Evil Genius with Russell Kane
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Evil Genius with Russell Kane
It’s good, bad, ugly - and very very funny. Changing the way we see heroes and villains in history.
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Richard Wagner
Undoubtedly a pioneer in his field, Wagner made music that continues to inspire composers today. But his personal views make it difficult to separate...
Francis Bacon
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 difficu...
Mary Tudor
‘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...
Serge Gainsbourg
Was Serge Gainsbourg a cultural French icon, who pushed the boundaries of music and inspired generations of musicians? Or did he push his ‘artistic li...
Peter Stringfellow
Peter Stringfellow birthed modern nightclubs and we have a lot of partying to thank him for. But do his questionable values, exploitation and personal...
Kim Philby
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 d...
The Greatest Showman (P.T. Barnum)
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 gh...
Griselda Blanco
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 S...
Agatha Christie
Was Agatha Christie a creative legend, who dominated an entire genre and continues to captivate a global audience? Or does her choice of language, tit...
Al Capone
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,...
Evil Genius: Returning Soon
Evil Genius is back soon with more good, bad, ugly - and very, very funny. Hear it first on BBC Sounds.
Evil Animals - Vampire Bats
Vampire Bats: should we give these misunderstood goth pigeons another shot? Or ghost them for good?
Join comedian Russell Kane, zoological corre...
Evil Animals - Maggots
Maggots: should we love these sweet, misunderstood baby flies? Or dread these gruesome creepies?
Join comedian Russell Kane, entomologist Erica...
Evil Animals - Snakes
Snakes. Are they slithering wronguns or super sleek legends?
Join comedian Russell Kane, zoologist Yussef Rafik and comedian Felicity Ward as th...
Evil Animals - Cats
Domestic cats. They divide opinion. But are they really just gorgeous fluffballs or the devil incarnate?
Join comedian Russell Kane, zoologist,...
Evil Animals - Bottlenose Dolphins
Bottlenose Dolphins. Smiley acrobatic boffins or nature’s smug psychopaths? Evil or Genius?
Join comedian Russell Kane, zoologist Billy Heaney a...
Evil Animals - Hamsters
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 war...
Welcome to Evil Animals...
Join comedian Russell Kane for Evil Animals. The feral sibling of Evil Genius.
Russell is joined by special guests: comedian Laura Smyth, zoolog...
Jackie Kennedy
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...
Nostradamus
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 h...
Catherine The Great
Catherine the Great - was she as magnificent as her moniker suggests? Was she a reforming pioneer of a burgeoning empire, or an expansionist who reneg...
Florence Nightingale
Was Florence Nightingale a nursing pioneer, or a terror with a spreadsheet? Could the mother of modern nursing really have been a glorified doctor's r...
Marilyn Monroe
Was Marilyn Monroe a genius who beat the system to become a star? Or was she a career driven narcissist who perpetuated the sexism of old Hollywood? A...
Father of bodybuilding, Joe Weider
You might not have heard of Joe Weider, but he was the man who invented modern bodybuilding. Formalised training, published magazines, birthed massive...
Robert Maxwell
Was Robert Maxwell the defiant outsider who came from nothing to join Britain's elite? Or was he a bullying maniac whose power went unchecked? Was he...
Wicked: Elphaba (The Wicked Witch of the West)
Was she a tyrant in a tall hat — or the original girlboss, defying gravity and public opinion? Was she a product of her environment who experienced pr...
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte. Was he a tiny tyrant who ruled with an iron first? Or a military mastermind who revolutionised warfare forever? Russell Kane reads...
Christine Keeler
Christine Keeler - was she the genius who used what she had to bring down the government? Or did she play fast and loose with national security. Russe...
Harper Lee
Was Harper Lee a literary genius who helped spark the civil rights movement in America? Was she a selfish recluse who put her own interest above anyon...
OJ Simpson
Was OJ Simpson an inspiring American rags-to-riches story, or a fame-hungry abuser?
Michael Odewale, Sara Barron and Rachel Fairburn take a sip...
Evil Genius: Returning Soon
Evil Genius is back soon with more good, bad, ugly - and very, very funny. Hear it first on BBC Sounds.
Lawrence of Arabia
Did Lawrence of Arabia beautifully befriend the Arabs in WWI or savagely betray them? Should the king of guerrilla warfare be held accountable? What w...
Lady Macbeth
Was Lady Macbeth a cold-hearted killer or a grieving mother? Did she manipulate her husband or help him achieve his goals? Or was she simply in a very...
John D. Rockefeller
Money makes the world go round... but does it make heroes or villains? Our guests Phil Wang, Lindsey Santoro and Katie Norris examine the life of the...
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell is a highly controversial figure, not least because he banned Christmas (fun sponge alert). Our guests Kerry Godliman, Helen Bauer and...
Jim Morrison
Jim Morrison was a rock icon, a tortured poet and a leather-trouser addict. His outrageous performances on stage and dangerous behaviour behind closed...
Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich was undoubtedly an icon - with an impressive string of films, lovers and mic-drop quotes. Her work in the Second World War was inspir...
Miles Davis
The 'Prince of Darkness' Miles Davis was a jazz revolutionary with a famously husky voice and a passion for fashion. Musical genius? Yes. Deeply flawe...
Eva Perón
Former First Lady of Argentina, Eva Perón, was idolised by her nation and is still worshipped to this day. Our guests Kerry Godliman, Glenn Moore and...
Simone de Beauvoir
Simone de Beauvoir was one of the first thinkers to call the concept of gender 'total bollocks' (not quite her words). Her feminist work was groundbre...