Explore every episode of the podcast The Skeptic Podcast

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:

• Coronavirus, conspiracy, challenges and compassion, by Michael Marshall, from September 2020

• Hydroxychloroquine: When bad science goes mainstream, by Carlos Orsi and Natália Pasternak, from September 2020

• ‘Mask Mouth’: A real dental phenomenon, or merely a confection?, by Shaun Sellars, from September 2020

• The Battersea Poltergeist, and the role of the paranormal investigator, by Deborah Hyde, 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: 

• The Atacama mummy: putting together the pieces of an “Archaeology bombshell”, by Paul Duncan McGarrity, from August 2020

• Conspiracy theorists, anti-vaxxers and alt-med quackery put our pets in harm's way, by Danny Chambers, from September 2020

• Putting some skeptical mantras to bed, by Jonathan Jarry, from January 2021

• Exploding the myth of the longevity “Blue Zones”, where people live beyond the age of 100, by Carlos Orsi, from September 2024

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: 

• Meet the conspiracy theorists who believe Covid isn’t real… because viruses don’t exist, by Frank Visser, from January 2021

• Tree planting schemes look fantastic on paper, but they won't save us from climate change, by Sarah Hearne, from March 2023

• The Secret to a bland romance is: victim blaming, by Mark Horne, from December 2020

• Do dreams sometimes replay repressed memories of trauma experienced long ago?, by Chris French, from April 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: 

• Plagues and Plots: COVID-19 and 5G, by Deborah Hyde, from November 2020

• It's easier to decry 'kids today' than it is to look honestly at the world we've made, by Brian Eggo, from November 2020

• Despite scare stories from holistic dentists, cavitations probably don't exist, by Shaun Sellars, from December 2020

• Do we really need supplements? A skeptic's guide to micronutrients, by Pixie Turner, from March 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:

• Time Team's archaeologists showed us how experts can ruthlessly unpick a hoax, by Paul Duncan McGarrity, from November 2020

• The story of Phineas Gage's accident is well-known; what happened to him afterwards is not, by Kat Ford, from January 2024

• Have we seen the last of the vanishing phantom hitchhiker?, by Deborah Hyde, from January 2021

• The meaning crisis, and how we rescue young men from reactionary politics, by Aaron Rabinowitz, from November 2024

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: 

• How to spot medical misinformation in a pandemic, by Brian Eggo & Matt Kemp, from December 2020

• Therapy on tap: Thought Field Therapy offfers superficial solutions to deep disturbances, by Peter Panayi, from November 2020

• Could ASMR be a possible explanation for some new age and spiritual experiences?, by Mark Horne, from March 2024

• Real in what sense?, by Aaron Rabinowitz, from November 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: 

• Ethics for Skeptics, by Aaron Rabinowitz, from September 2020

• Brazil's government throw their weight behind Creationism and Intelligent Design, by Carlos Orsi and Natália Pasternak, from November 2020

• When it comes to science, the standard has to be truth and accuracy - not false balance, by Hayley Stevens, from September 2024

• I'll take the COVID-19 vaccine, and here's why I'm telling you, by Matthew Reynolds, from January 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: 

• When you understand 5G technology, the conspiracy theories simply don’t add up, by Sean Slater, from November 2020

• How to start having better arguments, according to the evidence, by Mark Horne & Matt Kemp, from November 2020

• "But it's just a joke!": why comedy's right to offend doesn't include the right to harm, by Brian Eggo, from August 2024

• Has the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an increase in ghostly encounters?, by Chris French, from October 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: 

• Conspiracy theories around the ‘feminisation’ of Western men shield believers from examining their own prejudices, by Thiago Vahia, from April 2021

• By invoking 'Spirit of the Blitz' nostalgia, we do a disservice to what was achieved on the home front, by Victoria Stiles, from October 2020

• The wealthy, conservative American Christian groups pushing anti-abortion protests in the UK, by Michael Marshall, from September 2024

• Institute of Biomedical Science falls for the Traditional Chinese Medicine hype, by Brian Eggo, from October 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:

• Headlines calling HPV swabs “home smear tests” risk putting people off cervical screenings, by Alice Howarth, from February 2021

• Rectal ozone therapy: Brazil’s latest COVID-19 pseudoscience, by Carlos Orsi and Natália Pasternak, from October 2020

• The “child identifies as wolf” story was only ever about bullying, not ‘species confusion’, by Brian Eggo, from October 2024

• Anti-fluoride activists may disagree, but fluoridation is social justice in dental care, by Shaun Sellars, from October 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: 

• Why we should listen to Flat Earth believers (even though they’re completely wrong), by Michael Marshall, from February 2021

• Are digital pregnancy tests simply taking the pee?, by Alice Howarth, from September 2020 

• Chiropractors love to claim their treatments are ‘individualised’, but they’re wrong, by Sarah Hearne, from September 2020

• First do no harm? Treatments don't need to be harmless, as long they do good, by Edzard Ernst, from November 2024

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:

• NHS Lincolnshire Reiki-d over the coals for 'Spiritual Healer' job ad by Brian Eggo, from September 2020

• Veterinary Homeopathy: Is the bark worse than the bite? by Robyn Lowe, from April 2022

• Fears of creeping transhumanism give space for overt conspiracism in Gender Critical communities by Aaron Rabinowitz, from February 2022

• Say cheese: we shouldn't listen to scaremongering about oestrogen and dairy by Alice Howarth, from May 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:

• Recovering memories: The truth is, the Satanic Panic never really went away by Chris French, from August 2021

• The climate change deniers spreading misinformation... with charitable status by Alfie Hoar, from January 2022

• The Bewilder Gambit: a conspiracy theorist tactic designed to distract by Dave Hahn, from August 2021

• No end of faith: How do religions survive a devastating truth bomb? By Tim Jokl, from August 2025

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:

• Andrew Tate's misogynistic BRUV political party is a joke we should take seriously by Abi Kennedy from February 2025

• The Truth of Skinwalker Ranch… probably won’t shock you by Nick Garratt from April 2025

• Perspectives on Peer Review by Edzard Ernst from November 2020

• The Better Way conspiracy conference went all-in on the moral panic around trans people by Aaron Rabinowitz from August 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:

• The Tartarian Conspiracy: a silly pseudo-archaeology for our serious times by Dave Hahn from April 2025

• In the face of AI-driven encyclopedia, cherish Wikipedia - and original sources by Hayley Stevens from December 2025

• Lytham's 'Beast of Green Drive': The Monster that almost certainly wasn’t by Andy Owens from October 2022

• Understanding the origins of the 15-Minute City panic takes just 30 minutes by Tim Jokl from February 2025

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:

• Attempts to "bring back" the woolly mammoth distract us from vital conservationist goals by Sarah Hearne from November 2021

• The anti-fluoridation movement is born of public health mistrust and misinformation by Elissar Gerges from January 2025

• Auriculotherapy: why poking needles into your earlobe is, essentially, pointless by Edzard Ernst from December 2023

• Patients with Alzheimer's deserve care and dignity - not false hope of miracle cures by Lena Bohman from January 2025

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:

• Conclave raises fascinating questions about hypothetical scenarios within the Catholic Church, by Gabriel Andrade, from January 2025

• Coping with Death: Why the 5 stages of grief don’t tell the whole story, by Sarah Hearne, from May 2021

• A brief history of radio-phobia: new technology is always met with fear and uncertainty, by Sean Slater, from February 2024

• Brazil’s Covid-19 inquiry puts pseudoscience on trial, by Natalia Pasternak, 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:

• Exploring the limits of skepticism. Part 3: The value of adversarial collaborations, by Chris French, from January 2026

• Rachel Elnaugh: the Dragon's Den star and Covid conspiracist preparing for the 'food apocalypse', by Mark Horne, from January 2023

• Counterweight, and the continued enabling of bad faith 'anti-woke' actors, by Aaron Rabinowitz, from July 2021

• The much-hyped UAP report’s lack of substance will do little to deter avid UFO believers, by Nigel Watson, from July 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:

• Exploring the limits of skepticism. Part 2: The plot thickens, by Chris French, from November 2025

• Cheap talk skepticism: why we need to push back against those who are 'just asking questions', by Aaron Rabinowitz, from January 2021

• Fact checking a live debate taught me we shouldn't let political falsehoods stand, by Brian Eggo, from March 2021

• How genuine is cultural commentators' 'concern' for OnlyFans model Lily Phillips?, by Abi Kennedy, from January 2025

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:

• Exploring the limits of skepticism. Part 1: We need an Epilogue, by Chris French, from September 2025

• Those who define as 'post-tribal' forget that we all have communities - and biases, by Aaron Rabinowitz, from November 2021

• From the outset, chiropractors have held anti-vax views – sadly, not much has changed, by Edzard Ernst, from October 2020

• Rapa Nui: European myths mask the reason for societal collapse on Easter Island - colonialism, by Sarah Hearne, from August 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:

• Animals, acupuncture and alt-med: the Brazilian penguin being subjected to Enya, by Natalia Pasternak, from November 2024

• Donald Trump's survival was no miracle - unlikely things happen, without supernatural interference, by Gabriel Andrade, from July 2024

• Another mass shooting in America cites the Great Replacement conspiracy theory as motivation, by Dave Hahn, from June 2022

• The assisted dying conversation requires sensitive and compassionate debate, by Brian Eggo, from January 2025

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 shaky evidence for medical cannabis, by Dave Hahn, from June 2023

• Paul McCartney and The Bates Method of eyesight restoration, by Mark Horne, from July 2021

• Brazil's bogus "Covid kit" represents a failure of private healthcare regulation, by Natália Pasternak, from April 2021

• From the archives: Fact checking the decibels at Wimbledon, by Wendy Grossman, from April 2012

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: 

• How Religion Trumped Science in America’s Coronavirus Response, by Noah Lugeons, from November 2020

• If we're going to convince the vaccine hesitant, we need to tackle conspiratorial thinking, by Dave Hahn, from May 2021

• Spotify Trapped? The algorithm is not what's keeping you from new music, by Nick Garrett, from December 2024

• The Cost of Loving: falling birthrates, and the increased role of personal choice in procreation, by Deborah Hyde, from July 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:

• History is written by the victors, and the losers, and by everyone else as well by Victoria Stiles, from December 2020

• Recovering memories: Could the Satanic Panic happen again? by Chris French, from July 2021

• Fictional impressions: the shaky foundations of many common forensic science techniques by Dave Hahn, from March 2023

• Going cashless may be the future, but we can’t afford to leave vulnerable people behind by Alif Yahya, from July 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:

• Birdfeeders are very popular, but are they what's best for our feathered friends?, by Sarah Hearne, from December 2021

• An unconvincing 'psychic' night in Hamilton with medium Elaine Claire, by Brian Eggo, from June 2024

• Beware the 'They': once we believe in hidden, evil cabals, we can be convinced of anything, by Aaron Rabinowitz, from February 2021

• I will eat the bugs: the latest insect-eating meme from conspiracy theorists doesn't scare me, by Dave Hahn, from May 2024

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:

• When it comes to conspiracy theories, even the small stuff matters, by Dave Hahn, from July 2021

• The life vest uprising, and pandemic science communication, by Natalia Pasternak, from May 2023

• Netflix's Ancient Apocalypse with Graham Hancock: from alien conspiracies to antisemitism, by Aaron Rabinowitz, from February 2023

• Activated charcoal is increasingly popular, so let's talk about what makes for a good toothpaste, by Shaun Sellars, from March 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:

• Understanding conspiracy theory tactics: moving the goalposts, by Dave Hahn, from December 2021

• How many young people deny the Holocaust? The truth might actually surprise you, by Michael Marshall, from July 2024

• ASMR: the emerging scientific quest to understand brain 'tingles', by Sarah Hearne, from October 2021

• From the archives: Romancing the Stone - The lure of alchemy continues, by Tom Ruffles, from January 1990

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:

• A Mystery to Ourselves': from the Witches of Worboys, to an epidemic of Tik Tok tics, by Deborah Hyde, from October 2021

• Species, Individual, Gender – biology and taxonomy don’t deal in black and white, by Sarah Hearne, from March 2021

• The paradox of progress: how some social improvements paper over unfairness and inequality, by Aaron Rabinowitz, from October 2021

• From the archives: UFOs Over Russia, by Tom Ruffles, from March 1990

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 real-world harm of nutritional misinformation, by Maeve Hanan, from October 2024

• More wishful thinking than medical reality: "Placebos" by Kathryn T. Hall, by Dave Hahn, from December 2022

• Toby Young's Daily Sceptic and Free Speech Union are no allies of critical thinkers, by Michael Marshall, from June 2024

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:

• “Who decides?”: how fair questions can derail meaningful action, by Aaron Rabinowitz, from March 2021

• From the archives: Twitching sticks - the (pseudo)science of dowsing, by Anthony Garrett, from October 1989

• Racism is a real phenomenon, but that doesn't mean that the idea of "biological race" is real, by Natalia Pasternak, from August 2024

• Monkey Business: humans aren't alone in recognising a good bargain, by Deborah Hyde, 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:

• The 'Cryptoterrestrial Hypothesis' that wants us to believe aliens have always been among us, by Dave Hahn, from August 2024

• The story of the Satanic Panic is a tale of religious and cultural paranoia in America, by Deborah Hyde, from June 2021

• Moms for Liberty: serving moral panic with a side of BASIC cannibalism, by Aaron Rabinowitz, from April 2022

• From the archives: Homeopathy and the 10:23 campaign, by Mark Williams, from July 2012

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:

• Are you skeptical About Free Will? Prove it!, by Aaron Rabinowitz, from December 2020

• We all need good hand hygiene, but antibacterial soaps are a waste of time, by Alice Howarth, from December 2020

• From the archives: Korean fan death, the curiously-local mass killer, by Deborah Hyde, from January 2011

• How to engage with arguments rationally, respectfully, and with humility, by Michael Marshall, from May 2024

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:

• Patience isn’t just a virtue, it’s a crucial part of showing compassion for conspiracy theorists, by Michael Marshall from May 2023

• The mosaic of memory: how we constantly rewrite our memories of our past, by Chris French from January 2004

• A visit to Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm, the UK's only explicitly creationist tourist attraction, by Sarah Hearne, from January 2022

• An Unhealthy Dose of Viral Conspiracy, by Hayley Stevens from October 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:

• Whisper it quietly and go heavy on the caveats, but David Icke is right, by Dave Hahn from March 2024

• From the archive: Forgive us our trespasses - Rendlesham and diplomacy, by Peter Brookesmith from April 2006

• Mas Sajady: the Get Well quantum guru who just wants to know if he makes sense, by Michael Marshall from October 2022

• Christmas as we know it is appropriated, co-opted, bastardised… and thoroughly magical, by Paul Duncan McGarrity 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:

• Did earthquake guru Frank Hoogerbeets really foresee the disaster in Turkey and Syria? by Frank Visser, from February 2023

• Recovering memories: The Satanic Panic by Chris French, from May 2021

• Darling, you smell lovely: what role does body odour play in dating? by Ginny Smith, from July 2021

• The recent New Jersey drone scare tells us a lot about how panics spread by Dave Hahn, from January 2025

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:

• Gerson Support Group cancer 'cure' charity removed from register by Charity Commission, by Michael Marshall from March 2022

• Rhyme and Reason: a Rael expert takes a look at the Raelian movement, by Steve Donnelly from April 2002

• Echo chambers create an illusion of consensus around medical misinformation, by Michael Marshall from March 2022

• The many traditions of Christmas that are now lost to history, by Toby Howard from December 1989

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: 

• Why I called for the Brazilian Senate to impeach President Bolsanaro over our Covid crisis, by Natalia Pasternack from July 2021

• From the archives: Why Do People Believe in the Paranormal? Skeptical happenings in Lowestoft, by Jean Dorricott from May 1990

• When we talk about the scientific consensus, we need to be clear what we mean, by Michael Marshall from February 2022

• When it comes to conservation, cat-fights only hurt our communication efforts, by Ada McVean from September 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: 

• From scam product ads to conspiracy theories, misinformation always adapts to survive, by Michael Marshall from November 2020

• From the archive: Explaining the Turin Shroud - the creation of a religious hoax, by Steve Donnelly from November 1988

• How alternative medicine radicalises believers into Qanon conspiracy theories, by Dave Hahn from April 2021

• The Lacerta Files and its reptilian hybrids show the persistence of appealing myths, by Mark Horne from November 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:

• Closing the information gap on GM technology means addressing fear, as well as ignorance, by Natalia Pasternak from September 2021

• Is the pandemic turning young people to god? Don't believe the prayer PR, by Michael Marshall from October 2021

• Distinguishable from intelligence? Don't mistake technology with superiority, by Wendy Grossman from January 2003

• Sine Missione, and the conspiracy theorists who use graffiti to spread pseudoscience, by Mark Horne 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:

• 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:

• Are the claims for using coffee waste in the garden well grounded? by Sarah Hearne, from September 2021

• The Overton window of conspiracy theories has shifted toward the extreme - we need to drag it back by Dave Hahn, from February 2022

• The March for Life conference showed the US influence on UK anti-abortion groups by Abi Kennedy, from October 2025

• The Quantified Self: technological gimmick or genuine game changer? By Al Isthifah Bin Mazlan, from July 2024

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