[4][5] The earliest and longest-running event[1] is the award-winning[6] London meeting, established by Australian philosophy professor Scott Campbell[7][8] in 1999.

[10] The inaugural speaker was Wendy M. Grossman, the editor and founder of The Skeptic magazine, in February[citation needed] 1999; this first talk attracted 30 attendees.

[1][8][11] Campbell ran the London group for three years while there on a teaching sabbatical,[1] and was succeeded after his return to Australia by two sci-fi fans and skeptics, Robert Newman and Marc LaChappelle.

Nick Pullar, who made a television appearance as "Convener of Skeptics in the Pub" on the BBC spoof show Shirley Ghostman,[12][13][14] then led the group from 2003 to 2008.

[citation needed] The ease of use of the internet, via social networking sites and content management systems,[19] has led to more than 100 active chapters around the world, including more than 30 in the US and more than 40 in the UK.