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Skeptics with a K is the podcast for science, reason and critical thinking from the Merseyside Skeptics Society. Each episode features Mike Hall, Michael Marshall, and Dr Alice Howarth chatting about the things which interest them, often from a skeptical angle.
Based on 4 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Skeptics with a K turns medical claims, AI arguments and fan theories into clear demonstrations of how evidence should be tested.
Mike Hall, Marsh and Alice take doubtful claims seriously enough to examine how they work, then test them in a lively three-way conversation. Medical research, HIV/AIDS denial, artificial intelligence and fan theories all receive the same useful treatment: identify the…
Vecna theories get the same evidential frisk as AI souls and AIDS denial.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A sharp, funny skeptical take on how fandom theories can get ahead of the evidence.
Skeptics with a K treats a Stranger Things fan theory as a tidy case study in how pattern-matching can outrun common sense. The hosts keep the conversation moving with banter, side comments, and quick corrections, and the best part is how they separate ordinary production…
A sharp, skeptical look at AIDS denialism and the claims that keep it alive.
Skeptics with a K spends this episode on AIDS denialism and the kind of confidence that keeps these arguments moving even after they are challenged.
A sharp reminder that promising biology is not the same as proven medicine.
This episode treats a familiar problem with a steady hand: treatments can look convincing on paper, work in animals, and still break down in humans.
A sharp, skeptical AI conversation that keeps the human question in frame.
Skeptics with a K turns AI into both a practical irritation and a larger question worth arguing over. It moves from machine-written ads to pressure on software teams to the Turing test, while refusing to let vague claims slide by unchallenged.
Lulu Miller and Latif Nasser build single reported stories around one scientific question.
Flora Lichtman interviews scientists, from gut-health researchers to Queen's Brian May.
Steven Novella and a rotating panel dissect weekly science news and debunk pseudoscience claims.
Long interviews with neuroscientists and philosophers on consciousness, decision-making, and whether AI is anything like a brain.
Bob McDonald anchors weekly multi-segment interviews on new research, from cricket courtship to moon missions.
APA's Kim Mills interviews psychology researchers on tipping, crying, and extremism.
Mike Hall, Marsh, and Alice spend most of Skeptics with a K #454 on Stranger Things, from the 1983/1987 setting to Vecna, Eleven, and the Upside Down.
Mike Hall, Michael Marshall, and Dr Alice Howarth discuss AI's impact on software engineering, energy consumption, and the Turing test.
Mike shares a personal story about supporting his partner Emma during a 47-mile ultramarathon around Lake Windermere, where he wore a suit and faced humorous interactions.
The hosts discuss Piers Corbyn's controversial claims from a skeptical perspective, blending humor with critical analysis.
The hosts chat about Easter traditions and childhood memories of milk delivery, blending casual banter with a skeptical perspective.
The hosts discuss the 21st anniversary of New Doctor Who and the show's uncertain future, blending pop culture with skeptical commentary.
The hosts discuss the host's mother's triple negative breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, explaining the biology and challenges of this cancer type.