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Leave a comment Posted on 1st April 20261st April 2026 by James Williams Events, Future events

The Myth of the Placebo Effect – Mike Hall

Date & Time: 28th April 2026 7:30pm

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

The placebo effect is one of the most powerful medical responses there is. It can cure your knee pain, relieve your asthma, or even help you lose weight. This isn’t wishy-washy alternative New Age nonsense, it works in animals, it works in children, and it even works when you think it won’t.

So why does the best evidence tell us that none of this is true? Why does the data show that placebos perform no better than doing nothing? And how is this myth so deeply ingrained and unquestioned in modern medicine?

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Mike Hall is a software engineer and Doctor Who fan, not in that order. He is the producer and host of the long-running podcast Skeptics with a K, part of the organising committee for the award winning skeptical conference QED, and is co-founder and director of the Merseyside Skeptics 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 1st April 20263rd April 2026 by James Williams Events, Future events

An Evening with Robin Ince

Date & Time: 19th May 2026 7:30pm

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

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Bristol Skeptics Society is delighted to present another instalment of Skeptics in the P̶u̶b̶… Theatre! And in May we have a very special guest. The comedian, writer, actor, broadcaster and activist, Robin Ince!

Robin will be delivering his talk ‘In and Out of the Cage’ – A deep dive into his time making ‘The Infinite Monkey Cage’, what led him to leave, and the role of neurodivergence in his work and life. Make sure to grab your tickets soon to not miss out.

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A multi award winning comedian, author, actor, broadcaster and activist, Robin Ince is perhaps best known as former co-host, and co-creator of the award winning BBC Radio 4 series The Infinite Monkey Cage with Professor Brian Cox.

Leave a comment Posted on 3rd March 2026 by James Williams Events, Future events

Sex and Gender Beyond the Binary – Joni Clark

Date & Time: 24th March 2026 7:30pm

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

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In a climate of ever increasing hostility towards trans and non-binary people, both in the UK and abroad, this talk will shed light on the nature of trans and non-binary experience, how we can understand them as part of the complex reality of human gender and sex, and place them in a wider historical and social context.

This talk will look at gender diversity in history and around the world today, as well as the current context for trans and non-binary people in the UK.

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Joni Clark (they/them) is a trans and non-binary awareness trainer and advocate with a background in professional training and grassroots community organising. They approach their work in a spirit of openness, shining a light on the long and hidden history of sex and gender diversity, and busting the many myths which surround it.

Leave a comment Posted on 14th December 2025 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

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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.

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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.