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One of the best things about attending QED is the social side – from chatting and hanging out in the bar and social spaces, to sharing thoughts digitally with other attendees during talks and panels.

With QED 2022 just days away, we wanted to let you know what precautions we are taking to ensure that our attendees are as safe as possible over the weekend.

The wait is almost over… there’s only one week to go until QED 2022! To help you plan your QED weekend, the full schedule is now released.

With QED a week away, it’s with regret that we have to announce that, for unavoidable reasons, Fern Riddell and Mark Maslin will be unable to appear at this year’s event. However, we have added two new speakers to the mainstage line-up who we’re sure you’ll be excited to see, Adam Rutherford, and Mike Hall.

Watch Nate's moving talk from his keynote at the end of QED 2014; there was barely a dry eye in the house. A poignant, difficult and knowledgeable account from a man who escaped an upbringing characterised by religious dogma and physical abuse only to discover that the physical scars were the smaller problem.

Professor Marcel Dicke is professor of Entomology at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. In this talk from QED 2016, he argues that the Western world undervalues the contribution insects could make to our lives... and to our nutrition.

Saturday nights at QED are always special, and this year we are delighted to bring you an exciting evening of comedy and magic, plus the official announcement of this year’s Ockham Awards!

In a world where chronic illnesses go undiagnosed for years and access to medical support for mental health illnesses is either prohibitively expensive or subject to gargantuan wait times, it’s easy to see how there is a gap in provision for people with medical needs. Stepping enthusiastically forward to fill that gap is the wellness industry, with its claims to give patients control over their health.

Looking around at a world awash with misinformation, it’s easy for even the most optimistic skeptic to feel disheartened. Across the world, we’ve watched on as viral pseudoscience has exacerbated a viral pandemic, as patients have put their trust and their health in the hands of would-be gurus and healers, and as conspiracy theories have inspired thousands to take to the streets in order to fight back against one moral panic or another. So, for our next addition to the panel room session at QED, we’d like to explore a simple question: are we winning?

QED are delighted to announce the final addition to our podcast track: a live recording of Science Shambles, where physicist Helen Czerski will discuss the future of sustainable automotive engineering with MacLaren engineer Ella Podmore.

Public awareness of mental health issues is seemingly growing, but how many treatments are backed by evidence? And when things are more serious, how does one manage the instinct to cause oneself harm?

With three weeks to go until QED 2022, there are now just 50 tickets remaining - so time is running out to pick up your ticket to the skeptical event of the year.

Step aside Captain Marvel, the real superheroes are here. Though initially coined by the autistic community itself, the narrative of ‘neurodiversity as a superpower` leaves many who struggle with the experience of being socially ostracised, patronised, or compared to heartless robots, wondering ‘what superpowers?’.

Despite having 200,000 followers in the UK, relatively few people in this country really know much about the beliefs and practices of Mormonism, or the incredible origin story of the religion. This panel discussion was originally presented at QED 2018.

In 2022, things have been difficult for a lot of people in the UK, and there are almost certainly more difficulties to come. The cost of living crisis and the energy crisis are tough - for individuals and for the charities who support those individuals. That’s why our nominated charity this year is FareShare.

Naturalist Sir David Attenborough definitely presented this short documentary on the Migration of the Skeptic. This spoof was originally used to open QED 2018.

For those who have reserved spaces, childcare will be available from 8am to 5pm on both the Saturday and Sunday. Parents are responsible for their child’s breakfast and lunch requirements.

Is torture ever acceptable? Was former Prime Minister David Cameron reasonable in feeling ‘physically ill’ at the idea of giving prisoners the vote? For which crimes should we be able to strip someone of their citizenship, rendering them stateless? And on what basis should we consider deporting asylum seekers to a third state? Hopefully those pesky human rights won’t get in the way of answering these questions at our QED panel next month.

Almost everyone agrees we’ve got a problem with fake news, misinformation, pseudoscience and conspiracy theories - but we don’t agree on what qualifies as each, who’s behind it all, or what to do about it. In his talk from QED 2017, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist James Ball tries to dissect what’s gone wrong with our information ecosystem, who’s to blame (spoiler: all of us), and what we can do to fight back.

SkeptiCamp is a one-day completely-free conference of short skeptical-themed talks. This year’s event is being run by our good friends at Skeptics in the Pub Online, who have just released the final line-up.

Sex - everyone’s doing it, and if you’re not; is there something wrong with you? Everyone’s talking about it, but are the conversations actually including everyone? In this panel we’ll examine the discourse around sex and sexuality, and how it can overlook the needs, desires and pleasures of almost everyone.

Flat Earth has gone mainstream, spawning thousands of hours of YouTube videos, and gaining widespread international media coverage. In this talk from QED 2018, Michael Marshall asks: how did we get here?

Back in 2016, QED received a mysterious message from Paul Zenon, unfortunately cancelling a planned appearance. But not everything was quite as it seems.

At home DNA testing and associated services have proven to be hugely popular, making claims around health conditions that can be diagnosed, dietary requirements that can be finessed, prescriptions that can be targeted, and long lost relatives that can be identified.

In this talk from 2014, epidemiologist and public health consultant Elizabeth Pisani presents a surprising and informative portrayal of the HIV/Aids epidemic and its current status.

With QED now less than two months away, we can announce the final addition to the QED main stage: astrophysicist Dr Hannah Wakeford.

The QED team are delighted to announce the next live podcast to be recording in the QED podcast room: the European Skeptics Podcast. Coming up to 350 episodes and close to 170 interviews with a wide range of skeptics representing all kinds of projects and organisations spread across dozens of countries, this weekly show is a celebration of the diversity of the European skeptic movement.

Magicians and mentalists walk a fine line: when your profession involves lying to people, what responsibility do you have to be truthful? This fascinating dive into the field of ethics as it relates to magicians was presented as part of QED 2014 and features Paul Zenon, Richard Wiseman, Dave Alnwick, Eli Bosnick, and Michael Marshall.

This memorable video from QED 2014 offers a behind-the-scenes peek into the pre-show rituals of skeptical magician Paul Zenon.

We are excited to announce one of the final two additions to the QED main stage: mathematician and Independent SAGE member, Christina Pagel.

At each QED, we provide an open workshop where organisers of local skeptical groups can meet to discuss how to face these challenges, share success stories, and swap tips with organisers from across the skeptical world. So whether you’re a veteran of the Skeptics in the Pub scene, or you’re looking to set up a new group in your hometown, our workshop is for you.

In this talk from QED 2013, Adam Rutherford takes us through the origins of life, how life evolved and where synthetic biology may take life in the future.

The special QED room rate of £120 per night for single occupancy, or £131 per night for double/twin for the Mercure Piccadilly Hotel expires on Friday 2nd September. Book before then to avoid potential price rises.

Since 2012 as part of our Saturday night’s entertainment, The Skeptic magazine has given out the Ockham Awards - the annual awards celebrating the best of UK skepticism, and highlighting the most troublesome or prominent pseudoscientists.

Parenting can be a minefield of misleading claims - from pregnancy pseudoscience and maternity misinformation, to a near-constant barrage of regressive stereotypes and cultural clichés. In the QED panel room, Lana Donaghy will host a session on how we might raise kids skeptically, featuring Ruth Abbott, Eli Bosnick, Britt Hermes, and Thomas Smith.

Twenty years after Columbine, ‘violent video games’ are still a hot-button topic, despite studies failing to show any clear link between gaming and violence. In this talk from QED 2018, panellists Elle Osili-Wood, Steven Novella, Ash Webster, and chair Lana Donaghy ask if can video games do us real harm? And why won’t anyone think of the children?

Wet your whistle and sharpen your wits at the QED pub trivia night, hosted by Heath ‘other guy from that podcast’ Enwright.

The QED team are busy working on our schedule for the weekend, and we’re happy to be able to announce the first panel from our panel room - Rabbitholes and radicalisation: the growth of the conspiracy theory ecosystem.

In this talk from QED 2018, nutritionist Pixie Turner talks us through her journey away from pseudoscience, and how she uses her experience to dispel the myths of the ’wellness‘ movement.

Volunteering is a great way to meet new people and make new friends whether you are already coming with someone you know or by yourself. We’re putting out a call to all our attendees to ask that anyone who would like to volunteer gets in touch.

Serious Inquiries Only will be recording a live episode of their popular podcast in the QED podcast room this October. SIO joins Skeptics with a K and InKredulous, with more shows still to come.

Eight million tons of waste plastic ends up in our oceans each year, where it breaks down into ever-smaller pieces before being ingested by wildlife. What are the risks posed by plastic waste? Are single-use plastic straws a convenient scapegoat, or would eliminating them really help? These questions were explored in this panel discussion from QED 2018.

We are delighted to be able to announce the two further additions to the QED main stage: climate scientist Prof Mark Maslin and health disinformation reporter Rachel Schraer.

QED 2022 will see the welcome return of the UK's longest running skeptically-focussed podcast Skeptics with a K to the podcasting room

Making their debut appearance in the UK for QED 2018, the Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe is a long-running weekly science podcast, dedicated to promoting critical thinking, reason, and the public understanding of science.Featuring Steve Novella, Jay Novella, Cara Santa Maria, Bob Novella, and Evan Berstein, with guest Michael Marshall.

Ever wondered what happens to the rest of the world when we're all at QED? This introductory spoof was originally shown at the opening of QED 2015 and features the voices of Adam Diggle, Carrie Poppy, Julie Pearson, and Carmen Squire.

InKredulous, the skeptical, satirical panel show from the Merseyside Skeptics Society, will be returning to QED as the first event of the packed schedule you can expect to see beyond the main stage.

The media reporting of public health issues can often be flawed, sometimes sensationalist and at times politically-led. In this panel session from QED 2014 Elizabeth Pisani, Mark Crislip, Sheena Cruickshank, and Brad McKay discuss the treatment of medical matters in the media, and the influence the press can have on public opinion on health matters.

Archaeologist and comedian Paul Duncan McGarrity as he explains how modern life could be so much better if we took a moment to learn how to attack a castle, in this unreasonably entertaining talk from QED 2018.

Carrie Poppy highlights the value of tempering scientific explanations with approachable anecdotes in order to make skeptical messages attractive to a wider audience.

This year, Skepticamp will take place on Friday, October 28th at the Mercure Piccadilly Hotel in Manchester, and will be organised and run by our good friends at Skeptics in the Pub Online.

Cara Santa Maria presents her own modest attempt to improve the American media landscape, in this presentation from QED 2016.

Professor Jim Al-Khalili wows the audience at the very first QED from 2011 with this unforgettable talk on the arrow of time.

Watch Noah, Heath and Eli dispense a comedic and withering critique on the movie *Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed*. Great fun as a podcast. Unforgettable as a video!

The QED team are thrilled to be able to announce three more speakers for QED 2022: sociologist and bioethicist Prof Tom Shakespeare, oncologist Dr Azra Raza, and director of Medics Against Violence Dr Tom Berry.

After many years of waiting, the day has finally arrived: tickets to QED 2022 are now on sale! QED 2022 will take place on the 28th-30th of October, with tickets this year costing £120, or £80 for students and under 18s. In keeping with tradition, Friday 28th of October will once again be a free Skepticamp event for all to attend, paving the way for a packed weekend of science, reason and critical thinking.

After an unexpectedly long and disconcertingly pandemicky hiatus, QED - the UKʼs largest celebration of science, reason and critical thinking - will return on the 29th-30th October, 2022, and weʼre excited to announce that tickets will go on sale at 6pm BST on June 13th, 2022.

After a handful of false starts, we are delighted to confirm that QED will definitely return on the weekend of 29th-30th October 2022.