The European Skeptics Podcast - The ESP

TheESP – Ep. #524 – We are Against Idiocy

27 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Despite the bleak outlook we see in the news, science and critical thinking is still a thing. In the UK, Sense about Science is re...

TheESP – Ep. #523 – Germanic New Toothpaste?

20 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

General elections in Hungary are coming up and it’s going to be nasty. We get some listener feedback and we were on an video int...

TheESP – Ep. #522 – Talking Nuclear, with Zion Lights

13 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This week we have an interview with author and nuclear advocate Zion Lights.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-522.htmlSegments:0:...

TheESP – Ep. #521 – RFK jr. Does not Call the Shots

06 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Even in a world on fire with yet another big war there are glimmers of light such as the upcoming Festival of Humanism in Bournemouth in Jun...

TheESP – Ep. #520 – I Swear, it’s Adrienne Hill!

27 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In a very special skeptical Canadian extravaganza, we are joined by the fabulous Adrienne Hill as guest host for the show. A very special tr...

TheESP – Ep. #519 – Skeptical Heresy

20 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Just like his uncle, even the Prince of Wales (William, that is) cannot entirely stay out of the Epstein-files, as his charity gets tan...

TheESP – Ep. #518 – Kindoki

13 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We start by wishing for fast trains and maglev transportation in Europe – much better for the environment than air travel. Becau...

TheESP – Ep. #517 – When in Doubt, Gather More Data!

06 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This is an oddly positive episode with a lot of good news, who could foresee that? But do us a favor and help Skeptical Science with your tr...

TheESP – Ep. #516 – We’re Shedding Plastics

30 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Canada’s Mark Carney could possibly be a role model for our European leaders, and the Swedish Bar Association agrees with our cr...

TheESP – Ep. #515 – Exorcize Religion from Schools!

23 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

English may not be our first language but we are willing to learn! Hungarian nuts with a nationalist agenda would like you to believe in made up ...

TheESP – Ep. #514 – A Tradition of Informed Fallibility

16 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

2025 was the third hottest year on record, but that hardly even makes the news. In TWISH we hear about the science communicator&nb...

TheESP – Ep. #513 – Don’t be a Besserwisser

09 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We have to rant about Trump and Venezuela for a bit, but to take our minds off that, we turn to TWISH and hear about the disc...

TheESP – Ep. #512 – Never Lend Things to a Babylonian

02 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the new year! Obviously we start with some reflections on 2025 and we also give a shout-out to Haley Stevens and h...

TheESP – Ep. #511 – Compliments of the Season!

26 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Merry Christmas everyone! This is an episode unlike any other in the ESP history, hope you will enjoy it!See you again in 2026!Segments:0:00:27 I...

TheESP – Ep. #510 – Wat Are They Sinking?

19 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this week’s TWISH we take a look at the most skeptical saint, Doubting Thomas – not that we feel that he got everything rig...

TheESP – Ep. #509 – Skepticism is Hard – Even For Geniuses

12 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Rage bait is the Oxford Word of the Year and that cannot be a a good sign of the times we live in. In TWISH we acknowledge th...

TheESP – Ep. #508 – How Many Lobsters Can You Eat?

05 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We discuss science communication by the ECDC re vaccinations and have some listener feedback about Dr Who, before w...

TheESP – Ep. #507 – Freebirthing 101: 'Dead is Dead'

28 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We start by noting that COP30 was pretty disappointing although we are not too surprised. On another, more positive side, Michael Frass...

TheESP – Ep. #506 – Who?

21 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week celebrates the launch of Dr Who way back in 1963, the longest running TV-show in history, and a special favourite for many skeptic...

TheESP – Ep. #505 – Tough Times for the Beeb

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

James Watson died, and brilliant as his contribution to science was, he also had some very problematic views on race and women. The&nbs...

TheESP – Ep. #504 – Democracy and Science are Inseparable

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We’re back home after QED and boy was it great! Last one, we know, but next year will see the European Skeptics Congress in Liverpool...

TheESP – Ep. #503 – Live at QED 2025

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Note! You can find the video of this live recording here on our Youtube channel! (special thanks to the fantastic SitPO team for the vi...

TheESP – Ep. #502 – Psychics in the Pub

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Warming up for QED, we dive directly in to TWISH and talk about – QED(!) and how this weekend will be an historic event as the last o...

TheESP – Ep. #501 – Of Swans and Carp

17 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

To begin with with remember Jane Goodall and we mark that the Dutch Master Kackadoris Award has been awarded to the VU Univer...

TheESP – Ep. #500 – Half a Thousand!

10 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s official boys and girls, we made it to Episode 500!We celebrated this with a live recording and joining us from all over the world&nb...

TheESP – Ep. #499 – Drones from Outer Space!

03 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Next week we’ll livestream our 500th episode (but stick around for this one first!), and also we remind all non-UK QED participants&n...

TheESP – Ep. #498 – Don’t Be Like Bobby

26 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Swedish glaciers are disappearing and in TWISH we hear about the triumph for science when discovering Neptune. After that, it’s ...

TheESP – Ep. #497 – Ötzi the Ice Man

19 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Make sure to check out András' Skeptics in the Pub Online talk next week on 25 September! In TWISH we meet Ötzi the Ice Man, and a my...

TheESP – Ep. #496 – Nail in the Coffin

12 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the Netherlands, trust in science is increasing which is unexpected good news. We have some thoughts on the election results in Norw...

TheESP – Ep. #495 – Remember That Your Memory Fails

05 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After some listener feedback regarding green energy and Pontus reporting back from Lithuania, we go to TWISH where we he...

TheESP – Ep. #494 – An Everlasting Digital Dance

29 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We’re already looking forward to QED and nominations for the Ockham Awards are still open – if you know someone who deserves it nominate...

TheESP – Ep. #493 – Hot Summer

22 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In TWISH this week we look into the achievements of James Watt who made a whole lot of things, despite not inventing the...

TheESP – Ep. #492 – Conspiracy Theorists, with Steen and Claus

15 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ever realized that there are three types of conspiracy theorists and a clear link between them and terrorism? Catch the new book by&nbs...

TheESP – Ep. #491 – 2.5 million lives saved

08 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We’ve got some listener feedback about the popularity of lie detectors in Ukraine, and in TWISH we hear about the man behin...

TheESP – Ep. #490 – A theory is not a person

01 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Congratulations to friend of the show Deborah Hyde who has been appointed patron of Humanists UK! In TWISH we hear about to u...

TheESP – Ep. #489 – The Scottish Inquisition

25 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s the episode nobody could expect! Least of all András, who in Pontus’ continued absence gets put on the spot by the ...

TheESP – Ep. #488 – Grok and Troll

21 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As Pontus is off on som some mysterious quest or whatnot, Brian Eggo (Eggman) sneaks back into the driver's seat of the show. In TWISH&...

TheESP – Ep. #487 – Religion has no place in science

11 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The heat wave in Europe is back, and in TWISH we learn about the Russell-Einstein Manifesto which was published 70 years...

TheESP – Ep. #486 – Orbánned!

04 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Viktor Orbán got his behind handed to him when trying to ban Budapest Pride and that makes us very happy! In TWISH we learn ...

TheESP – Ep. #485 – Barbara Bananas

27 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Is the virus metaphor for spreading misinformation really as good as we have been led to think? Some psychologists disagree. We ag...

TheESP – Ep. #484 – Mystery Moon

20 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

URGENT! The great podcast the Naked Scientists is in great danger of being cancelled by Cambridge University and we urge ever...

TheESP – Ep. #483 – Uri Geller vs. Greta Thunberg

13 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As Eggman sits in for András, we look forward to SkeptiCamp at QED and Mike Hall’s Skeptics in the Pub Online talk an...

TheESP – Ep. #482 – On the Highway of Misinformation

06 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We have some listener feedback about the name of ‘Grok’ and a tip to sign a very important petition regarding NASA. In&nb...

TheESP – Ep. #481 – with Deborah Hyde!

30 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Deborah Hyde joins us this week, it’s been far too long. We recommend her Youtube series ‘The Green Children of Woolpit‘! The Romanian...

TheESP – Ep. #480 – People Are the Worst

23 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Viktor Orbán is coming down hard on free speech and Romania seems to (maybe) avoid chaos after their second attempt on ...

TheESP – Ep. #479 – Hard Core Science

16 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

So, the conclave elected ‘Papa Bob’ a.k.a. Leo XIV – who is he, and will that bring back the ‘Pontus Pokes the Pope’...

TheESP – Ep. #478 – Not a Political Podcast

09 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

QED tickets are available everyone, so we start our count-down to October in Manchester! The papal conclave is currently on-going and w...

TheESP – Ep. #477 – AI gets high on shrooms

02 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We start out with a few things from the world of skepticism – in Belgium, SKEPP turns 35 next week with special appearance by Chris F...

TheESP – Ep. #476 – The Last Poke

25 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s time for the last Poking of Francis but before we get into that and the other news, we go to TWISH to hear about this week’...

TheESP – Ep. #475 – Leonardo: the Myth, the Man, the Legend

18 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mixed messages from QED – new dates announced but we hear this is the last one(!) and we have a hard time accepting it...

TheESP – Ep. #474 – Painful Endometriosis Study

11 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We first rant a bit about Viktor Orbán and examine some psychic horsing around at the Grand National. In TWISH we ...

TheESP – Ep. #473 – Anthroposophic Princess

04 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We explore the source of April Fool's day in this week’s TWISH, before we get into the news:UK: Three-quarters of UK fertility patien...

TheESP – Ep. #472 – Shot by the Vaccine

28 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Science takes an interest in Pontus’ body (who would’ve thought?) and in TWISH we hear about Comenius who got a...

TheESP – Ep. #471 – Without Sleep, Your Brain Doesn’t Work

21 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Pontus is back from skiing, Orbán is worse than ever, and an astronaut will photograph the turtle that carries the Earth on its back –...

TheESP – Ep. #470 – Gross Breach of Trust

16 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With Brian sitting in for Pontus while he’s doing some skiing, we talk events to start with. The Hungarian Skeptic Society just ...

TheESP – Ep. #469 – Hungarian politics à la Putin

07 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Believe it or not, there are more skeptical podcasts out there than ours – check out the Skeptic podcast for example, the newest...

TheESP – Ep. #468 – Education Fail

28 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We are still fascinated by the on-going planetary alignment and this week is an even better opportunity to watch it. And if it’s cloudy an...

TheESP – Ep. #467 – Tesla-skam

21 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We talk a little bit of the upcoming Germany federal elections this weekend and in TWISH we hear about Carl von Rokitansky&nb...

TheESP – Ep. #466 – Science and Politics

14 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Lots about guns and politics this week, as well as science, homeopathy and a little bit about lost pants. In TWISH&...

TheESP – Ep. #465 – The moon and the planets, with Marcel-Jan Krijgsman

07 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week we interview Marcel-Jan Krijgsman, Dutch amateur astronomer, data engineer and science communicator.Enjoy!https://t...

TheESP – Ep. #464 – The lying liars lie

31 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After discussing Nazi salutes, placebo surgery, scientology follow-up, Massimo Polidoro’s new book and several recomme...

TheESP – Ep. #463 – Welcome to the Post-Shame Era

24 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The ECDC has declared January cervical cancer awareness month which we support 100%. We also want encourage local skeptical actions&nbs...

TheESP – Ep. #462 – Bogus Vagus Hocus Pocus

17 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Happy to be back again and we start by welcoming some new publications by Brian Eggo and Edzard Ernst. In TWISH we wonder if 13 January is Skeptics Da...

TheESP – Ep. #461 – Orbán to go Barefoot?

10 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Quite a few things to dive into this week: the Medici popes, some listener feedback, cool dinosaur tracks and some sad news f...

TheESP – Ep. #460 – Faith or reason?

03 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With András unavailable, we drag Annika out of retirement to launch the new year! In TWISH we hear about Martin Luther’s e...

TheESP – Ep. #459 – Holy Year, holey door

29 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We close the year with some topical items related to the season.Happy New Year!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-459.htmlSegments:0:00:25 In...

TheESP – Ep. #458 – Who checks the fact checkers?

20 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A little correction to start with, and then in TWISH we hear about the Jesuit and scientist Tommaso Ceva. Of course, we also have the n...

TheESP – Ep. #457 – Tschüss!

13 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We start with the sad news that this is Annika’s last episode as a regular host. Over the last four years she has brought her unique persp...

TheESP – Ep. #456 – Don’t Bend it like Beckham

06 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After the usual pre-amble, we hear about the first prediction of a transit of Venus in TWISH. Calculated by Kepler himself yo...

TheESP – Ep. #455 – AI Jesus

29 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We start with some reflections on COP29 and then we send our big congratulations to Richard Saunders on receiving his Lifetim...

TheESP – Ep. #454 – Make Earth Flat Again

22 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As everyone else these days we are moving from X to Bluesky, any help in driving traffic our way is much appreciated. The Humanists UK ...

TheESP – Ep. #453 – Who trusts science?

15 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s one election after another. The same day that the US voted orange, Germany decided on a snap election after the curren...

TheESP – Ep. #452 – Royal Woo

08 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is the first “regular episode” for a while and of course we cannot help to mourn the stupid results of the US elections. But since this ...

TheESP – Ep. #451 – Dr Flint Dibble – and more!

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A longer episode this week, jampacked with interviews from QED! One of the marvelous things with conferences (don’t forget about the upcom...

TheESP – Ep. #450 – Live from QED!

25 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We celebrate our 450th episode (wow!) live at QED 2024 (wow!!!) with the help of Brian and Claire! We also get...

TheESP – Ep. #449 – Surrounded by Quacks

18 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Lot’s of listener feedback in this episode which is delightful! Pontus explains whether there was a scandal concerning the Sami peopl...

TheESP – Ep. #448 – Susan Gerbic

13 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In both Annika's and Pontus' absence, this week András interviews the "Fairy Godmother" of the show, psychic investigator & debunket, "master pup...

TheESP – Ep. #447 – Flying high!

04 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

András is back in good form and we start with a report from the Swedish Skeptics at the Gothenburg Book Fair – real life a...

TheESP – Ep. #446 – Richard Saunders

27 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week we interview good friend and podcast colleague Richard Saunders. We talk about skeptical activism in general and Richard’s ...

TheESP – Ep. #445 – Leave the cows alone!

20 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We start with some follow up from last week – Edward Bach is pronounced [batch], and we have some more thoughts on if plants can real...

TheESP – Ep. #444 – Happy Cucumbers

13 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

With an episode number like this, we have to start out with some numerology. Annika will be more off than on for a while and the promis...

TheESP – Ep. #443 – Scammers in the Moonlight

06 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In TWISH this week we hear about August Kekulé, the French organic chemist who redefined his disciplin in the mid 1800s. The we go into the news:INTE...

TheESP – Ep. #442 – Algimantas Kvecys

30 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Before we go into today’s interview, we elaborate a little on last week’s TWISH about the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, adding a bit more details.Then...

TheESP – Ep. #441 – Choose Your Parents Wisely

23 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

QED is getting a little bit closer and a really good idea is to sign up as a volunteer! Not only will you help creating the skeptical event ...

TheESP – Ep. #440 – It’s a spectrum, stupid!

16 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We start with a follow-up on the UK riots and the disinformation that triggered them. Regardless of this we look forward to going to QE...

TheESP – Ep. #439 – ‘Leakey’ Science

09 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We start out with the sad news that Mark Edward has passed away. Mark was a mentalist, an author, and an active skeptic. Mark, sometimes wit...

TheESP – Ep. #438 – Science and fairytales

02 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The three of us are (sort of) together again, so after the customary greetings, András joins us with Adrienne Hill all the way from Canada ...

TheESP – Ep. #437 – Just One Black Swan

29 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Thirty-two years ago this week the Vatican tried to explain why discrimination against gay people is not reallydiscrimination...

TheESP – Ep. #436 – Piazzi, the skeptical priest

19 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Just the boys this week and we have a lot to talk about – climate change (András needs a new job), Türkiye vs. Turkey, Dutch v...

TheESP – Ep. #435 – Evangelising in Schools

12 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Some listeners have started to join our Discord – why don’t you do that do!In the news today:TURKEY: Turkey revokes radio station’s li...

TheESP – Ep. #434 – The Greatest Show on Earth

05 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

To start out we nerd out a bit about how to say ‘hello’ in Hungarian, launch the new ESP Discord thread and give a shout-out to&nbs...

TheESP – Ep. #433 – Lying Politician Liars

28 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The band is back together for the first time in months! First we mention an important (but likely depressing) new book documenting Catholic child...

TheESP – Ep. #432 – Turning people into horses

22 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Annika and András talk a bit about the EP elections again, mostly reacting to listener feedback. We also mention the Belgian skeptical orga...

TheESP – Ep. #431 – SCAM under (acu)pressure

15 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In Pontus' absence we talk a bit about EP elections and in TWISH we commemorate the Italian heroine of science and skepticism&nbsp...

TheESP – Ep. #430 – Patron saint of the internet

07 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Pontus comes back from the European Skeptics Congress with a new title, applications to talk at Skepticamp QED is now open an...

TheESP – Ep. #429 – Think away the long covid

31 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We start with some listener feedback and also worry if Neil DeGrasse Tyson and his Star Talk show are falling for some a...

TheESP – Ep. #428 – Mesmerised by Nonsense

24 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In Pontus' absence Annika is back for a quick visit before her planned return next month. We mention the terrible assassination attempt against Slovak...

TheESP – Ep. #427 – Beware the Trolls!

17 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Meeting up with fellow skeptics is always a blast. We recommend reading the recent article in Skeptic UK about the history of European ...

TheESP – Ep. #426 – Educational Malpractice

10 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tickets for QED in Manchester (19-20 October) are now on sale and don’t forget Skepticamp on the day before! If all goes to plan...

TheESP – Ep. #425 – Millions of lives saved

03 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Every Swede has celebrated Valborg (Walpurgis / Walpurga) this week although no one really knows why, and András reports from Sicily&n...