Welcome to The Sceptic, the Daily Sceptic’s weekly podcast. Host Laurie Wastell interviews the authors of some of the website’s most talked about recent pieces. Please subscribe, and remember: question everything; stay sane; live free. Produced by Richard Eldred.
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Michael Murphy on the battle for France, Chris Morrison on the unravelling of the great climate scam. Plus: Jason Arday, ‘autoethnography’ and the fall of academia.
In Episode 100 of the Sceptic, host Laurie Wastell speaks to Michael Murphy, writer and Head of Journalism at Outpost, about the violent student unrest rocking France – and what it means for next year’s Presidential election.
Daily Sceptic columnist Steven Tucker, on the Jason Arday scandal and what it shows about the latest academic discipline for pseuds, frauds and posers: autoethnography.
And Chris Morrison, the Daily Sceptic’s Environment Editor, on his hit new book Implausible and how he’s bringing down the climate change consensus.
Donate to the Daily Sceptic to access our premium content here.
Read extracts from his book on the Daily Sceptic here.
Produced by Richard Eldred.
Filmed at the Westminster Podcast Studio.
00:00 Intro
01:25 Michael Murphy on the French Protests
04:09 The Scale of the Violence
06:39 The Ideology Behind the Riots
09:32 Terrorist Sympathies or Youthful Nihilism?
11:34 The Ethnic Composition of the Rioters
14:09 Greta Thunberg
16:04 The Impact on France’s Presidential Election
17:46 The Rise of the French Right
20:11 Why French & British Protests Differ
25:35 Stephen Tucker on ‘Autoethnography’
29:06 The Absurdity of Modern Research
41:04 Autoethnography & Jason Arday
48:14 Hilary Cremin & the Future of Education
55:03 The Ideological Capture of Universities
59:42 Chris Morrison on his new book Implausible
01:07:03 How Implausible Climate Predictions Became Accepted
01:13:21 Net Zero as the New Communism
01:18:45 Scale of the Climate Change Scam
01:22:22 Why the Climate Debate Needs to Happen
Britain’s Most Controversial Judge | The Sceptic Ep.99
Episode 99
Friday, October 9, 2026 • Duration 59:55
Steven Edginton on Tan Ikram’s campaign for Pakistani judges and the BBC’s migrant-rape blindspot. Plus: how to solve the prisons crisis and Burnham’s vibes-based energy plan.
In Episode 99 of the Sceptic, host Laurie Wastell speaks to Steven Edginton, investigative journalist and documentary filmmaker, on Britain’s most controversial judge, Tan Ikram, and his campaign for more Pakistani judges – plus, the BBC’s shameful reporting failures on a shocking migrant rape case.
Alexander Baker, Senior Researcher at the Prosperity Institute, on the roots of the prisons crisis – and how to solve it.
And journalist and Daily Sceptic regular Ben Pile on the vibes-based nonsense of Andy Burnham’s ‘Great British Grid’ plan – and why our energy bills keep going up under Labour.
Donate to the Daily Sceptic to access our premium content here.
Produced by Richard Eldred. Filmed at the Westminster Podcast Studio.
00:00 Intro
01:25 Stephen Edginton on Tan Ikram’s Dodgy Record
10:35 Judicial Activism & Diversity
17:34 Holding Controversial Judges to Account
19:24 BBC’s Reporting
28:45 Protests Against Illegal Migration
31:56 Returning to Independent Journalism
34:00 Alexander Baker on the Prison Crisis
36:36 Who Is to Blame for the Prison Crisis?
37:35 Shift Away From Punishment
40:26 Impact of Emergency Prisoner Releases
42:44 Failures of Probation
44:41 Prison Conditions & Rehabilitation
57:55 Reform’s Approach to Prison Building
58:53 Political Will to Fix the Crisis
01:00:11 Ben Pile on Labour’s Energy Promise
01:08:38 The Great British Grid
01:09:16 The Promise of Lower Bills and Faster Connections
01:14:16 What Would Really Empower Energy Consumers?
01:15:18 Rising Prices
Andy Burnham’s Soviet Britain | The Sceptic Ep.98
Episode 98
Friday, October 2, 2026 • Duration 01:11:55
Michael Rainsborough on Andy Burnham’s Ministry of Truth, Richard Lyon on peak oil and the energy trap and Jack Hadfield on the new wave of anti-immigration protests and the persecution of Danny Tommo.
In Episode 98 of the Sceptic, host Laurie Wastell speaks to Michael Rainsborough, Professor of Strategic Theory at Deakin University, on Andy Burnham’s sinister new National Centre for Information Defence.
Richard Lyon, engineer and energy economist, on his new book The Energy Trap, whether we’ve reached peak oil and the truth about the ‘energy transition’.
And for our premium subscribers, Laurie speaks to independent journalist Jack Hadfield on the latest wave of anti-immigration protests and the shameful two-tier justice meted out to the protesters.
Donate to the Daily Sceptic to access our premium content here.
Produced by Richard Eldred. Filmed at the Westminster Podcast Studio.
00:00 Intro
01:54 Michael Rainsborough on Burnham’s New Censorship Centre
05:40 The Political Impetus
06:39 Russia & UK’s Domestic Problems
11:04 The Meaning of Disinformation
17:36 Protecting What Matters
24:08 The State’s Loss of Legitimacy
30:29 Britain’s Approach to Governance
33:24 Richard Lyon on The Energy Trap
36:26 The Elitist Energy Debate
39:47 Climate Labels & Debate
42:02 The Case Against Net Zero
48:16 Heatwaves & Decarbonisation
51:07 A Better Energy Policy
57:24 Peak Oil
01:01:43 Oil & the Energy Transition
01:06:24 Jack Hadfield on the Boat Crisis
01:06:52 The New Anti-Immigration Protests
01:11:13 Growing Public Anger
01:14:21 Violence at the Protests
01:18:03 Violent Disorder Charges
01:25:31 Danny Tommo
01:32:36 RNLI & the Protests
Banned From an Anti-Racism Meeting for Being Old and White | The Sceptic Ep.97
Episode 97
Friday, September 25, 2026 • Duration 37:40
Banned from an anti-racism meeting for being too old and white, the geopolitical damage being done by Net Zero and why the Church of England seems hell-bent on trashing its own traditions.
In Episode 97 of the Sceptic, guest host Ellie Hodges speaks to Leicestershire Police and Crime Commissioner Rupert Matthews about the extraordinary moment he was told to leave an anti-racism workshop at De Montfort University for being too old and white.
And for our premium subscribers, Ellie talks to Steven Tucker about Leeds Minster’s extraordinary decision to display the names of thousands of Palestinians, including Islamic Jihad terrorists, during the Jewish New Year, why Western institutions seem increasingly determined to turn their backs on their own traditions, the Church of England’s enthusiasm for interfaith relations and the emergence of “multicultural personality disorder”.
Labour’s Staggering Hypocrisy Over Reform’s £72 Million Donation | The Sceptic Ep.96
Episode 96
Friday, September 18, 2026 • Duration 40:31
Labour’s staggering hypocrisy over Reform’s record-breaking donations, the AfD’s seismic breakthrough in Germany and the extraordinary £483 billion climate-damage claim over North Sea oil and gas.
In Episode 96 of the Sceptic, guest host Ellie Hodges sits down with our very own Editor-in-Chief Toby Young to talk about Reform’s enormous £72 million donation. They get into donation caps, Labour’s proposed rules, the hypocrisy of Labour attacking Reform’s funding while taking huge sums from trade unions and what Reform should actually do with all that cash.
Then it’s over to Germany to find out what our resident Germany correspondent Eugyppius thinks of the AfD’s latest electoral breakthrough, why Friedrich Merz is a “dead Chancellor walking” and whether Germany’s AfD firewall is starting to crack.
And for premium subscribers, Ellie talks to energy expert David Turver about the eye-watering claim that the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil fields in the North Sea could cause £483 billion of climate damage – and whether the maths behind it makes sense.
Produced by Richard Eldred. Filmed at the Westminster Podcast Studio.
David Betz on Dover, Danny Tommo and the Coming Civil War | The Sceptic Ep.95
Episode 95
Friday, September 11, 2026 • Duration 01:00:10
Prof David Betz on whether the Dover protests could be the start of something much bigger; is the West making the Ukraine war more dangerous and what do the numbers really tell us about Britain’s latest heatwaves?
In Episode 95 of the Sceptic, guest host Ellie Hodges talks to Prof David Betz of King’s College London about the protests in Dover and Portsmouth and the growing fury over mass migration. They get into ‘system disruption’, the radical Left’s influence, the Government’s likely response, Reform’s fading momentum, parallels with Germany and the risk that Britain’s economic fragility could fuel serious civil unrest.
Ellie then talks to former Conservative MP and defence tech entrepreneur Brooks Newmark about the war in Ukraine. They discuss NATO expansion, whether the West helped provoke the conflict, the danger of escalation, Russia’s hybrid warfare and whether Britain and Europe are actually ready for a wider war.
And for premium subscribers, meteorologist William M. Briggs takes a gander at Britain’s heatwaves and the alarmist claims surrounding them, from temperature records and ‘excess deaths’ to climate models, dodgy statistics and the assumptions lurking underneath it all.
“I Paid £1,400 to Cross the Channel on a Migrant Boat” | The Sceptic Ep.94
Episode 94
Friday, September 4, 2026 • Duration 51:25
An undercover journalist’s extraordinary journey onboard a migrant dinghy, the risk of war with Russia and Canada’s energy standoff with America.
In Episode 94 of the Sceptic, Ellie Hodges sits down with undercover reporter Christian Drogan to hear how he infiltrated migrant camps in northern France, paid €1,400 to cross the Channel and came face to face with smugglers, migrants and French authorities.
Strategist and ex-Royal Navy Commodore Steve Jermy on the West’s incompetent approach to the war in Ukraine, the risks of escalation with Russia and whether a negotiated path to peace is still possible.
And for our premium subscribers, Ellie speaks to the Daily Sceptic’s Energy Editor Dr Tilak Doshi about the growing trade and energy row between the US and Canada, and whether Mark Carney’s brinkmanship gamble will pay off.
Is the Right Its Own Worst Enemy? | The Sceptic Ep.93
Episode 93
Friday, August 28, 2026 • Duration 27:55
Does the Right need to compromise on its principles to win elections? And what’s really behind the shaky science of the 97% climate consensus?
In Episode 93 of the Sceptic, guest host Ellie Hodges chats to writer and commentator Nick Rendell about why the Right needs to stop preaching to the choir, explain its policies more clearly and find a way for the parties on the Right to work together.
And for our premium subscribers, Ellie talks to social scientist and author of the Valid Science Substack Dr José Duarte about the extraordinary flaws in the research behind the 97% climate consensus claim, why we should be wary of consensus claims and where genuine disagreement among climate scientists remains.
00:00 Intro
01:26 Nick Rendell on the Right’s Electoral Strategy
01:31 Balancing Principles & Electoral Success
04:36 Winning Over Net Zero Voters
11:47 Making the Conservative Case More Convincingly
15:39 The Case For a Right-Wing Electoral Pact
19:48 What His Reader Backlash Reveals
22:13 Political Purity & Rational Compromise
25:22 Dr José Duarte on the 97% Climate Consensus
25:34 Why Climate Consensus Research is Flawed
26:22 Problems With Consensus Studies
30:45 How The 97% Figure Was Constructed
33:14 Measuring What Climate Scientists Actually Believe
35:02 The Limits of Scientific Consensus
37:17 Where Climate Scientists Still Disagree
From Fleet Street To ‘Fake News’: The Decline of British Journalism | The Sceptic Ep.92
Episode 92
Friday, August 21, 2026 • Duration 42:35
Why trust in the mainstream media has collapsed, the rise of the ‘lanyard class’ and why cleaner air may be behind Europe’s heatwaves.
In Episode 92 of the Sceptic, Ellie Hodges is joined by veteran broadcaster and journalist Mike Graham to lift the lid on Britain’s increasingly cosy media establishment, the decline of Fleet Street and why so many journalists now seem cut from the same cloth. They also discuss his new book, Fake News: The Secret Deal Between Government and the Media, and the rise of independent journalism.
And for our premium subscribers, Ellie talks to Prof Roger Pielke Jr, who challenges some of the simplistic claims surrounding Europe’s heatwaves and explains why cleaner air may actually be contributing to warming.
00:00 Intro
01:18 Mike Graham on ‘Fake News’
08:46 Why Trust in the Media Has Collapsed
10:55 How Journalism Changed
14:26 The Working-Class Media Divide
16:23 How Headlines Shape Public Opinion
23:40 The Wild West of Fleet Street
28:39 How Social Media Killed the Press
30:27 The Collapse of Journalism’s Pay & Ambition
32:09 The End of the 9-to-5 Journalist
34:47 Building an Independent News Channel
39:53 Roger Pielke on Europe’s Heatwaves
40:34 Beyond the ‘Climate Change’ Explanation
42:32 Why Europe is Warming
43:14 The Role of Cleaner Air & Dry Soils
44:12 Adapting to Extreme Heat
45:39 The Problem With RCP8.5
48:40 What Happens to the Research?
Why Has Immigration Exploded Since Brexit? | The Sceptic Ep.91
Episode 91
Friday, August 14, 2026 • Duration 34:50
The battle over Brexit’s broken immigration promises and the mystery of why a key piece of climate data has quietly disappeared from official reports.
In Episode 91 of the Sceptic, Ellie Hodges sits down with Migration Watch UK Chairman Alp Mehmet to discuss the soaring levels of migration since Brexit and whether Britain’s political class ever intended to deliver the border control voters thought they were getting.
And for our premium subscribers, Daily Sceptic Environment Editor Chris Morrison asks why decades of declining wind-speed data have disappeared from the Met Office’s latest climate report and explores what it means for public trust in Britain's climate institutions.
01:38 Alp Mehmet on Why Migration Soared After Brexit
03:54 The Decision That Opened the Floodgates
Related Shows Based on Content Similarities
Discover shows related to The Sceptic, based on actual content similarities. Explore podcasts with similar topics, themes, and formats, backed by real data.
Produced by Richard Eldred. Filmed at the Westminster Podcast Studio.
00:00 Intro
01:29 Rupert Matthews on Being Banned From an Anti-Racism Workshop
02:00 Why He Attended the Workshop
04:08 Being Told to Leave
08:51 Too Old and White
10:23 What Anti-Racism Means
12:27 Identity Politics and Community Relations
15:13 The Dangers of Anti-Racism
17:14 Rupert Darwall on the Net Zero Obsession
18:56 Suppressing Climate Debate
21:08 Energy Security After Ukraine
23:21 How Experts Gained Power
24:43 Elites vs Voters
26:17 Taking Back Control
28:49 Steven Tucker on the Church’s Islamic Jihad Tribute
38:37 Why Institutions Reject Their Traditions
50:02 ‘Multicultural Personality Disorder’
53:43 Critics of American Culture
01:05:28 The Future of Western Institutions
