PODCAST

Evil Genius with Russell Kane

BBC Sounds

It’s good, bad, ugly - and very very funny. Changing the way we see heroes and villains in history.

comedy

All Episodes

32:58

Francis Bacon

Evil Genius with Russell Kane ·

2025/12/24

Francis Bacon was a pioneer in his field, whose deeply moving art sold for millions. But his private life reveals a coldness that will make it difficult for Jess Fostekew, Fatiha El-Ghorri and Eshaan Akbar to decide: evil or genius?Additional material: Eve Delaney and Christina RiggsResearcher: Christina Riggs Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul SmithThe producer was Sasha Bobak. Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios Audio Production for BBC

33:22

Mary Tudor

Evil Genius with Russell Kane ·

2025/12/17

‘Bloody Mary’ is most famous for burning hundreds of people at the stake for their religious beliefs. Sounding pretty evil so far. But she defied all of the odds against her to become queen, fight for what she believed in, and overcome a toxic childhood. Ria Lina, Pierre Novellie and Catherine Bohart must weigh up whether she was more evil or genius.Additional material: Eve Delaney and Christina RiggsResearcher: Miriam O’Byrne Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive

33:04

Serge Gainsbourg

Evil Genius with Russell Kane ·

2025/12/10

Was Serge Gainsbourg a cultural French icon, who pushed the boundaries of music and inspired generations of musicians? Or did he push his ‘artistic license’ into a frankly freaky place? Catherine Bohart, Ria Lina and Pierre Novellie debate his legacy in order to decide whether he was evil or genius.Additional material: Eve Delaney and Christina RiggsResearcher: Miriam O’Byrne Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul SmithThe producer was Sasha Bobak. Evil

39:08

Peter Stringfellow

Evil Genius with Russell Kane ·

2025/12/03

Peter Stringfellow birthed modern nightclubs and we have a lot of partying to thank him for. But do his questionable values, exploitation and personal hiccups make him more evil than genius? Josh Jones, Rachel Fairburn and Chantel Nash are live in Sheffield to find out.Additional material: Eve Delaney and Christina RiggsResearcher: Christina Riggs Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul SmithThe producer was Sasha Bobak. Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a

37:15

Kim Philby

Evil Genius with Russell Kane ·

2025/11/26

Was Kim Philby the ultimate mastermind, who had governments eating out of the palm of his hand and could charm his way out of the hottest waters? Or do the deaths and suffering that occurred in his ideological quest put him on our blacklist? Glenn Moore, Susie McCabe and Daniel Foxx are here to find out as they debate: evil or genius.Additional material: Eve Delaney and Christina RiggsResearcher: Christina Riggs Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul

35:27

The Greatest Showman (P.T. Barnum)

Evil Genius with Russell Kane ·

2025/11/19

Roll up, roll up... plenty to see here. P.T. Barnum was, in so many ways, The Greatest Showman. But his success as a circus pioneer came at a great ghastly cost to many. Sara Pascoe, John Tothill and Gbemi Oladipo weigh up those costs to decide whether Barnum was evil or genius.Additional material: Eve Delaney and Christina RiggsResearcher: Miriam O’Byrne Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul SmithThe producer was Sasha Bobak. Evil Genius with Russell

29:48

Griselda Blanco

Evil Genius with Russell Kane ·

2025/11/12

She was the Queen of Cocaine, the master of shootouts and the only ‘man’ Pablo Escobar was ever afraid of. In this episode, Peter Rethinasamy, Laura Smyth and Rachel Fairburn decide if she was a brutal murderer or the ultimate ‘boss bitch’.Additional material: Eve Delaney and Christina RiggsResearcher: Miriam O’Byrne Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul SmithThe producer was Sasha Bobak. Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios Audio Production for

33:42

Agatha Christie

Evil Genius with Russell Kane ·

2025/11/05

Was Agatha Christie a creative legend, who dominated an entire genre and continues to captivate a global audience? Or does her choice of language, titles and storylines reveal a much more sinister, dangerous side to the queen of murder? Fatiha El-Ghorri, Jess Fostekew and Eshaan Akbar decide.Additional material: Eve Delaney and Christina RiggsResearcher: Christina Riggs Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul SmithThe producer was Sasha Bobak. Evil Genius

35:18

Al Capone

Evil Genius with Russell Kane ·

2025/10/29

Was Al Capone a brutal villain who took no prisoners? Or a Robin Hood type figure who seized an opportunity in a tale of rags to riches? Jack Skipper, Maisie Adam and Daliso Chaponda are tasked with finding out whether Al Capone is evil or genius.Additional material: Eve Delaney and Christina RiggsResearcher: Christina Riggs Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul SmithThe producer was Sasha Bobak. Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios Audio

1:14

Evil Genius: Returning Soon

Evil Genius with Russell Kane ·

2025/10/24

Evil Genius is back soon with more good, bad, ugly - and very, very funny. Hear it first on BBC Sounds.

32:33

Evil Animals - Vampire Bats

Evil Genius with Russell Kane ·

2025/10/22

Vampire Bats: should we give these misunderstood goth pigeons another shot? Or ghost them for good?Join comedian Russell Kane, zoological correspondent Jules Howard and comedian Rachel Fairburn, as they check out the amazing world of vampire bats - deciding whether they're evil or genius.Additional material by: Eve Delaney and Christina Riggs. Researcher: Catherine Beazley Sound Recordist: Gareth Wood Digital Editor: Jerry Peal Executive Producer: Paul Smith Production Coordinator: Liz

31:06

Evil Animals - Maggots

Evil Genius with Russell Kane ·

2025/10/15

Maggots: should we love these sweet, misunderstood baby flies? Or dread these gruesome creepies?Join comedian Russell Kane, entomologist Erica McAlister and comedian Ola Labib as they check out the remarkable world of maggots.Additional material by: Eve Delaney, Christina Riggs and Catherine Beazley.Researcher: Catherine Beazley Sound Recordist: Gareth Wood Digital Editor: Jerry Peal Executive Producer: Paul Smith Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Producer: Simon NichollsEvil Animals with Russell

30:35

Evil Animals - Snakes

Evil Genius with Russell Kane ·

2025/10/08

Snakes. Are they slithering wronguns or super sleek legends?Join comedian Russell Kane, zoologist Yussef Rafik and comedian Felicity Ward as they deep-dive snakes, looking specifically at the viper to decide if they are Evil or Genius.Additional material by: Eve Delaney, Christina Riggs and Catherine Beazley.Researcher: Catherine BeazleySound Recordist: Luke Nagy Digital Editor: Jerry Peal Executive Producer: Paul Smith Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Producer: Simon NichollsEvil Animals with

32:36

Evil Animals - Cats

Evil Genius with Russell Kane ·

2025/10/01

Domestic cats. They divide opinion. But are they really just gorgeous fluffballs or the devil incarnate?Join comedian Russell Kane, zoologist, vet & author Jess French and comedian Jess Fostekew as they deep-dive cats.Additional material by: Eve Delaney, Christina Riggs and Catherine Beazley.Researcher: Catherine Beazley Sound Recordist: Luke Nagy Digital Editor: Jerry Peal Executive Producer: Paul Smith Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Producer: Simon NichollsEvil Animals with Russell Kane is

31:42

Evil Animals - Bottlenose Dolphins

Evil Genius with Russell Kane ·

2025/09/24

Bottlenose Dolphins. Smiley acrobatic boffins or nature’s smug psychopaths? Evil or Genius?Join comedian Russell Kane, zoologist Billy Heaney and comedian Lindsey Santoro as they deep-dive Bottlenose Dolphins.Additional material by: Eve Delaney & Christina RiggsResearcher: Catherine Beazley Recording Engineer: Gareth Wood Digital Editor: Jerry Peal Executive Producer: Paul Smith Production Coordinator: Liz Tuoy Producer: Simon NichollsEvil Animals with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios Production

38:18

Evil Animals - Hamsters

Evil Genius with Russell Kane ·

2025/09/17

Join comedian Russell Kane as he gets to the bottom of hamsters (not that bottom). Are they cute little chaos merchants or agents of psychological warfare and cannibalism?Helping Russell decide whether hamsters are misunderstood marvels or pint-sized monsters are comedian Laura Smyth and zoologist and hamster expert Jules Howard.Additional material by: Eve Delaney & Christina RiggsResearcher: Catherine BeazleySound Recordist: Luke NagyDigital Editor: Jerry PealExecutive Producer: Paul

2:10

Welcome to Evil Animals...

Evil Genius with Russell Kane ·

2025/08/13

Join comedian Russell Kane for Evil Animals. The feral sibling of Evil Genius.Russell is joined by special guests: comedian Laura Smyth, zoologist Jules Howard, comedian Ola Labib and Principal Curator of Diptera at the Natural History Museum, Erica McAlister.Hosted by Russell KaneAdditional material by: Eve Delaney & Christina Riggs Researcher: Catherine Beazley Sound Recordist: Luke Nagy Digital Editor: Jerry Peal Executive Producer: Paul Smith Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls & Liz

43:59

Jackie Kennedy

Evil Genius with Russell Kane ·

2025/07/30

Was Jackie Kennedy a stoic American icon? Or the greatest airbrusher of 20th Century history? Did she use her limited power in inventive ways to leave an impression, or did she wrestle to stay in the spotlight for personal gain? Amy Matthews, Ray Badran and Rajiv Karia are tasked with deciding whether Jackie Kennedy is evil or genius?Additional Material: Eve Delaney Researcher: Christina Riggs Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls Executive Producer: Paul SmithThe Producer

40:32

Nostradamus

Evil Genius with Russell Kane ·

2025/07/23

Did he predict he'd be a subject on Evil Genius? Did he predict anything at all? Nostradamus is put under the microscope in this week's episode. Was he a mystic with an ability to peer into the future? Or a charlatan who used vague and cryptic language to hedge his bets? Richard Herring, Ola Labib and Pierre Novellie join Russell Kane to find out whether Michel De Nostredame was evil or genius.Additional Material: Eve DelaneyResearcher: Christina Riggs Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator:

37:18

Catherine The Great

Evil Genius with Russell Kane ·

2025/07/16

Catherine the Great - was she as magnificent as her moniker suggests? Was she a reforming pioneer of a burgeoning empire, or an expansionist who reneged on promises to free the serfs? A radical empowerer of women, or a husband murderer with a proclivity for the equine? Rajiv Karia, Amy Matthews and Ray Badran join Russell Kane in the Russian palace of Evil Genius to find out.Additional Material: Eve DelaneyResearcher: Christina Riggs Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Sarah

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Evil Genius with Russell Kane

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