Our regular talk at the King's Arms

Given the bewildering variety of life on Earth, all stemming from one self-replicating molecule, can we really predict what life on other worlds is like? Maybe not. But we can imagine what it isn't like.

Prison lawyer Emma McClure examines the amusing, confusing and sometimes tragic consequences of failing to take a skeptical approach to forensic evidence.

No person investigating hypnosis now seriously doubts that it is ‘a genuine phenomenon’. Yet there remains something seriously wrong with hypnosis, something that people in the field have always been very reluctant to confront. What the problem is will be revealed and discussed in this talk.

Robert Teszka is a science promoter and member of the Magic Circle. He talks about how our minds deceive us and magician's tricks can help us understand.

Have you been naughty or nice? In Alpine Countries, the reinvigoration of the traditional Krampus myth has led to festivals and processions - Krampuslauf - in his honour. We'll find out where Krampus comes from, who his cousins are, and what the real meaning of Christmas is. Plus a Krampus quiz - will you win sweets or coal?

What does a skeptic do when thinking about a funeral?

Marketer and former radio show host David Frank will be talking about all things online dating, sex and porn.

Kevin Friery is a skeptical Psychotherapist. With a background in Psychology and Counselling he has been closely involved with the world of psychological therapies since a time when they hadn't even discovered the 'C' in CBT.

One of his claims to fame (try and stop him talking about it!) is that he has appeared several times on BBC 1's The Big Questions offering the voice of skepticism and reason in the face of some very vocal True Believers.

A Bit of Slap & Tickle takes a close and skeptical look at some of the 'treatments' for common mental health conditions, and looks at the people who profess themselves to be 'practitioners'. It looks at the meaning of effectiveness and explores our relationship with placebos and comes up with some uncomfortable conclusions.

Fresh from his appearance at QED, Myles Power comes back to Manchester, discussing some examples of the dangerous assertions and explain how they have led to the death and suffering of hundreds of thousands of people. He will also talk about the failure of the DMCA and how it can be exploited by the proponents of pseudoscience.