Author: James Williams

Leave a comment Posted on by James Williams Events, Future events

This is Your Life Sentence – Emma McClure

Date & Time: 20th January 2026 7:30pm

Venue: The Wardrobe Theatre, 25 West St, Bristol BS2 0DF

Tickets
Facebook Event
Venue

The inside of a prison is a place that most of us will never see, yet we rely on it to “fix” as well as punish the people we send there. Almost everyone who goes to prison will return to the community, and we hope they are rehabilitated when they leave.

Over the past few decades, sentences have grown longer and longer, while recent headlines paint a picture of a system on the brink: overcrowding, emergency early releases, mistaken releases, and courts backed up for years. In an environment like this, can we seriously talk about rehabilitation? And if not, what are we doing?

In this talk, prison law solicitor Emma McClure takes a critical tour through the modern prison system: the realities of serving long sentences, the myths we tell ourselves about punishment, and what genuine, evidence-based rehabilitation might look like.

***

Emma McClure is a solicitor specialising in prison and public law and skeptic. She regularly represents prisoners before the Parole Board with a particular focus on complex and indeterminate cases and was a finalist for Legal Aid Lawyer of the year in 2025. In her limited spare time she enjoys running and boring other people with how much she enjoys running.

Bristol Skeptics Society is dedicated to promoting science and critical thinking, combating misinformation, and pursuing a better, more compassionate world, through skeptical exploration and inquiry. ❤️

More Information about us see our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BristolSkeptics/

You can read more about the Skeptics in the Pub network at their website: https://www.skepticsinthepub.org

You can find out more about our venue here: https://thewardrobetheatre.com/your-visit/

Wanna get involved with Bristol Skeptics? Come join our Facebook group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/123647386713

Leave a comment Posted on by James Williams Events, Future events

Chasing Empowerment: The Hidden Cost of Wellness – Dr Alice Howarth

Date & Time: 11th November 2025 7:30pm

Venue: The Wardrobe Theatre, 25 West St, Bristol BS2 0DF

Tickets
Facebook Event
Venue

The wellness industry is worth an estimated $4.5 trillion dollars, stretching out into the worlds of fitness, health, beauty, sleep, stress and nutrition. Promises of self-improvement permeate every element of our lives, with all manner of tips, tricks and products targeted at optimising our homes, work lives, health, and diet often with the promise of empowerment and fulfilment. But what does wellness actually mean? In this talk Dr Alice Howarth will talk about the complex intersection between women’s empowerment and the wellness industry. She will also shine a spotlight on the pervasive influence of medical bias, a deep-seated issue that disproportionately affects women’s health and wellness choices. Discover how stereotypes and systemic imbalances and medical biases shape the wellness landscape, often driving women towards harmful trends and practices

—

Bristol Skeptics Society is delighted to present another instalment of Skeptics in the P̶u̶b̶… Theatre!
Skeptics in the Pub is a monthly lecture series, hosting academics from the world of science and skepticism, to share their unique research and insights. The goal is for every talk to delight and inspire, and help us understand our complex world a little better.

In May we will be welcoming Dr Alice Howarth! Dr Howarth is cancer cell biologist, science communicator, podcaster and writer. She has been part of the skeptical community for more than a decade, and is co-host of Skeptics with a K, vice president of the Merseyside Skeptics Society, deputy editor of The Skeptic Magazine, co-organiser of the QED conference and co-founder of Skeptics in the Pub Online. Alice has delivered lectures on the topics of science and skepticism all over the world, written for publications such as The Guardian, and worked on numerous investigations into pseudoscientific claims. In her day job, Alice is an open research advocate for the University of Liverpool and the UK Reproducibility Network, working to make research available beyond academia. She believes that accessibility and inclusivity is crucial to how we engage with science and critical thinking.

Bristol Skeptics Society is dedicated to promoting science and critical thinking, combating misinformation, and pursuing a better, more compassionate world, through skeptical exploration and inquiry. ❤️

More Information about us see our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BristolSkeptics/

You can read more about the Skeptics in the Pub network at their website: https://www.skepticsinthepub.org

You can find out more about our venue here: https://thewardrobetheatre.com/your-visit/

Wanna get involved with Bristol Skeptics? Come join our Facebook group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/123647386713

Leave a comment Posted on by James Williams Events, Future events

Honest Liars and the Threat to Democracy – Prof Stephan Lewandowsky

Date & Time: 21st October 2025 7:30pm

Venue: The Wardrobe Theatre, 25 West St, Bristol BS2 0DF

Tickets
Facebook Event
Venue

Fact-checkers recorded over 30,000 false or misleading claims by Donald Trump during his first presidency, yet many Republican voters still saw him as honest. Professor Stephan Lewandowsky explores this paradox through two views of honesty: “fact-speaking” (focused on accuracy) and “belief-speaking” (focused on sincerity). His research shows that belief-speaking politicians spread more low-quality information, while fact-speaking reduces misinformation and strengthens support for democracy. So, when it comes to protecting the future, which kind of honesty do we really want from our leaders?

—

Bristol Skeptics Society is delighted to present another instalment of Skeptics in the P̶u̶b̶… Theatre!

Skeptics in the Pub is a monthly lecture series, hosting academics from the world of science and skepticism, to share their unique research and insights. The goal is for every talk to delight and inspire, and help us understand our complex world a little better.

In May we will be welcoming Stephan Lewandowsky, Chair of Cognitive Psychology at the University of Bristol. Prof Lewandowsky is an internationally recognized expert on decision-making, misinformation, and public understanding of science. Educated in the U.S. and Canada, he has held senior posts in Australia, the U.S., and the UK. His influential research explores why people reject evidence, how misinformation spreads, and ways to strengthen science communication. A fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and former Digital Content Editor of the Psychonomic Society, he is a leading voice in advancing evidence-based public discourse.

Bristol Skeptics Society is dedicated to promoting science and critical thinking, combating misinformation, and pursuing a better, more compassionate world, through skeptical exploration and inquiry. 🔎❤️

More Information about us see our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BristolSkeptics/

You can read more about the Skeptics in the Pub network at their website: https://www.skepticsinthepub.org

You can find out more about our venue here: https://thewardrobetheatre.com/your-visit/

Wanna get involved with Bristol Skeptics? Come join our Facebook group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/123647386713

Leave a comment Posted on by James Williams Events, Future events

Should We Believe Witchcraft Confessions? – Dr Tabitha Stanmore

Date & Time: 16th September 2025 7:00pm

Venue: The Wardrobe Theatre, 25 West St, Bristol BS2 0DF

Tickets
Facebook Event
Venue

Between the 16th and 18th centuries, roughly 2000 people in England were accused of witchcraft. Most of the accused vehemently denied all charges, but some gave full and detailed confessions. How seriously should we take these testimonies? Is it right to dismiss them as the inventions of panicked minds and leading questions? If so, what does this mean for the supposed witch’s agency and lived experiences?

In this talk, Tabitha Stanmore will pick apart cases from the 1580s and the infamous ‘Matthew Hopkins’ witch hunts of the 1640s. We will explore how much knowledge we can gain from confessions, and where to draw the line between scepticism and belief…

—

Bristol Skeptics Society is delighted to present another instalment of Skeptics in the P̶u̶b̶… Theatre!

Skeptics in the Pub is a monthly lecture series, hosting academics from the world of science and skepticism, to share their unique research and insights. The goal is for every talk to delight and inspire, and help us understand our complex world a little better.

In May we will be welcoming Dr Tabitha Stanmore to talk about her research into the 1640s English witch hunts. Dr Stanmore is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Exeter, researching the 1640s English witch hunts. Her previous research focussed on practical magic in late medieval and early modern England. She has appeared on BBC Radio 3 and BBC 4, and written for BBC History Magazine and TIME magazine. Cunning Folk: Life in the era of practical magic is based on her PhD research, and won the Folklore Society’s Katharine Briggs Award in 2024.

Bristol Skeptics Society is dedicated to promoting science and critical thinking, combating misinformation, and pursuing a better, more compassionate world, through skeptical exploration and inquiry. 🔎❤️

More Information about us see our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BristolSkeptics/

Or visit our website https://bristolskeptics.com/

You can read more about the Skeptics in the Pub network at their website: https://www.skepticsinthepub.org

You can find out more about our venue here: https://thewardrobetheatre.com/your-visit/

Wanna get involved with Bristol Skeptics? Come join our Facebook group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/123647386713

Leave a comment Posted on by James Williams Events, Future events

The Surprising Psychology of Misinformation – Simon Clark

Date & Time: 27th May 2025 7:00pm

Venue: The Wardrobe Theatre, 25 West St, Bristol BS2 0DF

Tickets
Facebook Event
Venue

Bristol Skeptics Society is delighted to present another instalment of Skeptics in the P̶u̶b̶… Theatre!

Skeptics in the Pub is a monthly lecture series, hosting academics from the world of science and skepticism, to share their unique research and insights. The goal is for every talk to delight and inspire, and help us understand our complex world a little better.

In May we will be welcoming Simon Clark to our stage talking about the surprising psychology of misinformation. This engaging and informative talk explores the growing prevalence of misinformation in today’s world, and the psychological mechanisms that make us vulnerable to it, both as individuals and as a society. Drawing on a range of compelling psychological studies, Simon Clark offers insights into how misinformation spreads and why it resonates, as well as some practical strategies for recognising and resisting misleading information in everyday life.


Simon Clark is a Cognitive Psychologist and member of the Technology, Democracy & Cognition (TeDCog) research lab at the University of Bristol’s School of Psychological Science, led by internationally-renowned misinformation expert Professor Stephan Lewandowsky. As well as a masters degree (from the University of Surrey) in Psychology, he holds a degree in Business (from the University of Bath) and started his career in marketing and PR in the City of London.


Bristol Skeptics Society is dedicated to promoting science and critical thinking, combating misinformation, and pursuing a better, more compassionate world, through skeptical exploration and inquiry. 🔎❤️


More Information about us see our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BristolSkeptics/


You can read more about the Skeptics in the Pub network at their website: https://www.skepticsinthepub.org


You can find out more about our venue here: https://thewardrobetheatre.com/your-visit/


Wanna get involved with Bristol Skeptics? Come join our Facebook group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/123647386713

Leave a comment Posted on by James Williams Events, Future events

Horror Everything – Dr Joe Ondrak

Date & Time: 12th March 2025 7:30pm

Venue: The Wardrobe Theatre, 25 West St, Bristol BS2 0DF

Tickets
Facebook Event
Venue

Bristol Skeptics Society is delighted to present another instalment of Skeptics in the P̶u̶b̶… Theatre!


Skeptics in the Pub is a monthly lecture series, hosting academics from the world of science and skepticism, to share their unique research and insights. The goal is for every talk to delight and inspire, and help us understand our complex world a little better.


In March we are delighted to be hosting Dr. Joe Ondrak delivering his talk ‘Horror Everything: – 2016 – Forever’. In his talk, Dr. Ondrak will discuss how horror fiction traditions are useful in understanding contemporary conspiracy culture, moving from false documents and found footage to creepypasta and QAnon. Taking a formalist and stylistic approach, he will demonstrate how social media platforms shape meaning, blur the boundaries of fact and fiction, and create a shared cognitive environment ripe for conspiracy belief.


Dr. Joe Ondrak is an Open-Source Intelligence practitioner, investigative journalist, and an expert in disinformation, conspiracy theories, and contemporary media theory. Over five years, he has exposed conspiracy grifters, extreme right-wing figures, hostile state influence operations, and platform manipulation efforts, and advised government and policymakers on how to address the risks that come with our hypermediated age. His PhD – ‘Digesting Creepypasta: Social Media Horror Narratives as Gothic Fourth-Generation Digital Fiction’ – explored how social media blurs the boundaries between fact and fiction when used as a venue for storytelling, and the wider implications for society.


Bristol Skeptics Society is dedicated to promoting science and critical thinking, combating misinformation, and pursuing a better, more compassionate world, through skeptical exploration and inquiry. 🔎❤️


More Information about us see our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BristolSkeptics/


You can read more about the Skeptics in the Pub network at their website: https://www.skepticsinthepub.org


You can find out more about our venue here: https://thewardrobetheatre.com/your-visit/
Wanna get involved with Bristol Skeptics? Come join our Facebook group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/123647386713

Leave a comment Posted on by James Williams Events, Future events

On Being Reasonable – Dr Kirsty Sedgman

Date & Time: 25th February 2025 7:30pm

Venue: The Wardrobe Theatre, 25 West St, Bristol BS2 0DF

Tickets
Facebook Event
Venue

Bristol Skeptics Society is delighted to present another instalment of Skeptics in the P̶u̶b̶… Theatre!

Skeptics in the Pub is a monthly lecture series, hosting academics from the world of science and skepticism, to share their unique research and insights. The goal is for every talk to delight and inspire, and help us understand our complex world a little better.


In February we are delighted to be hosting Dr Kirsty Sedgman of the University of Bristol delivering her talk ‘ On Being Unreasonable’. We’re living in an age of division. From abortion rights to immigration, gun control to climate change, civil debate has gone out the window. Everywhere we look, bad behaviour seems to be getting worse. The social contract is breaking down. Why can’t we all be reasonable? The trouble is, what’s ‘reasonable’ to one person is outrageous to another. Drawing on examples from public transport to civil protest to the ‘reasonable man’ standard in law, Kirsty Sedgman explores the judgment mechanisms we use to draw lines between acceptable and unacceptable, appropriate and inappropriate, legal and illegal, good and bad. In a world where we all think we’re being reasonable, how can we figure out what’s right? And when do we need to give ourselves and others permission to break the rules in pursuit of positive social change?

As Doctor of Audiences at the University of Bristol, Dr Kirsty Sedgman has spent her career working out how people can live side by side in the same world yet come to understand it in such totally different ways. Kirsty speaks about her expertise in the media and around the world, and her latest book On Being Unreasonable (Faber & Faber) was a Guardian Best Ideas book of 2023.


Bristol Skeptics Society is dedicated to promoting science and critical thinking, combating misinformation, and pursuing a better, more compassionate world, through skeptical exploration and inquiry. 🔎❤️


More Information about us see our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BristolSkeptics/

You can read more about the Skeptics in the Pub network at their website: https://www.skepticsinthepub.org


You can find out more about our venue here: https://thewardrobetheatre.com/your-visit/


Wanna get involved with Bristol Skeptics? Come join our Facebook group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/123647386713

Leave a comment Posted on by James Williams Events, Future events

What happens if you die without family or money? – Evie king

Date & Time: 22nd January 2025 7:30pm

Venue: The Wardrobe Theatre, 25 West St, Bristol BS2 0DF

Tickets
Facebook Event
Venue

Bristol Skeptics Society is delighted to present another instalment of Skeptics in the P̶u̶b̶… Theatre!

Skeptics in the Pub is a monthly lecture series, hosting academics from the world of science and skepticism, to share their unique research and insights. The goal is for every talk to delight and inspire, and help us understand our complex world a little better.

In January we are delighted to be hosting Evie King fresh off her appearance last month at QED! In her talk ‘What happens if you die without family or money?’ council funeral officer Evie King explains the systems that support people who fall through the societal cracks after their deaths, and along the way tries to bust a few myths about the kinds of people these may be. By shining a light on her caseload she seeks to show that these people are not outliers, but all of us, and by extinguishing those eerie shadows she hopes to send you home having let go of your 3am fears about dying alone and all of its connotations.

Evie is a council worker, writer and a former stand up comedian. She has written short form pieces in the margins of her various day jobs, contributing to New Humanist, Guardian Comment is Free, BBC Comedy and Viz Comic. Since moving to the seaside and going part-time she has had more time for writing and has completed her first book – Ashes to Admin – about her job arranging council funerals under her pen name. She is currently working on a second.

Bristol Skeptics Society is dedicated to promoting science and critical thinking, combating misinformation, and pursuing a better, more compassionate world, through skeptical exploration and inquiry. 🔎❤️

More Information about us see our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BristolSkeptics/

You can read more about the Skeptics in the Pub network at their website: https://www.skepticsinthepub.org

You can find out more about our venue here: https://thewardrobetheatre.com/your-visit/

Wanna get involved with Bristol Skeptics? Come join our Facebook group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/123647386713

Leave a comment Posted on by James Williams Events, Future events

A Skeptics Guide to Ghost Hunting – Hayley Stevens

Date & Time: 9th September 2024 7:30pm

Venue: The Wardrobe Theatre, 25 West St, Bristol BS2 0DF

Tickets
Facebook Event
Venue

Bristol Skeptics Society is delighted to announce the return of Skeptics in the Pub!

Skeptics in the Pub is a monthly lecture series, hosting academics from the world of science and skepticism, to share their unique research and insights. The goal is for every talk to delight and inspire, and help us understand our complex world a little better.


This month we are delighted to be hosting Hayley Stevens! Described as ‘ … the Scully end of the Mulder-Scully X-Files spectrum’ by The Times, Hayley is a Wiltshire-based paranormal investigator using scientific skepticism to investigate paranormal claims. Hayley writes the award-winning science blog Hayley is a Ghost, and her writing can also be found in Skeptical Inquirer, The Skeptic, Paranormal Magazine and more. Hayley has spoken internationally about the paranormal mysteries she has found explanations for… and those which remain unsolved…


Her talk ‘A Skeptic’s Guide to Ghost Hunting’ will offer unique insights into modern paranormal research from a skeptic paranormal researcher. Allow Hayley to introduce you to the bizarre world of modern ghost-hunting, explain how to spot sham ghost-hunting claims, and reveal how all is not what it seems when it comes to things that go bump in the night…


Each month Bristol Skeptics will be inviting a new incredible speaker from the world of science and skepticism. Bristol Skeptics Society is dedicated to promoting science and critical thinking, combating misinformation, and pursuing a better, more compassionate world, through skeptical exploration and inquiry. 🔎❤️


Our first event back will be September 9th at the Wardrobe Theatre
You can read more about the Skeptics in the Pub network at their website: https://www.skepticsinthepub.org


Wanna get involved with Bristol Skeptics? Come join our Facebook group!