefully-woven conspiracy theories behind the attempted US coup of January 6th, by Thiago Vahia from February 2021
Find more from The Skeptic at skeptic.org.uk, or to support the show, take out a small voluntary donation at patreon.com/theskeptic
From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine’s expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal since its relaunch as online news source in September 2020.
On this episode:
March for Life: The UK's anti-abortion movement is becoming more organised and emboldened, by Abi Kennedy from October 2024
Ten top times skepticism made an unexpected appearance in pop culture, by Brian Eggo from April 2023
What James Randi meant to me: Chris French reflects on the passing of The Amazing Randi, by Chris French from October 2020
From chemtrails to Covid, Naomi Wolf's concerning habit of pseudoscience promotion, by Mark Horne from June 2021
Find more from The Skeptic at skeptic.org.uk, or to support the show, take out a small voluntary donation at patreon.com/theskeptic
From the pages of The Skeptic magazine, this is The Skeptic podcast, bringing you the best of the magazine’s expert analysis of pseudoscience, conspiracy theory and claims of the paranormal since its relaunch as online news source in September 2020.
On this episode:
Qanon’s references to ‘Adrenochome’ echo old, anti-Semitic Blood Libel myths, by Thiago Vahia from January 2021
Weight loss: it’s just calories in/calories out... isn’t it?, by Clio Bellenis from April 2023
NATO was created to ensure peace - disinformation seeks to undermine that, by Tom Williamson from March 2025
The 10-step guide to sense-checking conspiracy theory claims (take note, Toby Young), by Brian Eggo from March 2023
Find more from The Skeptic at skeptic.org.uk, or to support the show, take out a small voluntary donation at patreon.com/theskeptic