Podcast
Evil Genius with Russell Kane
Hosted by BBC Sounds · EN
It’s good, bad, ugly - and very very funny. Changing the way we see heroes and villains in history.
42episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The Critters Are Back!
1w ago00:01:42Tap to summarizeEvil Animals is back with a whole new menagerie of beasts. Comedian Russell Kane and his panel will debate whether Koalas, Wasps, Tortoises, Vultures, Orcas, Meerkats, Ants, Rats and Chimpanzees are evil or genius.Across the series, Russell will be joined by leading experts including: zoology correspondent Jules Howard, zoologist Lucy Cooke, Professor of Behavioural Ecology Seirian Sumner, Merit Researcher at the Natural History Museum Natalie Cooper, zoologist Billy Heaney and top entomologist Professor Karim Vahed.Comedian guests include: Lindsey Santoro, Peter Rethinasamy, Lucy Porter, Glenn Moore, Felicity Ward, Desiree Burch, Susie McCabe and Esther Manito.Hosted by Russell Kane Written by Angela Channell Researcher: Catherine Beazley Sound Recordist: Gareth Wood Digital Editor: Jerry Peal Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul Smith Producer: Simon NichollsEvil Animals with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds.
Transcribe →Helen of Troy
1w ago00:37:36Tap to summarizeShe’s the face that launched a thousand ships - but is Helen of Troy anything more than just a pick-me girl with an army of cucks? Lily Phillips, Ola Labib and Edd Hedges consider bestiality, incest, and Power Rangers, to try and assess whether the hottest woman in history leaves them cold.Additional material: Miriam O’Byrne, Angela Channell and Katie Sayer Researcher: Miriam O’Byrne Recording Engineer: Gareth Wood Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul SmithThe producer was Katie Sayer. Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds.
Transcribe →William Shakespeare
2w ago00:40:54Tap to summarizeHe’s the most famous writer of all time; but before his reign of terror over the GCSE syllabus, William ‘Shag-speare’ was an upcoming playwright with humble beginnings in Stratford-upon-Avon. But was he more evil, or genius? Did he put the ‘knob’ into Two Noble Kinsmen, or just the ‘mid’ into Midsummer Night’s Dream? It’s up to Stephen Bailey, Kate Cheka and Steve Bugeja to decide whether the Bard of Avon was a bisexual icon, or a bit of a bastard.Additional material: Christina Riggs and Katie Sayer Researcher: Christina Riggs Recording Engineer: Dom Boucher Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul SmithThe producer was Katie Sayer. Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios production for BBC Sounds.
Transcribe →Nancy Reagan
3w ago00:37:54Tap to summarizeA socialite in shoulder pads or the real power behind the throne? It’s up to Limahl Germain, Louise Young and Peter Rethinasamy to decide if Nancy Reagan was a typical tradwife or a Machiavellian manipulator, via goths, psychics, and bananas in the bedroomAdditional material: Miriam O’Byrne, Angela Channell and Katie Sayer Researcher: Miriam O’Byrne Recording Engineer: Dom Boucher Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul SmithThe producer was Katie Sayer. Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios Production for BBC Sounds.
Transcribe →F. Scott Fitzgerald
4w ago00:37:36Tap to summarizeThe poster boy for yearning, F. Scott Fitzgerald came to epitomise the American dream. But is the author of The Great Gatsby really so great after all? Pierre Novellie, Rachel Fairburn and Slim dive between the covers and find some red flags in the roaring twenties.Additional material: Miriam O’Byrne and Katie Sayer Researcher: Miriam O’Byrne Recording Engineer: Dom Boucher Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul SmithThe producer was Katie Sayer. Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios Audio Production for BBC Sounds.
Transcribe →Brigitte Bardot
Apr 2900:37:25Tap to summarizeThe original pin-up, Brigitte Bardot enchanted audiences in France and around the world. But in later life, was her concern with rights - both “animal” and “far” - at odds with her liberated image? Via Playboy, farting on trains, and optimistically flashing an areola, Lindsey Santoro, Hasan Al Habib, and Alexandra Haddow must decide - was Brigitte Bardot evil, or a genius?Additional material: Christina Riggs and Katie Sayer Researcher: Christina Riggs Recording Engineer: Dom Boucher Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul SmithThe producer was Katie Sayer. Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios Production for BBC Sounds.
Transcribe →Colonel Sanders
Apr 2200:34:33Tap to summarizeTo fast food fans, he’s a deity. To chickens, he’s public enemy number one. But there’s more to Colonel Sanders than just that secret blend of 11 herbs and spices. Josh Jones, Laura Smyth and chef Ruby Bhogal take a deep dive into the Colonel’s life - and find gunfights, court cases, and an unexpected detour into gynaecology. Was Colonel Sanders evil or a genius?Additional material: Christina Riggs, Ruth Husko and Katie Sayer Researcher: Christina Riggs Recording Engineer: Dan Nagy Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul SmithThe producer was Katie Sayer. Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios Production for BBC Sounds.
Transcribe →Lord Lucan
Apr 1500:37:39Tap to summarizeIt’s one of the most famous missing persons cases of all time, and has baffled detectives for over 50 years. So will Russell Kane and co fare any better at getting to the truth about Lord Lucan? Rachel Fairburn, Pierre Novellie and Slim help in the hunt for the missing aristocrat, via luxuriant moustaches, northern tea and soggy biscuit.Additional material: Miriam O’Byrne and Katie Sayer Researcher: Miriam O’Byrne Recording Engineer: Dom Boucher Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul SmithThe producer was Katie Sayer. Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios Production for BBC Sounds.
Transcribe →Nancy Mitford
Apr 800:37:36Tap to summarizeSatirist, socialite, and Bright Young Thing Nancy Mitford led a life that was almost as scandalous as the contents of one of her novels. But was she just an art-deco Kardashian with a talent for typing and a complicated family? Or did her way with words disguise a deeper ruthlessness within? Laura Smyth, Josh Jones, and Sunday Times Fiction Editor Laura Hackett are tasked with diving between the covers to decide - was Nancy Mitford: Evil, or Genius?Additional material: Christina Riggs and Katie Sayer Researcher: Christina Riggs Recording Engineer: Dan Nagy Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul SmithThe producer was Katie Sayer. Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios Production for BBC Sounds.
Transcribe →Ozzy Osbourne
Apr 100:36:26Tap to summarizeThe Godfather of heavy metal, a legendary reality star and Birmingham’s favourite son - Ozzy Osbourne certainly has the makings of a genius. But was there something darker lurking beneath the leather trench coat? Lindsey Santoro, Hasan Al Habib, and Alexandra Haddow are tasked with examining whether the Prince of Darkness lives up to his name.Additional material: Christina Riggs, Ruth Husko and Katie Sayer Researcher: Christina Riggs Recording Engineer: Dom Boucher Sound Editor: Kate Mac Production Coordinator: Liz Tuohy Executive Producer: Paul SmithThe producer was Katie Sayer. Evil Genius with Russell Kane is a BBC Studios Production for BBC Sounds.
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